Hopefuls seek ties to Lansing

The state Senate Appropriations Committee's passage of a 3-percent funding increase for state universities and colleges Wednesday allowed some University administrators and students to breath a sigh of relief.

But some candidates for Michigan Student Assembly said students should be active in state government to ensure the University's interests are being served.

In February, Gov. John Engler recommended a 1.5-percent increase in state funding to the University, which some administrators predict would hike student tuition.

The appropriations bill will now move to the Senate floor for approval, and then to the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Higher Education, where the representatives will make another funding recommendation.

Many MSA candidates said state legislators should receive input from students on all state legislation that affects higher education before they vote.

"MSA should play an active role in soliciting funds from the Legislature," said LSA junior Ferris Hussein, an independent MSA presidential candidate. "We can lean on the state Legislature more. If we are to compete with the (University of California at Berkeley), we have to get the money."

MSA representatives currently are working on establishing a lobbying group composed of volunteers who would present students' views in Lansing.

Funding is not the only issue debated in the state Capitol that is relevant to the University. Within the past year, state legislators also have proposed bills to establish a tuition tax credit, a sales tax exemption for textbooks and mandatory campus sexual assault counseling centers.

Most candidates agreed that hiring a private lobbying group would be more costly and less effective than having student lobbyists.

"The student lobbying group would be more of a voice than having a paid lobbyist," said LSA junior Trent Thompson, the Students' Party presidential candidate. "MSA would approve the lobbying group's platform each semester. They would meet with senators and congressmen."

Not all candidates said MSA should lobby the state Legislature. New Frontier Party presidential candidate Elizabeth Keslacy, an LSA sophomore, said MSA's agenda includes so many pressing issues that it would be hard to do justice to student lobbying.

"MSA deals with so many issues. I don't think they could give it the time and effort it deserves," Keslacy said. "I think that MSA should focus more on campuswide issues. There may also be valid reasons for tuition to go up."

Another key element in making the voice of students heard on the state Capitol, candidates said, is the encouragement of student voting. LSA sophomore Albert Garcia, an independent MSA vice presidential candidate, said having students registered to vote sends a clear message to Lansing that students are paying attention.

"When students register to vote, they empower themselves," Garcia said. "If state legislators are aware of how civically engaged students are, they would be less prone to act on legislation without speaking to students."

03-20-98