Students will collaborate with U President Michael Young, student government leaders and the Hinckley Institute of Politics to lobby the State Legislature for funds during the upcoming General Session, which begins in January.
Members of the U’s administration and student government are encouraging students to become informed and, in turn, help establish a positive relationship with the state Legislature.
Last year, U students participated in a calling campaign that ended up doing more harm than good for the university’s cause in the eyes of legislators.
Rather than informing the Legislature of the U’s need to earthquake-proof the Marriott Library and control rising tuition, legislators complained of clogged phone lines and angry students protesting on the Hill.
Now U officials are looking for a better channel of communication.
“We need to be persuasive without burning bridges,” said Taylor Morgan, director of the Associated Students of the University of Utah government relations board.
The Platforms
Alex Lowe, ASUU president, said specificity is the key to obtaining legislative funding.
“We don’t want to be uninformed and asking for broad tuition decreases,” he said. “We want to ask for help with specific goals.”
The lobbying efforts will focus on three specific platforms, which are nearly identical to last year’s requests: Renovating the Marriott Library, faculty and staff compensation and general funding proportional to university growth.
By obtaining state money for these goals, students hope to minimize potential tuition hikes.
When the state Legislature fails to adequately fund higher education, the difference is made up by an increase of second-tier tuition, which is the amount determined by individual institutions.
“The best way to keep tuition low is to lobby for increased funding in specific areas such as faculty and staff compensation,” according to a delegate information packet provided by ASUU. “This keeps first-tier tuition low, and prevents University Presidents from having to raise second-tier tuition.”
Tuition at the U has increased about 10 percent annually for the past three years, yielding a 30 percent increase, according to ASUU.
The main focus of the lobbying is the $70 million renovation plan for the Marriott Library, $48.5 million of which the U is requesting from the Legislature. The U has already obtained $20 million in private donations, according to Lowe.
“An up-to-date library facility is essential for students and for the university to be able to compete with other schools,” Lowe said. “There are structural integrity issues as well. An earthquake could make the building fold in like a pancake.”
The project is listed second on the Utah State Board of Regents’ building priority list this year, just beneath a new Health Sciences Building at Dixie State College.
Morgan said priority has been given to Dixie’s building because of the current nursing shortage.
Student Ambassadors
The Presidential Ambassador program is still in its planning stages, but all parties are optimistic about its future.
“I’m very excited about it,” Young said. “We’ve been meeting with some of the legislators and we’ve invited some of the ASUU leadership…and they have just been terrific. They are listened to in a way much differently than I’m listened to by the Legislature.”
Bryson Morgan, a student who works in the Hinckley Institute of Politics, said he has already received emails from about 20 former legislative interns who have expressed interest in helping the U lobby.
He added that, although it may not be fully implemented this year, the goal is to have a solid program established that would provide participating students with a stipend and class credit for their efforts on Capitol Hill.
“It probably won’t be fully established this year, but in the future we’d like to offer a stipend and credit hours for participation,” Taylor Morgan said.
He added that, by offering credit and money to participating student ambassadors, the program could expect results from the students.
“It’s a long-term goal that will be good for the university,” Bryson Morgan said.
ASUU’s Taylor Morgan said six to 10 students would be chosen by a committee to participate in the student- ambassador program.
The program may not be fully intact by January, but advocate training lessons are being taught this year to get students from various fields of study involved in the democratic process.
Taylor Morgan said broadening the pool of potential student lobbyists would present a more accurate picture of the U to legislators.
Until the program is solidified, it is likely the U’s student lobbyists will be comprised of former legislative interns.
Bryson Morgan said former interns will be a good representation to fill in until the program is established because they are familiar with the political process on Capitol Hill and may already know certain legislators from past experiences.
Young is enthusiastic about the potential results from the program. He said the new process will be more effective than past efforts.
“We have a tremendously powerful case,” Young said. “What we don’t want to do is clog up the phone lines and block the aisles…[what we want to do] is sitting down in smaller settings and saying, ‘Look, here are the facts. Let us reason together and from that, you’ll see what a tremendous benefit this university is.”
Taylor Morgan agreed the old approach of calling legislators and marching on the Hill was not working to the U’s advantage.
“A couple legislators were offended,” Taylor Morgan said. “The Legislature is all emotion, there is no logic involved. But we did get the message out there that the library is a safety issue. We need a less abrasive approach now-something more tactful and strategic. We’re not going to sponsor a calling bank type activity this year because it’s not the right approach at this time.”
Taylor Morgan said students not involved in the ambassador program will be able to help the U’s cause by establishing a relationship with their own legislators because receiving input from a person who actually votes for them has more impact.
“One constituent has a stronger voice than 100 non-constituents,” he said.
While Young is particularly impressed by the potential of the new program, he was quick to point out that it came from students. He said U students are an important element to acquiring funds as legislators are more inclined to listen to them.
“I think it’ll help the Legislature better understand,” he said. “Nobody symbolizes better what we do up here than [students] do. Most of the students I meet are walking advertisements for what can happen up here with a great educational experience…so I think we’ll be fine.”