Commentary
NSL
lobby with a purpose
By VALERIE McINTYRE
Editor’s note: McIntyre has been active
in University student political activities
for several years. She was recently
selected Region I board member for the
National Student Lobby.
For years the largest and most powerful
labor unions, corporations, and business
interests have had well-staffed and well
financed lobbying operations in
Washington to protect and further their
interests. The popular myth surrounding
these lobbying organizations is charac
terized by men walking the Halls of
Congress with bags of money ‘buying
votes” and promising political support for
certain candidates at election time. As a
myth this picture of lobbying is easier to
believe in than to prove. As with most
institutions in Washington, the reality is
far from the public image.
In reality, lobbying includes a broad
variety of activities and is ouch more
complex than simply trading votes for
money or political support. In some
respects the most important work done by
lobbying organizations is the presentation
of information and perspective to
Representatives and Senators concerning
a specific issue. To build the best possible
case for a certain viewpoint, good lob
byists rely on factual evidence pertinent to
the issue and real support from a voting
constituency. With regard to the latter,
the student constituency we represent, a
few things are important to keep in mind
considering student lobbyists.
Students now enfranchised
Unlike other constituencies, students
have been recently enfranchised by the
26th amendment to the Constitution. It is
still a relatively "unknown constituency”
and Representatives are interested in
talking with students about issues of
national importance.
Larry Salmony, Jeff Jefferson, Ray
Cotton, and myself - representing the state
of Oregon - were among the 700 students
from 140 colleges is 43 states who went to
Washington O.C. last month.
The students were gathered there by the
National Student* Lobby, an 18 month-old
organization that counts about 220 colleges
as dues-paying members (ISO phis 1 cent
per student). Those colleges enroll about
1.5 million students.
It has a voluntary staff of three full-time
professionals, phis about a dozen intern
students.
This was the second time the lobby had
brought a large corps of students to the
capitol. A year ago 400 students went to
Washington to lobby for the higher
education bill.
After financial aid
The lobby’s top priority this year is full
finding for traditional federal student-aid
programs such as educational opportunity
grants, work-study, and direct student
loans, phis funding for the newly
authorized basic opportunity grants,
which would aid middle-income and low
income students.
The Nixon Administration has asked for
funds for work-study and the basic-grants
program but nothing for the opportunity
grants. It also wants the direct loans to be
phased out.
The students’ other priorities include:
Defeat of a bill that would allow employers
to hire students who are under 21 and non
students under 18 at 80 percent of the
minimum wage; passage of a bill that
would permit youth discount fares on
airlines, (the Civil Aeronautics Board
recently ordered elimination of the
discounts); passage of a bill preventing
federal and state authorities from forcing
reporters to disclose confidential in
formation or sources to disclose con
fidential information of sources of in
formation, (the bill is of special interest to
student newspaper editors, many of whom
are among the leaders of the lobby).
Limiting war powers
The students are also backing such
legislation as limiting the President’s war
making powers, stopping foreign aid to
military and colonial governments,
restricting the influence of multinational
corporations on U.S. foreign policy, using
highway trust funds for mass transit and
bicycle paths, allowing voters to register
by mail, and funding campus daycare
centers.
(A more detailed analysis of this and
other student related legislation shall
appear in future editions of the Emerald).
So far the students have been sur
prisingly effective. In the battle over the
1972 higher education bill we were more
successful than the traditional higher
education lobbies (according to the
Chronicle of Higher Education 3-12-73).
The students backed Senator Pell (D-RI)
whose major proposals were included in
the bill finally adapted by Congress.
This year the students expect to work
more closely with the American Council on
Education and other associations because
all are working for full funding of the
programs included in the 1972 legislation.
The students also won Senate approval of
an amendment expressing the “sense of
Congress” that students should be in
cluded on college governing boards. In the
final bill, however, the resolution was
watered down to say that colleges should
“give consideration” to such a step.
The NSL staff in Washington has the
experience and research resources to
effectively represent students on a wide
range of issues before Congress. Also,
NSL represents students before executive
agencies on issues such as airline youth
fares, Price Commission policies on tuition
and student rentals, and Office of
Education Task Forces.
The current executive director is Layton
Olson, a 1967 graduate of the University of
California Law School and a member of
the Illinois bar.
Writes fund proposals
The Lobby has helped students write
funding proposals for foundations and
government, to participate on government
advisory committees which write
guidelines and review grants, and helps
with appointments and other
arrangements whenever students are in
Washington.
If you are in Washington for a few days,
you can use the NSL facilities to lobby.
Also, students and recent graduates from
member schools across the country may
work full-time at NSL for a semester,
quarter, or summer. Interns receive
academic credit and a first-hand
education on how the Washington political
system works. An intern also becomes a
representative of his or her own school’s or
state lobby’s interests in Washington.
When interns return home they are well
trained to wort with local lobbying efforts,
voter registration drives or political
campaigns.
NSL keeps its members informed
through a twice-monthly Legislative
Report, through voting-record posters,
and special mailings and telephone calls.
These communications detail upcoming
legislation, administrative regulations.
governmental funding deadlines for
student projects and other information.
Six NSL regions
The U.S. is broken into six NSL regions,
each of which selects two members for the
NSL Board of Directors.
Region I is broken into two sections: the
Northwestern states, and Southwestern
states. I was elected by Region 1 to
represent the Northwestern section (which
includes Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and
Alaska).
Responsibilities of board members
include:
Legal responsibilities for a non-profit
District of Columbia corporation (NSL).
Determining organizational and
business priorities.
Maintaining close contact with student
governments and state student lobbies in
the region.
Arranging contributions from various
sources.
Arranging for interns to work with NSL
in Washington who later work with state
student lobbies.
Assisting Planning and Administration
of NSL Annual Conferences including
giving briefings, and coordinating lob
bying activities for various states and
their delegates.
Currently the NSL is trying to encourage
students to establish lobbies in every state
to support the national effort and to lobby
with their own legislatures ova- state and
local issues. Most of the states have some
kind of student lobbying with state
legislatures, although not all have formal
ongoing organizations. The University of
Oregon and OSU are the only schools
within the state with any type of legislative
offices.
In 1969, a Gallup survey showed that “71
percent of the students said they would
consider working as part-time volunteers
if there were projects operating in or near
their college community.” The number of
young people who show up for political
campaigns, walk-a-thons, volunteer
organizations etc., proved the existence of
a great concern among student
populations about their political and social
environment.
Students consider volunteering
Hie question then is where are they the
day after the elections? Why do they stop
expressing their concern? The answer
was touched on by the Gallup people:
students would consider volunteer work
“...if there were projects operating in or
near their college community.”
Presently, it is very difficult for a person
who is concerned with their surroundings
to create desired change. They simply do
not know what to do or where to start. And
they do not have the necessary facilities or
the expertise to undertake a social or
political commitment.
First, there needs to be a means for
students to be informed. They must know
what is happening and then be able to
channel input to those making decisions
affecting their concerns. Secondly, there
needs to be coordination between student
groups in the state so that they can benefit
from solutions to mutual problems. These
require that an agency, heretofore non
existent, be established to perform these
functions and give students an identifiable,
responsible, significant place in society.
Oregon lobbying a priority
Consequently, the first priority of the
local NSL Office will be the establishment
of legislative programs to coordinate and
generate student programming on all
campuses in Oregon. Determining the
operational relationship between this
office and other pre-established
organizations such as Oregon Student
Association (OSA), Inter-Institutional
Union of Students (IUS), Oregon Com
munity College Student Association
(OCCSA), and' Legislative Coordinators
shall be deliberated later this term.
The eventual development of a state
umbrella-type office in Salem to coor
dinate these existing organizations will
evolve before the next legislative session
begins.
This agency will act as a clearinghouse
for all student organizations around the
state. It will develop an awareness in
students of the social and political system
as it relates to them. Then, through the
umbrella agency, their input will be
channeled into the most strategic areas.
A statewide magazine (to be paid for by
advertising) will be developed. It will
include issues, developments, ideas,
programs, research, opportunities and
anything else which would have an impact
on students. Written with the Oregon
college and university person in mind, it
could include research and articles by
students who have something they wish to
receive statewide attention.
The means for a student to pursue a
topic or issue to realization must be
provided by making available the
resources (such as office space, in
formation files) and contacts in the
governmental realm, expertise, and
special guidance that may be needed.
Establish relevant programs
Tlie establishment of relevant academic
programs and opportunities will be
another priority. These programs will be
monitored from their inception until they
are fully implemented to insure the
necessary student input is provided.
Special reading and conference courses
will be promoted in all Oregon schools. In
connection with these special courses,
interning programs in the governmental
and private sectors must be further
developed so students can make practical
use of their knowledge.
Work must also be done with HEW, the
State Department of Education financial
aid offices, educational institutions, etc.,
to provide student input into the
development of educational planning and
programming.
Beyond membership and continuing
participation in such political
organizations as NSL, the organization of
our own state lobby force is the obvious
move for student governments in Oregon.
It will begin here, at the University where
there is the leadership, direction, and
motivation to pull together the fragmented
legislative attempts. (The University is
the leadership center of the state in terms
of the statewide positions held by its
students. The IUS. OSA, the strongest
student legislative effort, and the regional
NSL Office are all based at this campus).
If a state student lobby can develop and
remain responsive and responsible to
student opinions and demands through
statewide referendums etc., the
organization will prosper. With a
legitimacy in operation, the power to ef
fect legislation will naturally follow. The
potential to influence the decision making
process through these kinds of efforts has
been realized in California and other states
where known and respected lobbies are
operated by students.
If you are interested in more in
formation about NSL or would consider
working with the program, please call me,
x4360 (Legislative Coordinators Office, 309
EMU).