“Without a collective voice, selling your ideas... [isj that much harder."
fmc kOT:RA SH. ’>■: A ' i A' j l! A.M • M> i, »t 'HI UNi'i r S’A’f-* SHiDHJT ASSOC lAUOt;
Who Makes The Grade?
continued from previous page
I Jemot rat it agenda"
President \d.un Kreisel
Founded: I'M2
Membership: 800 i hapters. I he\
estimate HO,()()() members.
Funding: l und raising events, pn
vate individual donations, and
SsO per ehapter annual lines
Alui I vnilun luhnsiin lumshol
the ( aillcgt DeiniKials troll! the
I )eini»i t at u tlot k in \‘Hi Ini
up|Mising the Vietnam War), tin
( 1 )s did s cr\ little tut JO \ ears
lint diet started reusing in the late
'Hlls, organizing lot \l (lore's presi
dential campaign. Mfhough then peat
action was in the I'nJ elections, tin e
lu\e staved lms\ since then
u cording t«» figures tollccud from
chapters, the ( I)1", as leaders ot the
Vote tin .1 ( lunge i o.ilitkihn on ml
lege iampuses, registered mmi ih.111
MKI.(XX) |hi>j»lc in Mile m IWJ I lies
claim 60,(Mil) ( IK w orked mi I,J0j
1ik.i1. stale anil iuMnn.il campaigns
\nil Mini tin i’li e t H m. .li mulmi> in
their figures, thes’se generated more
than ’O.(HK) phones ealls anil l.ilK) lit
ters m support nt ( Imtim s economic
package anil national service initiative
I o he sure, seiltiing 111 a “letter iit
support isn't liki si t ate lit tig out a
heartfelt missive to unit senator
these letters are actualls tear off post
i-irils at the Imttom ot monthls Icgtsla
me hullettns with pre printed ities
sages and signature hlanks
Hut they took a more tore etui
approach m then M .ishmgton enliven
non m June I't'H, when this lohhieil
more than 100 ( ongtessioti.il mem
liers President Vl.ini kreisel, a 2’
sear old senior it I units ( ollegc in
( ainnei tuul. s.iss thi s targeted sena
tors to muse tor a vote on the national
service hill, which si as being tilibus
tered hs certain Republicans.
Vlthough the ( IK' national stall
attend meetings issue a week with the
Democratic National ( ommittec,
kreisel s.iss tiles get zero funding trnni
the DM (The DM does provide
them with occasional lodging on trips
and helps them hind raise )
1 Ills sear, tiles re gearing up tor
local and statewide elections and sup
iwirting ( Hinton’s health care package.
What you'll be doing if you join:
Working on local campaigns
I lusting speakets Mailing pre printed
letters from legislator bulletins to
members ot (Congress in support ot
( Hinton’s health i are plan.
Grade: B+ 1 lies re well-organi/ed
and tiles haven't sat on their butts
since ( Hinton ssas elected.
I or more information, . oil (202) -f~'J
i/.VV /• mail addrts> ttti. 1(11 ft
(^CompuServe
United btates btuaent
Association
Focus: “(11\ mu students the
tnc.ins to receive higher edtu .t
lion" \ ice President Stephanie
Vrellano
Founded: ITS
Membership: v 50 eatnpuses.
Funding: Dues from manlier
schools, which range from S400
in Si .000 per \e.tr Sc hools
belonging to I SS \ through
direct referenda must pa\ 5()
cents per student per semester
I hc\ also take foundation grants
and individual donations.
I i\ like your suiiient government
but get this thee actually do
something. l'SS\ is .1 student lob
living group that claims to repre
sent I S million students Schools are
members through their student gm
ernments c ir state student assoc iations
Working with members and stall of
(he I louse and Senate Appropriations
committees, they've lobbied on these
issues
• Iasi spring, 10 restore funding lor
state student incentive grants, which
were m danger ot losing S J 4 million
to help hind a |ob creation lull
• since the earlc Nik, lot direc t lend
mg. a police in which the government
administers student loans Direct lend
mg passed ( ongress last Julv. and
l SS \ representatives are the only
voices for students on the regulations
committee tor direc t lending
• last spring and summer, for
(Hinton's national community service
initiative 1 hcv specifically pushed for
an option to serve part tune, options
lor students with disabilities and lot
health care and child cate provisions
ti >r participants
• tm ilu past tinci stars, tut the
Violence \gamst \\ uiticii \ct, which
contains an amendment on campus
safety. ( lhcvve organized nationwide
phone hanks to support the measure )
I lies re also pushing tor the hiparti
san lettords \mendmcnt, which would
increase the percentage of the federal
budget spent on education (now at 2
percent) b\ I percent every year until
it reaches |() percent of the lederal
budget I o keep members abreast of
national legislation, l SS \ provides a
legislative hotline at (202) '4 2 V
So when it comes to issues like ted
eral financial aid tor students, l SS \
represents its members pretty well
Miit, since they're supported by student
fees, they’ve been cntici/ed tor taking
sides on divisive issues tor instance,
they advocate access to alxirtion (they
supjyort the Freedom of Choice \ct)
and they have condemned the ROIC’s
scholarship ban against gay students.
Some schools are “referenda
st fit Mils, .it wmcn siuiicnts must vine
tor their st (tools to |oin Hut student
got crninents .it Iowa State l anil
lames Matlison l m Virginia, tthith
art- not referenda schools. have voted
to withdraw membership in l ss \
In i .nisi i >t their o in trot crsial stain es
"Ain organization that [Iowa State|
is gtiing to lie a memlier ot shonltl not
Im- taking a stand on things like atior
tion,” sats Denis Klein, governing stu
dent both president at Iowa State
" Those issues are vert personal, and to
tome out anti sat that Iowa State sup
(torts either side would he a mistake
I 'resident Tehiyuka ( omelius, a ’>
tear old graduate ot the l ot buffalo
in New York, sat s that these issues art
not l SS Vs mam totals \nd, he notes.
"Within even organization ton never
hate Kill pertflit agreement on Itm
pertent of the items
\lthough l ss \ makes an aetive
effort to represent women, gays and
lesbians, and racial and ethnic minori
ties, thev were critic i/ctl tor holding
dosed t.nit uses tor these groups at past
national conventions.
\ ice President Stephanie Arellano, a
25-tear obi graduate ot I astern
Michigan l , defends the closed can
t uses, saying, “Students wrote this leg
islatmn within l SS \ and voted to put
it m our constitution |to allow dosed
i Jill list's] ”
What you II be doing if your school
joins USSA: l nlcss you’re in student
gmirnmcnt, you'll lust In- paying mu
deni tee mono Hut you’ll l>c repre
scntcil on ( jpitul I lill
Grade; B l SSA is a powerful voice
tor student aul funding in Washington,
and they're a good information
resource tor student governments Hut
tins lose |xiiuts tor supporting divisive
issues with student tees
Ioi mart mfuryritition, ..ill (202)
( S.S. I / rn.nl tuUrrss imuHht. ary
I),r. ni Khem^nld. I he Michigan
I tails, I nf Michigan, .ontnbute.I in this
r (-[Milt
United We Stand America
Focus: “Deficit reduction anti
campaign finance reform
National Collegiate Director Lee
Pepper
Founded:Januarv IWi
Membership: 1 -M) campus chapters,
H~ of which are university -recog
nized. I'W’SA won’t disclose the
nuinher of student members or
national members, hut national
membership is generally estimat
ed at 2 million.
Funding: College chapters must
fund themselves, as I'WSA
requires no member dues from
college chapters. I mil
September 1W3, founder and
Chairman Ross Perot funded
v. \\ ^ \s (I .mill; u»m\ mu
since then, operating costs have
been tundedny Sis member
ilues. Perot pass some advertis
ing costs.
Thc\'ve been e.illeil “Ross Perot's
new armv" b) \e::<;:eek anil
“Perotland” In lime, but mem
hers ill l hired \Vc St.unl
\menca sas the onls campaign they’re
running is tor the countn
“[Perot] does afford us a lot of
recognition,” savs Natu>nal (.ollegiate
Director l.t-e Pepper, a .'4 sear old
graduate o! tin l ot I ennevsee. "Hut
Ross Perot is |ust one aspect of our
organization."
Minoui'n iminncrs iiimm m.n
l \\ S A is nut .1 third part), they’re
organizing conventions in each state to
u rite eonstitutiuns, ami l \S S \ nth
rials ami Perot sa\ tlu- group will Ik- a
“swing vote" in this year's
( otigression.il ami Senate elections.
Hut how do student members tit into
tile picture- Suite student "members"
don’t have to pas lilt SI' membership
tee that national members do, tiles
don’t necessjrils get voting privileges
or representation in some statewide
conventions. (Some states do let earn
pus representatives sole at comen
tions, and m ( )hio a student sits on tlie
state lioard of directors.)
“W e’re trying to expand our mini
Ikts,” Pepper suss “It sou go to a col
lege campus and charge money, you’ll
exclude a lot of people
(uuipus chapters should “inform
students on critical issues" and “gisc
students a voice ill the national arena.”
according to the student mission state
ment Does this translate into action
I ukc a look at svhat tiles s e done
• l of Southern ( .ilifornia last
spring, hosted a sisit from Perot
(( hairman \1ikc Cdiurch, a senior.
estimates attendance .it i.MMJ )
• l '>t Nurth < arolina last tall, held
heli) signs m the community urging
cutting ot the ilcfu it
• Mi.uni l of Ohio- last tall, orga
m/cil campus debates aUiut \ \l I \
So, the student chapters do seem to
Ik- educating students on certain issues
Hut the |ury’s still out on whether they
give students a national voice. It
they’re serious atiout this, win aren’t
student chapters required to pay dues
and given full voting privileges
I hev’d probable fork over the 15
bucks tor adequate representation.
What you’ll be doing if you join:
Hosting debates on health care
()rgjtn/ing campus visits from Perot.
could make a mean swing vote in |W4
let's |list hope that students arc
invited along tor the ride.
lor more tnfurmutiuii, iall 1-800- > >>
wave ca
ampaigns" m which members
l I IN. I
a