Students to descend on Capitol

Hundreds of students will rally at the state Capitol Wednesday to put a face on the issues that affect their wallets, educations and rights.

The UW plans to bus more than 200 students to Olympia for the fifth annual Lobby Day, sponsored by ASUW, the Graduate and Professional Student Senate, and Affordable Tuition Now!. Participants will speak with legislators, primarily from their home districts, in hopes of influencing legislation that addresses higher education concerns.

It is important for leaders to hear about pressing issues directly from students, said Ben Golden, ASUW director of government relations.

"It's really valuable to put a human face on higher education values," Golden said. "[Lobby Day] lets legislators see students around, and hear about their costs and challenges. This way, when they're thinking about the bills they're working on, they'll remember the people behind the bills."

Participants choose what they discuss, but students are expected to focus on a few key topics. Tuition increases, financial aid and the student code of conduct will be frontrunners in meetings, said Tyler Dockins, legislative coordinator for the ASUW Office of Government Relations.

"There's always a lot of talk about the extension of the student conduct code where they punish students based on their status as students for off-campus infractions with things like academic probation," he said.

Other concerns include civil-rights legislation for the gay community, scholarship availability and diversity on campus, Dockins said.

Although talking with state officials may be intimidating, Lobby Day is a way to get a taste of what is going on in the realm of higher education legislation, Panhellenic Association President Rachel Obenchain said.

"I went my freshman year just to try it out," she said. "I think it's hard to get people to go who aren't politically active because it's difficult to go up to legislators when you feel like you don't know all the facts. Going has required that I learn a lot about what's going on."

Formal meetings are the best way for student voices to be heard, Golden said.

"This is probably the most effective thing we can do to influence legislators," he said. "We write a lot of letters and have things like the student senate, but being able to talk to legislators and sit them down is so valuable."

At the end of the day, students will come together for a rally and hear speeches from Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen, Secretary of State Sam Reed, and Representative Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish).

Sign-ups for Lobby Day efforts are available at uwlobbyday.org through Tuesday. The event will begin with a free breakfast at 8 a.m. in the HUB west ballroom.