By: Mary Jones
They want people's
signatures, they want people's voices, but most of all they simply want
people to be aware. Students of USM's new MainePIRG chapter are working
hard to change the world one step at a time.
Maine's Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) is part of a national
organization that links student chapters from across the nation.
"(PIRG) shows how to run a campaign," said Marie Stolzenburg, a 2007
USM graduate and one of the group's founders. "If students have
concerns, this is what they need."
PIRG provides resources and leadership skills for students who wish to
tackle issues such as hunger, student debt and renewable energy.
This year is MainePIRG's first official year as a chapter, but the
organization has been active on campus for two years. The push to make
the chapter official on campus began with students Stolzenburg and Anna
Korsen in spring of 2006.
"MainePIRG originated because we were unhappy with the state of the
world and felt powerless, but we wanted to fix this," said Korsen, a
senior sociology major and this year's chair.
The students went through a lengthy process of gathering students and
gaining both national and university support. PIRG chose student debt
as their first campaign platform to show their credibility as a group.
Their mission, to teach students how to deal with debt, led the group
to become involved in the Opportunity Maine campaign. The campaign,
originating from the minds of students and headed by then-student body
president Andrew Bossie, initiated a bill last year for a tax credit
Maine graduates could take to help pay off student loans. The bill was
made law June 20 of this year.
PIRG members have many plans in the works this academic year. Their
first campaign will attempt to manage hunger and homelessness in
Portland, a continuance of their efforts last spring. Students
volunteer at the Preble Street and Teen Centers in Portland helping to
organize donations and continue a toiletry drive which will provide
Preble Street with much needed supplies. A film festival focusing on
global hunger and homelessness hosted by PIRG is scheduled this fall.
Korsen said PIRG will protest the construction of an asphalt plant near
the Gorham campus. The group alleges that the plant will lead to
greater air pollution and traffic in the area. PIRG has been
circulating petitions for student signatures which they will then send
to the Gorham town office.
MainePIRG plans to promote the Downeaster, a rail line from Boston to
Portland, to try to increase its commuter usage. Korsen added the group
would like to see the line extended to Brunswick, allowing greater use
in the Portland area and a reduction in commuters' dependence on fossil
fuels.
A campaign called "Campus Climate Challenge" will attempt to reduce
USM's environmental footprint, challenging the university to increase
use of renewable resources and decrease pollution and global warming.
Part of the climate campaign includes sending students to the
conference "Powershift" in College Park, Maryland. The November
conference gathers students who will try to agree on a plan for the
country to reduce its own contribution to global warming. The plan will
be presented to the president, as a way to increase the student role in
the decision making process.
MainePIRG's biggest goal, said Korsen, is to officially establish itself as a sustainable USM resource for students.
"We definitely feel the love," she said. "Hopefully, PIRG will be around for a long time."
