While University of Massachusetts students place their votes in the Student Government Association presidential and Student Trustee elections, they will also be asked to support the continuation of the MASSPIRG chapter/RSO at UMass funded by an $11 per student, per semester waive-able fee.
When filling out tuition forms, students must decide whether or not to check the box stating that they agree to donate $11 to the MASSPIRG chapter at UMass. Any student who chooses not to support the group may waive the fee.
If the vote isn't successful, the University will remove the donation option from the tuition form altogether.
The Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG) is a state-wide student-directed nonpartisan organization. The group conducts research, advocacy and public education in environmental preservation, consumer protection and hunger relief.
MASSPIRG urges students to vote "Yes" in keeping the option to donate money toward the organization open. They argue that their existence allows students to keep control over their educational experiences and keep them involved in volunteering and engaged in issues on campus.
Last year, MASSPIRG staff and students passed a law that made Massachusetts appliances more energy efficient, hoping to save the state over $8 billion over the next 20 years.
MASSPIRG is currently working to fight local and national poverty by organizing their hunger and homelessness awareness week, their panel on the genocide in Darfur and their "Spare Change for Social Change" drives in which they donated the proceeds to local shelters and schools in Sudan.
About two-thirds of the money that is donated goes towards hiring professional staff such as staff-advocates, lobbyists, lawyers, scientists and organizers. The rest of the funds raised goes to direct program work and campaigns, to office costs and materials and to national program work and outreach to other PIRGs across the country.
"We don't want our fee to be mysterious or misunderstood," said Jessica McGowen-Vanderbeck, MASSPIRG campus organizer. "It is simply the way in which we are able to have a larger impact on social environmental issues because it allows us to hire professional staff who work full time on students' behalf."
In 2006, MASSPIRG staff and students registered over 6,400 new Massachusetts voters, over 1,600 of which from UMass.
The Student Government Association (SGA) elections will be held today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in all dining commons and the Campus Center.
