Massachusetts public-interest group, MASSPIRG, will be starting off the
semester today with its semi-annual kick-off meeting in the Student
Union's Commonwealth Room.
The meeting, which begins at 8 p.m.,
will offer entertainment for its attendees that includes food, music
and a guest speaker who is yet to be named.
Students will be
given the opportunity to learn about and discuss the main issues that
MASSPIRG will be addressing this semester. These issues, which MASSPIRG
has worked into five campaigns are: global warming, the Darfur crisis,
textbook prices, college affordability, hunger and homelessness.
MASSPIRG's campus organizer, Chris Burns, hopes that tonight's meeting will inspire students to become more involved on campus.
"My
hope is that a lot of students come away feeling invigorated and
excited that they can make a difference here at UMass concerning all of
these important issues," Burns stated.
MASSPIRG has apparently evoked this feeling among many UMass
students, who have worked to keep the organization strong on campus for 35 years.
The
campus chapter of MASSPIRG is part of a much larger state-wide
organization, one that prides itself in fighting for citizens' special
interests and well-being. MASSPIRG members have devoted themselves to
numerous projects over the years including the Bottle Bill of 1983,
which created a return system for recyclable bottles, one of their most
notable accomplishments.
Also worth mentioning, was the
organization's recent advocacy of the College Cost Reduction and Access
Act that just passed in Congress, which helped to increase the Federal
Pell Grant by $700.
Regardless of what the group has
accomplished on paper, MASSPIRG can attest to its ability to train and
encourage young people to become activists desiring to achieve real
change. Longtime MASSPIRG member Vanessa Wright stated that she has not
only personally grown throughout her involvement in MASSPIRG but
witnessed the transformation in her fellow members as well.
"MASSPIRG
doesn't just teach people to work toward issues and social change, it
also teaches them how to become great leaders. People begin to demand
more of themselves and push themselves into leadership-type roles."
One
way the organization hopes to make an impact this fall is to take steps
towards transforming UMass into a carbon-neutral university. Carbon
neutrality is achieved by cutting reliance on pollutant-causing energy
sources by switching to alternative sources such as wind and solar
power. Burns hopes to come closer to this goal by taking steps on
campus to raise awareness about global warming.
MASSPIRG plans
on holding three educational events on global warming this fall, one of
which Burns hopes will be accompanied with the presence of state
Senator Stan Rosenberg. This semester, the group will be encouraging
Rosenberg to sign onto the Global Warming Solutions Act, a bill in
Massachusetts intended to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 20% by 2020
and 80% by 2050.
"We're going to try to get a buzz at UMass to
make people more aware about the solution to global warming," Burns
stated. "There are solutions right now but people just don't talk about
them enough."
