The Wake

At the university’s Lobby Day, two students meet with lawmakers who may determine their financial future.

The school bus behind Coffman Union slowly fills with those primed to go to the capital. Some are dressed up in suits; others opt to wear their maroon and gold. But all have intentions of having their voices heard at a time when tuition at the U seems to be in a never-ending upward spiral, and the end of the debate over whether or not the Gophers will get their own stadium seems as far away as the time students can expect to pay off loans.

MSA President Emily Serafy Cox, standing at the head of the bus, reveals what to expect upon arriving at the state capital. Students need to meet with the student leader assigned to each district and pick up a packet of information that reveals which representative or senator to meet with and covers key talking points about issues concerning the U.

For her part, Serafy Cox feels that Lobby Day is an important tool to raise U visibility in the lawmakers’ eyes. “Anytime you get students and legislators in the same room together, it helps the legislators know how important it is to fund higher education,” Serafy Cox says.

Freshman Amy Krumholz and Sophomore Karin Dumke, sitting together near the front of the bus, listen intently to the directions that Serafy Cox is giving, before continuing to talk in the quick but comfortable way found between longtime friends.

“I hope that there will be other people from our district,” Amy says, “Even though I doubt that there will be.”

Both students are from the Winona area. Amy is studying elementary education and Karin is studying American Sign Language, and after seeing an email advertising Lobby Day, they say they decided to go because they are most concerned with getting a Gophers stadium on campus.

The bus arrives on the windy steps of the capital and the pair climbs up the hill to the rotunda inside to gather their folders, complete with the lists of legislators they are scheduled to meet. They decide to “fudge it a bit” and go meet legislators according to Amy’s schedule—Sen. Steve Murphy at 1 p.m.

They head outside to the steps of the capital where many people are congregating and holding up district numbers on paper plates. They strain around to look for their district leader, the wind whipping their hair. No one is to be found holding up a 28 or a 31, their respective district numbers, so, after consulting with someone wearing an “ask me” sticker, they decide to head up to Sen. Murphy’s office by themselves, and soon find themselves sitting in a side room, waiting for the senator to arrive.

Karin whispers to Amy, who’s perusing the talking points in her folder, “I have no idea who he is!”

“Yeah, we’re not wearing business suits,” Amy whispers back, noting several well dressed interns darting in and out of the office, “So this is really awkward.”

But then, Sen. Murphy quickly comes in, shakes their hands and sits down, looking comfortable in a tweed jacket and green tie and prepared to answer any questions the students may have.

“We’re here to talk about the University of Minnesota,” Karin says, “And to see if you’re in favor of more funding, new buildings and a Gopher stadium.”

The senator then describes how he thinks that a Gopher Stadium is a “good thing” for the University but that it’s “not the most important thing the U does.” He adds that higher education is a very important issue, and his plan to help that, which he admits is an unpopular one, would be to “lop off” the last year of high school, and add a year to college to give students a “good solid base” of education.

With the cheers of the rally echoing through the cavernous corridors of the capital during their session, Amy and Karin thank the senator for his time, and rush off to meet with the next legislator on their list, Rep. Gene Pelowski, Jr., representing district 31A in Winona.

Rep. Pelowski not only fulfills a position in the House of Representatives, but also teaches political science courses at Winona High School. As a former student of his, Amy and Karin are eager to head over to the State Office Building, where Pelowski’s office is.

In an instance that describes the diverse communities that lobby at the capital on any given day, while quickly walking through the tunnel that connects the capital to the State Office Building, the students pass a group of people wearing Viking’s football jerseys, undoubtedly lobbying to their respective legislators for a new Viking’s stadium. “We’re Packers fans,” Karin guiltily whispers as they walk by.

Finally, they reach Rep. Pelowski’s office, and decide to write him a note because he is away at that moment. Just as they are leaving, the representative warmly greets the students in the hallway, and ushers them into his office, inviting them to take chocolate from his Winona State University jars.

After exchanging pleasant inquires about the students’ families, the representative asked them the purpose of their lobbying today. When the students talk about stadiums and new buildings on campus, Pelowski gently interrupts them. He says that he would like to see the growing amount of student debt as the only issue students should fight for right now, adding that he wishes students would walk around with T-shirts stating how much they were in debt, and how long it would take for them to pay it off, adding “a face to the numbers” instead of adding new stadiums and buildings.

After recommending to his former students that they head over to the capital and observe him and the other representatives in session at 3 p.m., Karin and Amy again traverse the tunnel among the well-dressed lawmakers heading to session. The students remark that it appeared to be a good day for them at the capital. They sit down in the gallery overlooking the House of Representatives, with other students from the Twin Cities campus, while below them, bills and budgets are being debated.

The U Lobby Day brought only about 200 students to the state capital in an effort to, as Rep. Pelowski said, put a face to the laws and budgets the legislators create that affect the welfare of students statewide. If the remarks of Sen. Murphy and Rep. Pelowski are of any indication, more must be done. After all, as Sen. Murphy remarked with a sense of urgency to the students, “It’s your generation” and it’s time to make higher education a priority in Minnesota.