“I don’t normally consider myself a political person, but I’m really surprised how into this I’m getting,” said Sarah Gabriel, administrative assistant to the Associated Student Government.

Gabriel wasn’t planning on going with eight other student government officials to Salem Tuesday to lobby with the Oregon Student Association, but she went anyway in an effort to encourage support for important student issues.

Throughout the day, students and OSA officials met with legislators to gain their support on issues like the Oregon Opportunities Grant and tuition freezes.
Over the course of the day, students met with legislators such as Speaker of the House Karen Minnis (R-East County) and Senator and MHCCD board member Frank Shields (D-Portland). “I personally love Mt. Hood Community College,” said Minnis. “I love Bob Silverman. I think he does a great job, and anything I can do to make them more successful, I’ll do.” Minnis is such a strong supporter of MHCC because all three of her children were students here. “I am up close and personal with Mt. Hood and understand how difficult it can be,” she said. “I know that not everybody has parents who can pitch in and help. I’m not unsympathetic with that.”

Support from legislators was easy to come by through the day. “Some of the people we met with are already in support of the issues, so it’s just letting them know that we’re behind them and that it’s still important,” said ASG Director for State and Federal Affairs Laurel Lawson.

But opposition was not hard to find, either. “Some of the people we met with aren’t really in support of these issues,” said Lawson. “So we need to be out here telling them that we’re their constituents and they represent us and these are the problems that affect us as constituents and they need to be working on those problems.”
One of those problems is with the Oregon Opportunities Grant. The grant provides funding for needy students to attend college, but the current budget allows for only 70 percent of the eligible students to receive it. Student Lobbyists stressed the importance of the grant to the achievement of students both active and aspiring. “At Mt. Hood, for example we have this guy named Branden Test who is a good friend of mine and also a senator,” said Receptions Coordinator Danny Porter. “He’s on the Oregon Opportunity Grant and it’s basically getting him through college. He’s a huge asset to our senate and our student government and without the Oregon Opportunity Grant he wouldn’t be able to go to school right now.”

Aside from a lack of support, a lack of legislators was also a challenge of the day. Some legislators were out sick and others were too busy to meet with. “You always have to plan for the unknown; you always have to plan for the active legislative schedules,” said OSA Executive Director John Wykoff. “We’ve done this many times, so we have a pretty good sense of what kinds of stuff comes up.”
At the end of the day after repetitive meetings and a bone-chilling rally on the steps of the Capitol, Wykoff felt the day was productive. “It think it was overall successful,” he said. “We had our meetings well attended, the rally went well.” He added that even though a lot was accomplished, there is always room for more action. “You only have so much time,” he said. “Without making this a two-day event, I don’t know how you would do this.”

Lawson also felt her group had made an impact. “We gathered a lot of support,” she said. “We were able to get Mt. Hood out there. A lot of people know that we were here today.”

While it was a success for many, the events of the day did not sit well with all. “They don’t make a very good sandwich,” said Gabriel in response to her lunch at the Capitol. “No, not at all. I’m horribly disappointed. I would have thought, ‘It’s the state, they have to have good food. Senators eat here.’ But the sandwich is really crappy. Then I thought to myself, ‘You know, it is the state.’ Maybe that’s why my sandwich sucks.”