Group aims to educate students about societal issues

MoPIRG is centered at St. Louis Community College at Meramec.

By Mary Daly
Feb. 1, 2008

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group educates college students about modern societal problems in an effort to make them more effective citizens, and Missouri’s PIRG is considering expanding its student-funded organization to MU.

According to the organization’s Web site, U.S. PIRG was formed in 1971, and has been on college campuses across the country giving thousands of students a chance to learn about issues relevant to them and fight for their interests.

Student PIRGs are independent organizations based in numerous states nationwide, including Missouri. The Missouri Public Interest Research Group, or MoPIRG, is located at St. Louis Community College at Meramec.

“We vote every two years on which new campuses we’d like to start the program at, and Mizzou seems like a place where we’d get a lot of support,” MoPIRG Campus Organizer Sheena Rice said.

There are about 400 students involved in MoPIRG. They work to protect Missouri’s wilderness, improve water quality, seek out dangerous products on the market and make textbooks more affordable.

Rice said one of MoPIRG’s greatest accomplishments was its work with a national coalition and the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill that cuts the interest rate on student loans in half.

This bill saves the average borrower from starting school already in thousands of dollars of debt.

MoPIRG also is very active in politics.

It began the What’s Your Plan? campaign, in which members ask candidates one question: “What’s your plan?”

The What’s Your Plan? campaign focuses on issues that are critical to young people, such as the environment, college affordability, financial security and health care.

Additionally, Rice said MoPIRG aims to encourage young people to vote.

“The best way to make politicians pay attention to America’s youth is to turn out and vote,” Rice said.

MoPIRG does not support specific candidates. Instead, it educates students about candidates’ platforms.

In 2006, student PIRG groups around the country registered more than 75,000 students.

It also called 94,000 students nationwide to remind them to vote.

“This year MoPIRG’s goal is to talk at least 1,000 students into going to the polls,” Rice said.

MoPIRG member Kaitlin O’Dea said her organization could be a useful tool for student voters.

“I think in this election a lot more students will want to vote, but they won’t know which candidate will best represent their own personal views,” O’Dea said. “That’s where we come in.”