To the Editor:
At a time when voter apathy is high and citizen involvement is low in this country, it is great to be on a campus that is filled with groups that are working on education and activism to right some of the wrongs on campus and in the greater world. One such group, )PIRG, has a strong commitment to work on issues both locally and on a state and national level. By working with other PIRGs we have been able to make a major impact on national problems. We have worked to stop the rollbacks on the Clean Air and Water Acts and currently we are working to give citizens the right to know about toxins that are being dumped in our air and water. We are also working to get special interest money out of politics by getting members of Congress to commit to working on campaign finance reform. By working together with students across the country, we can really make an impact on important national issues that will affect us directly here in Oberlin. In addition to working on issues that affect the nation as a whole, we feel it is important to work on a local level. This fall we registered 450 voters. We are also working with children at Haven Center, the only homeless shelter in Lorain. Right now we are working on a Tenant and Landlord Survey that will help people on campus and in the area find housing that is good for them.
Since 1974 OPIRG has been funded through a waivable fee system that was decided by the student body of Oberlin. Every two years students have the opportunity to reaffirm this structure. This year is one of those years. Starting November 5 students involved in OPIRG will be asking you to sign a petition to continue the funding structure as it has been and to increase the fee from $4.50 to $6.00. (The fee has not been raised since 1982 and due to inflation the fee is no longer worth as much). Because through petitioning we will talk to almost every student on campus, we feel that this reaffirmation drive is an excellent time to educate the student body about OPIRG, to answer questions, to increase awareness about issues we are working on, and to get input from the general student body.
We hope that next week you will be able to make an informed decision about this petition. We also hope that every one on campus will get involved, in OPIRG or in one of the many other student groups, to end the apathy attributed to Generation X and make a real difference in this community, country, and world.
Copyright © 1996, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 125, Number 7; November 1, 1996
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