D.C. Lobbying Trip–Kathleen Murphy

On April 16th, 10 members of the Legislative Action committee as well as some representatives from within SGA road tripped to Washington D.C. to lobby for financial aid and student loan forgiveness. We loaded into a 12 passenger JMU facilities management bus, listened to all kinds of music, and asked ice breakers such as “What is your favorite childhood movie?” Once we reached D.C., we checked into the Marriott and had an organizational meeting. After our meeting we all loaded into “the party bus” and went to dinner. We scarfed down Chipotle, Noodles & Co, ice cream and gelato.

With bellies full of food we went to Katie Stolp’s house, met her parents and watched part of Dodgeball on TV. We all got back to the hotel, went over the details of our bills concerning loan interest rates and loan debt forgiveness (S. 2051, H.R. 3826, H.R. 4170), and came up with talking points.

The alarms went off around 5:30 and we all stumbled out of bed. Everyone got dressed, and may I say, we we’re a sharp looking group. We hopped on the metro, were packed in like sardines for most of the way, and arrived at our stop after a 30 minute commute. Our first appointment was with Tom Culligan who is a JMU alum and works for a member of Congress. He gave us tips, approaches on how to talk to staff, and even had a pie chart with debt and spending numbers. He was fantastic and was very helpful. From there we broke into our separate groups, with 3-4 people each.

Each group had a different list of legislators offices to find to talk to. In total we spoke to over 25 offices and met with multiple staffers who have direct contact with members of Congress. Overall, our meetings were very well received. We handed out “leave behinds” which highlighted our talking points and those were a hit. We turned some heads. Everyone was professional, we knew our facts, and we asked tough questions. After our meetings we went to Good Stuff for lunch; we all just about inhaled our food, we were so hungry.

As senior, I was very pleased with my last (sniffle sniffle) lobbying trip. I couldn’t have asked for a better trip. Well… maybe if I was offered a job… All kidding aside, it was a great trip. We learned a lot and had the ability to bond as members of Student Government.  I’m proud to say that this group got a lot accomplished in short period of time and that I got to be a part of it.

JMU SGA, Country Music and the White House–Alicia Pettis &Matt Klein

After representing JMU at the American Jobs Act Q&A at the White House back in September, an opportunity arose for us attend the Celebration of Country Music at the White House.  We were excited to see top-performing country music artists as well as to be in the presence of President Obama and other influential politicians.

Similar to our other trip to the White House, it was raining out, so Matt took the opportunity to take a picture “Singing in the Rain” outside the gates.

 

We walked through multiple security checks and proceeded to enter the White House through the front door.  Making our way down the historical hallways was exciting and we chatted with other guests who expressed similar feelings. Specifically we spoke with producers from PBS who were in charge of the video production for the night.  We were then ushered into a room where we received refreshments and had the chance to mingle with the other lucky guests.

Once we entered the East Room, we were directed to sit in the third and final row of chairs.  Little did we know, that we would be sitting amongst people with interesting stories and impressive titles.  Matt sat next to the President of the Country Music Association (CMA) and his wife, while Alicia sat next to a couple whose son had worked on the President’s campaign and now worked in the White House Administration.  It seemed as though many of the guests were either from Nashville or were involved in politics.

One memorable quote from the night was when Matt made small talk with the President of the CMA, Steve Moore.  When Matt asked him about his job, Mr. Moore joked around asking Matt not to hold his title against him.  Matt replied with, “I’m the President of the Junior Class at JMU, don’t hold that against me.” Mr. Moore laughingly answered with, “Touché.”  Common titles aside, Mr. Moore introduced us to Lyle Lovett later in the evening.

With two empty seats in the front row, we anticipated the arrival of the President and First Lady.  Then, President Obama and Mrs. Obama entered the room to the sound of applause.  The President walked up to the podium to give an opening speech on Country Music’s impact on America.  In his speech, country music was described as: “It’s about storytelling -– giving voice to the emotions of everyday life.”

Performances for the night varied and included: Dierks Bentley, Mickey, Darius Rucker, James Taylor, Lauren Alaina, Lyle Lovett, The Band Perry, Lauren Alaina, and Kris Kristofferson.  Artists not only sang their own songs, but also covered classic country songs and performed together in duets. The wide variety of songs sung represented the many facets of country music.

During Lauren Alaina’s time on stage, Matt claimed that she kept making eye contact with him.  He even went as far as to say she was singing to him.  Alicia disregarded the comment, only to find out later that Matt was right.  After the performances, the audience proceeded back into another room in the White House for a reception. There were hors d’oeuvres and desserts, but most excitingly, the artists came out to greet the guests.  We were both able to take pictures and speak with The Band Perry, Dierks Bentley, Lyle Lovett, and Lauren Alaina.  When Matt introduced himself to Lauren Alaina, she said, “I was singing to you out there,” and she added that she finds a select few in the crowd who look like they are enjoying themselves and chooses to sing to them.

At the end, both couldn’t believe the incredible opportunity they received in this fun experience. By continuing the contact within the White House, we are helping to keep JMU’s SGA in the minds of our Representatives in D.C. We are very fortunate to have been invited back for such a great event, and hope to keep fostering the relationship.

 

Here is the link to the video of the performance: (Heads up, look for Alicia’s bright red hair when the camera focuses on President Obama)

General State Elections

Want to have your opinion heard? Want to see national problems solved? Want to be a part of the change, but don’t know how?

Elections for your House Representative are happening NEXT WEEK! Since you will be at JMU, though, you have to vote through an ABSENTEE BALLOT.

1) Check if you are already registered to vote. If you are a Virginia Resident, you can check here
2) Find your state’s Absentee Ballot form online. If you are a Virginia Resident go to
3) Print it out and fill it out
4) Look on Page 2 of that document, and look for which county you are in. Mail your form to the address listed under your county.
5) Mail it, or fax it, by NOV. 1 (this Tuesday)
6) Check the status of your absentee ballot at under “Absentee”

CONGRATULATIONS! You have made a difference!

(If you have not registered to vote, visit your state DMV so that you can be registered to vote by the next election which is presidential)

The General State Elections are on Nov 8th and here is a link to apply for an absentee ballot. Ballots must be sent by mail by Tuesday Nov 1st. Here is the link for Virginia Voters

Other states can be found on this website

Check out the Facebook event for more info as well.

@SGAjmu at the #WhiteHouse for #JobsNow

(Accompanied by: Legislative Action Committee Chair Shevy Chaganti and At-Large Senators Nikki Bologna & Kathleen Murphy, Executive Treasurer Abby Ware, Class Council Member Liz Ramirez & Spirits and Traditions Committee Chair Jessica Morris.)

On Thursday September 8^th, eight students from James Madison University’s Student Government Association traveled to D.C. to attend the White House Town Hall following President Obama’s speech on his proposed bill, The American Jobs Act. They gathered in the South Auditorium of the Eisenhower Office Building on the White House Campus with other college students to watch the speech on a large screen.  The Associate Director of Public Engagement at the White House, Ronnie Cho, introduced a crowd of college students to a panel of White House policy directors to answer questions after the speech.

The Town Hall meeting can be viewed here

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The following is an account from Class Council Members:

Matthew Klein (2013) and Alicia Pettis (2014)

Matthew Klein: Walking along 17th street from the metro station in the pouring rain, JMU SGA sought to make a difference in the nation’s capital.  We did not know what to expect when we arrived on the White House campus, but we were wide-eyed and eager to hear the President’s speech on his proposed jobs plan.  Members of the JMU student government represented our school from the front row and as the President approached the stand, the room was silent. The anticipated agenda: The American Jobs Act. 

Alicia Pettis: The trip began with flood warnings and intense rain, and led us to a Town Hall made up of college students with the intent of listening to some of the most influential people in our nation.  I was ready to learn more about the jobs plan I had heard so much about during my internship on Capitol Hill this past summer. We were all a little nervous about being part of such an important time in President Obama’s term and specifically how this bill will affect us after our expected graduation.  I had no idea what was waiting for us as we passed through intense security and finally were able to listen to the President’s address to a joint session of Congress. We watched the large screen as the cabinet members poured onto the floor, followed by the President.  Once at the Speaker’s desk, he began his address.

The idea behind the Jobs Act is to create jobs and in turn stimulate the struggling economy.  Every student was jotting down both intriguing and puzzling ideas from the speech to turn into questions for the panel to discuss at the conclusion of the speech.  The most exciting part of the American Jobs Act for me was to hear about the plans for innovation and modernization.  To me, it seems as though America’s cities are aging and structural improvements need to be made.  Along with infrastructure, our transportation systems also seems to reside decades in the past.  The bipartisan effort to make advances as a nation is the best approach to spur jobs and educate future generations.

In his clear, deep voice, the President articulated the purpose for this bill: “The people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities.  The question tonight is whether we’ll meet ours.” He explained his reasoning for each point in his jobs plan with certainty. He ended many points with the repeated message: “You should pass this jobs plan right away,” helping to emphasize the urgency of passing the bill.  One of my favorite moments, and apparently a popular twitter trend was when he explained that this jobs bill was “simple math.”  His delivery was humorous where needed, yet to the point; we need jobs. 

The next question to ask was how this was going to affect the rest of James Madison University and myself as a student and future employee.  Job prospects for new graduates are not encouraging especially when looking in the their field of study.  The President announced that under the American Jobs Act long-term unemployed workers would have better opportunities to receive employment.  Although focusing on the long-term unemployed is understandable from a global perspective, I wondered what effect this would have on those first entering the job market.  As full-time students, we would not benefit from his proposal for promoting jobs.  Throughout the President’s speech, I was waiting to hear about initiatives that would apply to and help younger individuals who are seeking their first real job.

After hearing a lot of information and ideas thrown at us, we all tried to decipher how we felt.  The main question on our minds was, “How does this affect me as a college student?”  For me, education is the one opportunity that we have to overcome inequality in our nation, yet we as Americans, have fallen behind in our commitment to youth.  From this belief, I related mostly to President Obama’s reinvestment in education.  The plan:

• provides a $30 billion investment in modernizing at least 35,000 public schools and community colleges;
• gives $30 billion to prevent layoffs of teachers and other educators; and
• focuses on programs that support STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

The unemployment rate for our age group is double the national percentage. The President set forth a plan that will encourage the economy to hire more employees. By stimulating our stagnate economy through  tax breaks for small businesses, young entrepreneurs receive assistance in starting their own businesses.  The careers we are looking forward to might just hinge upon passing this bill.

Throughout our experience at the White House, there seemed to be an emphasis on social media.  The panel pulled questions to answer from live feeds on Facebook, Twitter, and the White House webpage.  We were all encouraged to tweet (with appropriate hashtags of course) and post comments about the event before and after the speech.

Personally, I am a huge social media enthusiast, and this unexpected twist to the experience was a unique and intriguing one.  I appreciated the concentration on appealing to the crowd of young college students. 

The role of social media in our trip was heavy.  Not only were we encouraged to tweet during the town hall, which had questions coming in from twitter users, but we were given special hash tags to use, #AtTheWH and #JobsNow.  Here is some interesting info that I retweeted from Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media for the White House Administration.

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Overall the experience brought us insight into how the decisions made in Washington, D.C. could reflect upon our own college campus.  We realized that we have a voice, despite our age, and we are the ones who have to BE THE CHANGE.  Not only did we revel in our newly found importance, but we also felt inspired to make a change at JMU.  SGA united through the opportunity to witness an important moment that will have a lasting impact on our near future.

We hope you all take a look at the American Jobs Act put forth by our President and seriously consider the impact this bill will have on you.

The following is a copy of the bill

Here is the Video link

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