Students to represent UI at annual Legislative Breakfast
University of Idaho students will do more than drink coffee and eat finger foods this year at the 2015 Legislative Breakfast. A select group of students will travel to Boise in January to speak with Idaho legislators about their personal experiences at UI — and how decisions made in the capitol building affect the UI community statewide.
“The Legislative Breakfast is a wonderful opportunity for students to speak with legislators and be connected with local politics and state government,” said ASUI President Nate Fisher. “This is a chance for students to see how these systems function and how they affect students in higher education.”
The Legislative Breakfast is an annual event where a group of students travel south to meet directly with legislators during Higher Education Week.
UI students may apply for ambassador positions when the application process opens later this fall. Though any student may apply to participate, priority is given to students with residency within the state of Idaho.
In November and December, Fisher said the chosen ambassadors would meet periodically to hash out talking points and ambassador priorities.
Ideally, 35 Idahoan students from each of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts will attend the breakfast and speak with representatives from their respective districts. As the application is currently being finalized, Fisher said ASUI, with the help of Executive Director University of Idaho Alumni Association Steve Johnson and Special Assistant to the President Joe Stegner, is actively seeking out students from each of the legislative districts.
“This program was initially designed for residents of the state of Idaho so that the legislators are able to hear from their constituents about the impact that their policies have on the university,” Fisher said. “Local legislators are frankly concerned about their home districts, so having students that are from those districts makes our presence as a university at this event more meaningful and powerful.”
ASUI Vice President Sarah Vetsmany said the student ambassadors that attend this event have an important opportunity, and should be motivated about promoting higher education outside the boundaries of Moscow.
“I served as an ambassador from District 15 at last year’s legislative event,” Vetsmany said. “It was cool to speak to legislators who know that I lived and grew up in our district.”
She said Higher Education Week in mid-January is an important time for UI. As the UI president presents the university budget to the Joint Financial Appropriations Committee, issues that directly impact students are brought forward by Legislative Breakfast ambassadors.
Vetsmany said the relationship between higher education institutions in the state of Idaho and the legislative body is a key and vital component to university funding and function.
Representatives from each higher education institution across the state travel to Boise during Higher Education Week, however, Vetsmany said UI shows the biggest presence out of all the other attending universities.
“Other schools generally have one to five ambassadors,” Vetsmany said. “We have the impact of high numbers and showing that we know our stuff. Our students are well-rounded, and it’s important to show our legislators that our student body is involved and that we care.”
Cara Pantone can be reached at [email protected]