By Katie Aurand

Aurum Staff

On Tuesday, March 1, eleven students from the School of Mines attended Students in Higher Education Days 2 (SHED 2). The purpose of the trip was to let state politicians know that students are watching how they are voting on bills for higher education funding. Even so, the South Dakota government cut funding by ten percent this legislative session.
Yet Lukasz Dubaj, senior civil engineering student at the School of Mines and Student Federation Executive Director (aka overall student president for all South Dakota universities), said that the event was very successful, as the legislature passed a bill initiating the new scholarship Jump Start Program as a result.

“Students are the most important advocates for SD higher education,” said Dubaj. “While they were in Pierre, we encouraged them to talk to their hometown legislators and to go share that personal message to them of how these proposed cuts will impact them.”

Every year there is SHED 1, where members from the SD university student governments rally for higher education in Pierre, but this year they added a new follow-up event that was open to all students.
“The reason it was so successful is that SHED 1 takes place earlier in the session, and because SHED 2 took place later it was during when all of the budget talks are taking place,” said Dubaj.

“Legislators are aware of the facts and the figures because that comes from the Board of Regent’s information,” said Dubaj. “What legislators don’t get is essentially the personal stories and how these decisions effect students individually, whether that be non-trad, out-of state students, or the issue of specific professors not being at the university anymore because of lack of funding.”

Dubaj encourages students to stay in contact with their state legislators via e-mail or telephone.

“The best person to contact is the hometown legislator because he or she will listen to you in a different way because you have the option of electing them next year or not,” said Dubaj.

About 120 students from all of the state universities except one attended the event. Dubaj said that he strongly advocates that the event take place again next year.

“Personally I think that it will be the new norm as long as funding is available,” said Dubaj.

To get more involved with governmental relations, contact Student Senate at Student.Association@sdsmt.edu.

Questions? Comments? E-mail Katie at Katherine.Aurand@mines.sdsmt.edu.