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GAPSA Achievement Highlights: What have we been doing?

January 2006

Voicing student needs to the U administration

  • Bringing student voices into Strategic Positioning process by insuring a student spot on every academic steering committee and working to increase the number of students on the taskforces many times over the initial lists. Members of MSA and GAPSA have also attended many Strategic Positioning public forums to listen and speak on behalf of student perspectives.
  • Looking at the merits of the Aramark and Coca-Cola contracts and investigating alternatives.
  • Advocating for UDS to use cage-free eggs for our food service
  • We advocate for student interests on many standing committees around campus
  • We are endeavoring to see what students think of the proposed $50 per semester Stadium Fee by conducting a survey through the Office of Measurement Services
  • We advocated for the University to avoid a clerical workers strike by negotiating a fair contract with it unionized employees
  • We secured a promise from President Bruininks that our tuition will not go up next year because of heating costs.
  • Advised Vice-Provost Rinehart about the student service fees process, helping to ensure small stipends for committee members (stipends that helped increase the number of applicants for the committee from 32 to 73)

Voicing student needs to various levels of government

  • Lobbying Congress for the Higher Education Act- GAPSA went to Washington DC and met with every member of the Minnesota delegation
  • Lobbying against student aid cuts on the federal level- HR 609 and budget reconciliation
  • Advocating on behalf of student interests during the decision about Minneapolis City Councilmember Zerby's proposed "noisy and unruly gathering" ordinance by speaking at the council's public hearing on the matter

Helping students voice their own opinions

  • Voter education surrounding the 2005 city elections- We worked with the Youth Vote Coalition to publish 2700 copies of a voters guide that dealt with issues likely to be of interest to students and hosted a Minneapolis Mayoral debate and a Ward 2 City Council debate.
  • Get Out The Vote efforts for the 2005 election included tabling in the residence halls, and hosting a Get Out The Vote concert with local and student musicians
  • We are currently vamping up for the University's lobby day that will be held April 6th, 2005 when hundreds of the U's supporters (including hundreds of U students will descend upon the state capitol and advocate for higher education issues)
  • Building campus community through social events. (GAPSA specific)
  • Continuing the Renters Survey and will be publishing a Renter's Guide in the Spring (MSA specific)
  • Renters education forums in Residence Halls to help with students transition from on to off-campus housing (MSA specific)