With the presidential race reaching its end later this year, many political issues have taken center stage. Students for Iowa Public Interest Research Group are aimed to get students involved in these important political concerns.

PIRG addresses public issues and is active in trying to solve them. Students for Iowa PIRG is a state-wide, non-partisan group. Students from Iowa State, the University of Iowa and other, smaller universities are all represented in the group.

Devin Hartman, senior in political science and the outgoing president for Students for Iowa PIRG, said the issue of climate change is something that’s of great concern to the organization.

“We try to get people invigorated in politics. Lots of issues deal with climate change,” Hartman said. The group is active in many different global warming-related events, including Campus Climate Challenge, the solar car team and the Power Shift Conference in Washington D.C.,” he said.

Last year, 17 people from Iowa State and 12 people from the University of Iowa took a bus to the nation’s capital for a national youth summit at the Power Shift Conference in Washington, D.C. More than 6,000 students from around the country attended the conference.

The organization is also involved in the Campus Climate Challenge, a group that works to find alternative energy sources in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions on campuses all over the country. Students for Iowa PIRG at Iowa State has also been in talks with ISU President Gregory Geoffroy to make Iowa State more energy efficient.

Since Students for Iowa PIRG obviously deals with students, the group is involved in activities that are more directly related to students – such as its involvement with Student Debt Alert.

Student Debt Alert deals with finding practical solutions for students living in difficult financial situations. Hartman listed recently-graduated students as students having a significant amount of financial difficulties.

“Over 40 percent of students are graduating with unmanageable debts,” Hartman said. Students for Iowa PIRG tries to advise students on how to avoid getting in troubling financial situations.

Aly Peeler, junior in history and president of the New Voters Project, which is run by Iowa PIRG, said the organization stresses the need for college students to get out and vote.