On March 22 I attended the “town-hall-style” meeting in Nevada with our congressman, Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa. Latham held the meeting to talk about Social Security and answer questions from his constituents.

The meeting was attended by about 30 people, only a few of whom appeared to be under 40 years old. Latham noted the scarcity of younger people in a critical manner, apparently using the low attendance as confirmation that we are either indifferent to the current Social Security maneuverings or approve of his (and the Bush administration’s) plans.

But maybe there is another explanation the meeting was held in such a way as to virtually guarantee low attendance by young adults.

First, location. The meeting was held in the squad room of the Story County Jail. That’s right: in the jail. No signs were posted to point the way. To enter the hallway leading to the room, it was necessary to be buzzed through a reinforced door by an officer. Surely a room could have been found which did not require asking (through a narrow gap in a thick glass wall) a uniformed guard for admittance.

Next: publicity. A brochure mailed to our house (at taxpayer expense) listed the time and place of the meeting as well as Latham’s views on Social Security change and other issues. Some, not all, of Ames citizens received these fliers. The meeting was not otherwise publicized, as far as I know.

Finally: time. The meeting was held at 3:30 in the afternoon on a Tuesday. Very few young adults are able to leave in the middle of the afternoon; most of us hold full-time jobs or attend classes.

So there we have it: a little-publicized meeting held in Nevada, in the jail, in the middle of the afternoon, and our congressman criticizes the low attendance, implying that it reflects a lack of interest! Perhaps low attendance could have been predicted, given the circumstances.

Low representation at one difficult-to-attend meeting does not mean that we are all ignorant and uncaring about our futures. It should not mean that Latham can continue to ignore us, either.

If our congressman is truly interested in listening to his college-aged constituents, he would hold a meeting in the evening or on a weekend at an easily accessible location in Ames. The manner in which the meeting was held suggests that he is more interested in the appearance of listening than in actually doing so.

Jo Etzel

Graduate Student

Electrical and Computer Engineering