I feel that my experience as a student and alumna may add to the many voices that have been calling for an Iowa Student PIRG chapter. As a student on campus, I always yearned for the activist experience I gained from working with an Iowa Student PIRG Campus Organizer to organize the Youth Vote Summit in the spring of 2003. Much of the original work we did led to the development of the New Voters Project, and the organizing committee that has been working to re-establish the chapter of Iowa Student PIRG at Iowa State with a full time professional staff organizer.

After graduating in the same semester, I was so influenced by my experience that I went on to work for Colorado PIRG Student Chapters as a campus organizer.

In my experiences I have been on both sides of training students and advocating issues — that’s how our staff spend the majority of their time.

As a volunteer and organizer, I continue to gain expertise in grassroots activism and how to train students to run a statewide organization, run campaigns, hold press conferences, lobby legislators, etc. I urge students and the GSB senate to take advantage of the golden opportunity you have to fund Iowa Student PIRG and professional staff that will make lasting and meaningful social change.

Erin Hickok

PIRG Organizer

Alumna