The Washington State Legislative Building in Olympia on Jan. 20, 2020. Thomas Meade // AS Communications Office
By Stella Harvey
With slushy snow still gathering on the sidewalks, students shuffled into the Viking Union with bags slung over their shoulders and coffees in hand. It was 8:15 a.m. on a Sunday, a day normally reserved for sleeping in and finishing homework in preparation for a new week. But for about 100 Western students, advocating for students issues at the Washington State Legislature is what’s on the agenda.
It was Western Lobby Day, an annual all-expense paid event where students travel to Olympia to meet with representatives and advocate for solutions to issues impacting students in Washington. After a day of travel and training on Jan. 19, students stayed the night in a hotel and woke up bright and early to meet with representatives from both sides of the aisle on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Western Lobby Day is funded through the Legislative Action Fund, which is collected through a $1 fee with tuition every quarter. The Legislative Affairs Council manages the fund, which helps fund Western Lobby Day, as well as Western Intersectional Lobby Day.
Grace Drechsel, VP for governmental affairs, said this is her third year participating in Western Lobby Day. Drechsel first attended on the advice of a close friend, and the following year helped with the logistical planning as a board assistant. Now, as a member of the Executive Board, part of her job is developing the legislative agenda with the Legislative Affairs Council.
According to Drechsel, you don’t need any experience in lobbying to participate in the event. During training, organizers walk participants through the legislative agenda and give a rough guide of how to strategically approach their meetings with legislators. On the agenda this year is college affordability, support for undocumented students, funding for Ethnic Studies, mental health and wellness, environmental protections and support for survivors of sexual assault.
The process of selecting these items started last spring when a survey was sent out to Western students asking what issues were most important to them, according to Drechsel. Looking over student responses helped the committee better understand what is impacting students.
From there, Drechsel and the rest of the committee developed the agenda, working closely with Bennett Massey-Helber, director of legislative affairs. Massey-Helber lives in Olympia during the legislative session as a full-time student lobbyist, and it’s his job to be well-versed in the bills coming up in the legislative session.
Graciela Gomez, a third-year student and senator for the Woodring College of Education, said this was her first time participating in Western Lobby Day, but not her first time advocating for issues related to students. After looking over the agenda, Gomez said she was most excited to talk about protections for undocumented students and funding for Ethnic Studies.
According to the Legislative Agenda, the Associated Students is requesting $1.05 million over the course of two years to fund five tenure-track faculty to support establishing Ethnic Studies at Western. While there is not currently a bill to support this request, Massey-Helber said experts and community members, including several current and former Western students, provided legislators with more information on the subject during a work session on Jan. 23. Massey-Helber said the AS plans to continue working with Senator Emily Randall’s office to advocate for funding for Ethnic Studies.
“I’m kinda riled up,” Gomez said. “Seeing how many people are passionate about this and want to go and talk to politicians … I think that’s really important.”
At around 10:15 a.m., Gomez and about 100 other students boarded two charter buses for the drive to Olympia. Three hours later, students got out of their seats and stretched before stepping off the bus and into downtown Olympia. The top of the Capitol Building dome was visible as students filed into a hotel conference room. After brief introductions over sandwiches and snacks, training began.
Drechsel and Massey-Helber took turns going over how to prepare for their groups’ assigned meetings, explaining that it is important to be strategic about what issues are covered in each of their 15 minute meetings. In such a short time frame, there isn’t enough time to discuss every issue on the agenda. Students are encouraged to research their representatives to see what committees they’re on to help narrow down which topics to bring up in their meetings.
“Your voices are incredibly powerful, and this is a great opportunity to push some really important things through,” Massey-Helber said to the room of participants.
After training, students found their groups in the crowded conference room. According to the training materials, in each group, there should be a facilitator, a presenter, a notetaker and someone who can share a personal story or testimonial about the issues at hand. After researching their representatives and deciding which topics to focus on, groups practiced their statements to get comfortable speaking about the issues.
Drechsel said while it can be nerve-racking to approach a legislator as a young person, it is also a unique opportunity for students to tell their stories and advocate for issues that directly impact them.
“You are the expert on student issues because you are a student,” Drechsel said. “It’s such a valuable thing to tell someone in power what you want them to do.”
To close out the night, Debra Lekanoff, Representative of the 40th district, which includes San Juan County as well as portions of Whatcom and Skagit Counties, spoke to participants about the importance of sharing their stories and answered questions about how to approach their meetings the following day.
In the morning, students gathered in the hotel lobby to finish preparing for their meetings. Then, from 8:15 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., groups made their way to the capitol for their three to four scheduled meetings, which were staggered throughout the day.
Emmah Lajoie, a second-year student, said this was her second time attending Western Lobby Day. This year, her group was able to sit down with Representative Sherry Appleton’s Legislative Assistant to discuss college affordability and mental health and wellness services at Western.
“I come from a single-parent household, so college affordability is a huge thing for me,” Lajoie said.”
Last year, the Washington State House of Representatives and Senate passed the Washington Education Investment Act, which provided over $1 billion over four years to higher education. The bill funds several programs, including the Washington College Grant, which covers tuition for students from families of four who are making less than $50,000 a year. Students whose families make less than $97,000 a year are also eligible for partial grants.
While the bill passed last year, about $164 million dollars is missing, according to the Department of Revenue. While this likely will not impact students who try to access the fund this year, according to Massey-Helber, Western students are following up to make sure the grant is fully funded so students can access the funds they were promised in the future.
“It’s really amazing to be able to talk about this bill [because] I know I have friends who are going to school because of it,” Lajoie said.
All in all, Western students met with about half of the Washington State Legislature in one day, according to Massey-Helber. While not all legislators will be receptive to the ideas students put forth, Drechsel said Western students returning year after year to advocate for these issues can make a real difference in the long run.
“It’s just really exciting to go into a meeting and know that a legislator is really excited to talk to young people and is really excited to hear what we have to say and what we want to see in Washington state,” Drechsel said.
On Feb. 16-17, another group of students will travel to Olympia as part of Western Intersectional Lobby Day. Food and lodging will be provided by the AS, and participants won’t have to miss school because it takes place over a three-day weekend. For more information, or to register for the event, click here.