Local politics involve USU students
USU made its mark on Utah legislation Wednesday when several students acting as Cache County delegates voted at the annual Republican County Convention.
“The politics that actually matter are the ones at the state level,” said Mitchell Morgan, a county delegate and sophomore studying biochemistry and molecular biology. “So, it’s important to vote for a representative who’s going to represent your viewpoints on the issues that face us now.”
Boyd Pugmire, the Cache County chairman for the Republican Party, said it is students like Morgan who shape the future of our state.
“The state delegates decide who your senators will be, who your congressmen will be and who your governor’s going to be,” Pugmire said. “The more involved you are within these races, the more say the people have instead of special interest groups.”
He said delegates are elected in caucuses at the beginning of the year. Their responsibility in the following months is then to represent their district, or state, as they vote for candidates.
Katelin Gines, another student delegate and junior studying history and political science, said she wanted to get involved because she could see the change policy can make in everyday living.
“Politics affects your life,” Gines said. “The representatives that go to the state legislatures or (Washington,) D.C., they are making choices that directly affect your life. Whether it’s health care or even local bills, it affects your life. So, it’s important to be informed and get involved.”
Pugmire said students are getting more involved now than ever before.
“This year has been a spike in almost every area of the county,” he said about increases in student political involvement. “We’ve had a lot of participation, not just as delegates but in parades (and) at fair booths.”
Pugmire said he thinks this increase is a result of the recent economic turmoil the nation has seen.
“We went several years with people sitting on the couch with the remote in their hand, and now people are realizing they have to get involved to make a difference,” he said.
Terry Camp, a former USU student and current staff member on Sen. Orrin Hatch’s campaign, said this year is an exciting time for students to get involved.
“The students that got elected as state delegates get to go down to the state convention in Salt Lake on April 21 and take part in history as we elect new senators, a new governor and congressmen,” Camp said. “It’s really neat that the caucus system allows for students to get involved in such a critical role.”
Rhett Wilkinson, an elected state delegate and junior studying political science and journalism, said he wanted to take an active role in politics because it affects so much of what he does.
“Politics involves financing, it involves faith, it involves relationships and it involves land concerns,” Wilkinson said. “Everyone should have an interest in politics if they have an interest in anything going on around them. Politics is in everything. Politics is where the issues lie.”
Wilkinson also said he is grateful for the experience he has had up to this point.
“It was great to be elected and provide a lot of great opportunities to network and meet political figures and truly have an impact – a real impact – in the election cycle,” he said. “There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind, especially wanting to be involved in politics, there couldn’t have been a better decision.”
For students interested in working in politics, Camp said this is the perfect chance to make connections.
“It’s a networking opportunity,” he said. “Campaigns are constantly looking for young kids to help out. You’d be surprised how many staffers in Washington, D.C, are under 30.”
Pugmire said the most important reason for students to get involved is to bring politicians’ focuses back to the university. He said campaigns target voters and politically active citizens. A student whose voice is heard benefits all other students who share his or her views.
– brianna.b@aggiemail.usu.edu