Dinner shows appreciation for legislators’ efforts
Utah State University Student Services and Associated Students of USU think the Utah Legislature did a good job helping higher education this year, and they wanted local legislators to know it.
Monday night, the two groups sponsored a dinner to show appreciation to senators and representatives from Cache Valley.
Vice President of USU Student Services Patricia Terrell said this is the first year such a dinner has been held.
“I think it’s tremendous that they’re doing this,” she said.
ASUSU Executive Vice President Rex Hansen welcomed the legislators by thanking them for legislation passed by the Legislature this session to benefit higher education.
“We’ve felt as students that your efforts have really been outstanding this year,” he said.
He also thanked President Kermit L. Hall’s Executive Committee and said student efforts, including tuition rallies and note-writing campaigns, were successful.
“We really do appreciate your willingness to listen to us,” he told the legislators.
This session the Legislature passed the “Truth in Tuition” bill, making Utah the only state in the country that legally requires school officials to advertise and hold public hearings about proposed increases in tuition. It also approved almost $160 million for nine new building projects, including an engineering building at Utah State University.
ASUSU President Ben Riley agreed these and other bills passed by the Legislature represent hard work by legislators on behalf of students in Utah’s higher education system.
“I’ve witnessed firsthand the great things going on at the Capitol,” Riley said. “On behalf of our students, I can’t thank you enough.”
He called this session “certainly the best session for higher ed, we’ve had in recent memory.”
He pointed to several specific examples, including a time Rep. Loraine Pace, R-4th District, called him to get student input on a piece of legislation.
He said he and several other students had lunch with Pace and Republican Sen. Lyle Hillyard, who represents part of Cache Valley, after a Feb. 14 tuition rally. Pace and Hillyard talked to the students about the legislative process and how students can get more involved.
Hillyard also spoke at the dinner, emphasizing the need for students to be involved in politics.
“The biggest problem we have is that youth are not excited about getting involved in the process,” he said.
He said that includes the need to get involved in caucuses and meetings so they can be happy with the candidates they have to choose from on Election Day.
Hillyard, a former USU student, said he never thought he would be in the position he is now. Hillyard serves as chair of the Senate Higher Education Budget Committee.
Hall also praised the session, which ended Feb. 28, saying, “[Legislators’] interests in higher education transcend Utah State University, but they also include Utah State University.”
He said the Legislature showed it has “both motion and direction.”
Hall, who Riley said presented to the Legislature on behalf of USU’s needs during the session, said one important message he wanted to send the Legislature is that next year he will be back to report on how USU used the money the Legislature appropriated to the university.
“We have to get more political,” Hall said. “But that doesn’t mean being partisan, which is not our job. It means being smart.”
He said that kind of smartness requires use of students in lobbying and working with legislators.
“The president can talk as much as he wants,” but students can have the greatest effect, Hall said.
Of the seven legislators invited to Monday’s dinner, three were able to attend. Hillyard and Pace were both there, as was Rep. Brent Parker, a Republican from Utah’s 5th District.
Also invited but unable to attend were Sen. Pete Knudson, Rep. Eli Anderson, D-1st District, Rep. Benn Ferry, R-2nd District, and Rep. Craig Buttars, R-3rd District.
Members of Hall’s Executive Committee and the ASUSU Public Affairs Board and other student leaders were also at the dinner.