2008 Woodie Awards
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OSPIRG's recent victory a prime example of service
Guest commentary
by Guest Commentary |
Swarthout used his considerable expertise to author five reports that broke down the problem and solutions in a way that was easy for the public to understand. He met with key Washington, D.C., players on this issue - education associations, government officials, reporters and members of Congress - and worked to persuade them to support our policy solutions.
Meanwhile, students in Oregon and around the country mobilized, releasing Swarthout's research to the local media, packing local government hearings with students, and collecting thousands of personal testimonies of the problems of student debt. Our work precipitated news story after news story about the problems of student debt and financial aid. To be sure all this was heard in D.C., Swarthout personally sent every press clip and testimony to the Washington, D.C., insiders.
Our breakthrough occurred in last fall when the new Congressional leadership announced that they would enact many of the very policy solutions we had been calling for. Insiders in Congress tell us that Swarthout's impeccable research and policy arguments, combined with the impressive size and discipline of the students' grassroots operation made the difference.
The results? A more affordable education for UO students. A real-life lesson in government and politics. Hands-on civic engagement opportunities for hundreds of UO students who volunteered or wrote their Congress representatives letters. For $2 per student, that's a bargain!
Jesse Hough
Co-chair of the UO chapter of OSPIRG
Meanwhile, students in Oregon and around the country mobilized, releasing Swarthout's research to the local media, packing local government hearings with students, and collecting thousands of personal testimonies of the problems of student debt. Our work precipitated news story after news story about the problems of student debt and financial aid. To be sure all this was heard in D.C., Swarthout personally sent every press clip and testimony to the Washington, D.C., insiders.
Our breakthrough occurred in last fall when the new Congressional leadership announced that they would enact many of the very policy solutions we had been calling for. Insiders in Congress tell us that Swarthout's impeccable research and policy arguments, combined with the impressive size and discipline of the students' grassroots operation made the difference.
The results? A more affordable education for UO students. A real-life lesson in government and politics. Hands-on civic engagement opportunities for hundreds of UO students who volunteered or wrote their Congress representatives letters. For $2 per student, that's a bargain!
Jesse Hough
Co-chair of the UO chapter of OSPIRG
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