While many UW-Madison students aspire to go into politics after graduation, members of the recently developed Roosevelt Institution have taken on a different attitude—they have decided not to wait.
Founded after the 2004 presidential election, the Roosevelt Institution is a national, nonpartisan, student-run think tank with chapters established in almost 50 schools across the country. UW-Madison's chapter held its kick-off this past April and is moving forward with high expectations for its first academic year in operation.
With a plethora of resources at their fingertips, such as connections to influential politicians, affiliation with a national organization and a passion for getting involved, members of the Roosevelt Institution will have the opportunity to pool their ideas together in the nation's first student think tank and present policies with real-world potential for change.
Financial Director Robbie Lincoln explained that the think tanks function by students doing ""very specific research"" on certain issues, developing policy propositions based on their findings and then pitching their ideas to influential parties that could potentially put them into practice.
At UW-Madison, as is true of the other chapters around the country, members of the Roosevelt Institution will conduct research on specific topics requested by local politicians and participate in debates with each other. The group will also contribute their research to Internationalist Magazine, which focuses on worldwide politics and culture.
UW-Madison's chapter has established some distinct areas of focus: economic development, alternative energy sources, university policy, state campaign issues, financing, advertising issues, political ethics and health care.
In addition, Development Director Jessica Pung explained that she was working on bringing in noteworthy politicians, including Gov. Jim Doyle, to speak to the group.
The value of working under a nonpartisan organization, according to Policy Director Richard Dovere, is that ""you can argue for a perspective rather than arguing for a party,"" he said.
Dovere noted that he intended to run the group's research on an independent basis, and he will encourage members to expand on research they have already done for classes and bring it to the institution.
Some of the topics currently being researched include wind power, campus violence and efficient allocation of resources to coincide with the population growth.
On a larger scale, Dovere is working on establishing an alternative energy conference co-sponsored by University of Chicago, the University of Michigan and possibly others.
""I think that there is a lot to be said if the Midwest can be there leading the conversation on alternative fuels and alternative energies,"" he said.
UW-Madison's chapter was initiated by a group of students who were fed up with student political groups that they felt were all talk and no action—organizations that are ""just frustrating ... [and] just sort of take up space,"" as founding member Syd Terry put it.
Fellow founding member Simon Snyder agreed. ""We all knew we cared about politics,"" he said, ""but not just talking about politics, we cared about actually doing something.""
This sentiment sparked a trip to Chicago, where the founding members attended a conference put on by the American Democracy Institute and were given information on how to establish a chapter of the Roosevelt Institution at a university.
""We heard about this and we were like, ‘Wow, look at these kids that are actually writing policies that are getting read by senators and congressmen,"" Snyder said.
In fact, the institution has even caught the eyes of local politicians.
""The Roosevelt Institution provides an opportunity for undergrad students to conduct useful research about important policy issues,"" said state Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona. ""The work that I have seen is comparable to any work you would expect to see in a professional academic journal.""
Dovere also pointed out in his speech at the group's kick-off that ""everyone who is important in the political scheme"" relies on people they met in college to assist them in their endeavors.
""Networking is the most important thing that any of us can do,"" he said. ""Your network is in this room; it's in your house and all throughout this campus.""
