U.S. Congress candidate and Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, told students Monday they should reach out to legislators from their hometowns to ensure student voices are heard throughout the state on important issues.
In a meeting with the Associated Students of Madison's Legislative Affairs Committee, Pocan said while representatives from districts with UW-System campuses are used to thinking about student perspectives, others are not.
""A lot of times they don't necessarily think about issues the way they probably should,"" Pocan said.
Pocan urged students to ""get creative"" in the way they reach out to legislators. He said while sit-ins and protests might work when Democrats have the majority, Republicans might not be as influenced by demonstrative acts.
Students should use the extensive network of UW-Madison alumni to show legislators how beneficial the university is to the state's economy, Pocan said.
Legislative Affairs Chair Hannah Somers agreed with Pocan, and said reaching legislators through means beyond writing letters or protesting would be beneficial.
""I think that it's important to change it up and I think it's important that there are different ways we can go about influencing our legislators,"" Somers said.
As he hopes to gain influence in the federal government, Pocan said students should not forget about nationwide student issues such as financial aid and job availability.
""If when you graduate … you can't find a job in your field because the economy's not quite there, we've got a real problem,"" Pocan said.
ASM Vice Chair Beth Huang agreed with Pocan, and said federal issues have taken a backseat to state ones in ASM.
Also at the meeting, the committee made tentative plans to send an email questionnaire to the student body to gain an understanding of what students think about the Mifflin Street Block Party.
