Cougs at the Capitol

This story was originally published in Vol. 33, Issue 6 (February 2023)

WSU students from all five campuses came together in Olympia for Coug Day at the Capitol to discuss upcoming bills that have a direct impact on students and their lives on Jan. 23. Members and non-members of student government met with numerous Washington state representatives to discuss how these bills would affect students.

Students were divided into 19 groups, composed of three to four students from different campuses. Each group conducted 15-minute meetings to discuss four different bills. Political science major Michael McCann from WSU Vancouver divided the work amongst his team into the roles of facilitator, presenter and notetaker.

“We looked at the legislators beforehand and there were already three of our five that were in support of the bill I was advocating for,” said McCann. “So the two that weren’t currently sponsors of it, we decided that those two, I could start with, and I would primarily give my little pitch on why they should support the bill.”

House Bill 1069 was his group’s central focus during these meetings, directed at assisting students with health problems. The bill would allow counselors and providers from out of state to visit and help Washington state schools, treating more students in areas where medical professionals may not be readily available.

“I was primarily advocating for a bill that was an expansion of practitioners, counselors from out of state to help in-state students,” McCann said. “I felt strongly about it, and it felt like it was really important to me.”

Also on the agenda was House Bill 1399, which focuses on tuition scholarships for Indigenous students. The bill seeks to provide full coverage for tuition and college expenses by way of increased investment from the state to provide assistance and encourage higher education to members within these communities.

While some groups took a direct approach and jumped straight into the conversation about the bills, others took a more personal route – sharing stories about some of the hardships that either themselves or people close to them have experienced.

“All five meetings we had were great – we did a great job of presenting our perspective on our bills, and they were very good listeners and it was really respectable,” said McCann.