The University’s chapter of the New Jersey Public Interest Research
Group launched its first event of the semester Wednesday with nearly 150
people in attendance.
Interns from each of NJPIRG’s initiatives disseminated information about
projects planned for this semester. Speakers represented a variety of
issues, including global warming solutions, Energy Service Corps, water
watch, higher education and health care.
“We are here for obvious reasons. If you are here tonight, you are no
longer oblivious … it is amazing what NJPIRG does,” said College Avenue
Campus Dean Matt Matsuda, whose band, The Deans of Love, opened the
event.
This semester, the University’s chapter collected more than 1,200
interest cards and added nearly 100 interns to its various initiatives,
said Sarah Clader, University NJPIRG campaign coordinator.
NJPIRG plans to take on many large-scale projects this semester, such as
a Green Expo to show what can be done everyday to alleviate global
warming and to showcase the work of local green businesses, students,
professors and politicians.
“We have the solutions — we need to make sure that we are actually using
the solutions,” said School of Arts and Sciences sophomore Kate
Hubschmitt, who has worked with NJPIRG for four semesters.
Other projects include lobbying lawmakers to encourage Pell Grant
funding, informing students of problems in the current health care
system, holding clean-up days and reaching out to New Brunswick’s Latino
community as part of the Hunger and Homelessness Initiative, School of
Arts and Sciences first-year student Tania Tabora said.
She first became interested in NJPIRG because the organization allowed
her to go door to door and let people know about the services available
in the area.
Some students attended the kickoff because they wanted to give back to
the community and thought NJPIRG would be the best organization to
provide this opportunity. Others, such as Livingston College senior Alan
Gibson, came with a specific cause in mind.
“We came for the Haiti relief section because we have an event that we
are working on that [NJPIRG] will hopefully help us out with,” said
Gibson, a member of the Haiti Association of Rutgers University.
School of Arts and Sciences sophomore David Lynch came because he was
interested in issues related to health care.
“It’s immediately relevant to students, who are going to be off of their
parents’ health plans in a few years,” he said. “It is an issue of
national importance as well. Clearly, our health care system isn’t
functioning to the extent that it should be.”
Some at the kickoff said they expected more students to show up.
The goal was to have 400 people attend, said Mansi Patel, a School of
Arts and Sciences sophomore.
Annabel Pollioni, an intern for NJPIRG’s Energy Corps, said the event
was a success.
“Now we have students who are willing and ready to volunteer with us …
and then they can network and make more friends and bring them to us,”
she said. “It just is an awesome way to see students getting involved.”
