Getting students involved with the government is just one goal of the governmental affairs position for the Undergraduate Student Senate.

“It’s a little bit broad and leaves a lot of room for personal campaign,” said Amy Groya, current senator for governmental affairs. “You make it your own thing.”

In her position, Groya said, she worked mainly to lobby to state representatives and work on the “Live Here. Vote Here.” campaign.

She said much of the position depends on registering voters. She promoted the campaign to get Kent State students to register to vote in Kent so they would elect representatives who actually affected them, rather than representatives in an entirely different area of the state.

Since USS began promoting this campaign, Groya said, voter turn-out for the gubernatorial elections has increased greatly among Kent State students.

As governmental affairs senator, Groya has also met with representatives from other universities across Ohio to lobby the government for more tuition funding. One of their goals was to bridge the gap between what students pay for education and what the state pays.

In electing a new senator for governmental affairs, Groya said dedication to the student body is important. Because students running for this position are usually politically active, she said it is important to put party politics aside in order to serve every student on campus.

“The most important quality is to be impartial when necessary,” she said. “In some ways, that’s the hardest part, too.”

– Christina Stavale