A small loft turned office space above Faegan’s Café and Pub adorns a compilation of polychrome papers reading the letters N-Y-P-I-R-G.

Anti-fracking signs hang next to the Marshall Street-facing window; bumper stickers boasting eco-friendly slogans are displayed; construction paper signs and old campaign t-shirts allow the word “empowerment” to echo throughout the room.

These embellishments, plus the various chalk and bulletin boards, proves this space does indeed belong to one of the most effective grassroots organizations students at Syracuse University can access.

Within these walls, student-supported efforts that affect the entire state of New York come to fruition. It is within these walls that NYPIRG Project Coordinator Nicole St. James works year-round to ensure students have a platform to voice their concerns.

St. James describes the non-partisan New York Public Interest Research Group as a student empowerment organization set on being a voice for student rights and the campaigns students support. She said she acts as a liaison between the students at SU and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and NYPIRG’s main office in New York City.

The organization is currently heading two campaigns that should matter to the entirety of both SU and SUNY ESF’s student populations: Higher Education Affordability and Voter Registration.

There has not been a major movement of student activism in the United States in decades, St. James argues. She rightfully believes the rising cost of college tuition should be the cause for students to begin taking more political action.

Though NYPIRG has lobbyists in Washington to speak on behalf of this issue, student representatives here in Syracuse work throughout the year to keep local politicians aware of growing concerns and to prepare for the annual Higher Education Action Day each spring. At this event, students from the local chapter nobly lobby for higher education issues in Albany and show support for affordability legislation.

The rising cost of education combined with the declining funding provided through programs like the Tuition Assistance Program affects almost every student in the Syracuse area to some extent. St. James said she is always looking for students to represent this voice, an opportunity those compelled to change this rising-cost trend should seize.

As higher education becomes a greater necessity for entering the global and American workforce, the time could not be more prime to also get involved with the organization’s push for the passage of the New York Dream Act. If passed, this legislation would give undocumented students the access to TAP they need to gain an education and therefore aid this country’s progression.

Making changes democratically often involves casting a ballot, which is why it is imperative to ensure individuals from our age bracket are registered voters. Voter registration and mobilization are NYPIRG campaigns that are also of current high importance, as the registration deadline is just more than a month away.

The organization has a goal of registering 1,200 students by Oct. 11. Since the start of the semester, several hundred students have already been registered, St. James said. Though NYPIRG is a designated lead organization for the approaching Voter Registration Day on Sept. 24, encouraging peer registration should be a push of all students whether representing the organization or not.

Becoming involved politically is often an intimidating concept, but NYPIRG is an organization that makes it easy.

By giving students the skills and outreach methods to make small grassroots efforts like tabling and clip boarding, or larger exertions like lobbying and event planning, true activism becomes a possibility worth reaching – and climbing to the loft above Faegan’s – for.

Rachael Barillari is a senior political science and Middle Eastern studies major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at rebarill@syr.edu and followed on Twitter at @R_Barillari.

Published on September 5, 2013 at 2:19 am