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The Daily OrangeNYPIRG | The real student voice: Group lobbies local politicians
By Kerri Rosen
Posted: 4/29/07, 11:49 PM EST Section: News
Syracuse students have their share of representatives. They're hard at work in the Mayor's office downtown. They're hard at work in the state senators' offices on Washington Street and in the assembly members' offices on Washington Street and Genesee Street.
These representatives are NYPIRG. They're all students, hard at work in an office above their unsuspecting peers on Marshall Street.
Who They Are
Heading the Syracuse office is project coordinator Dana Hill, the prime liaison between NYPIRG headquarters and the Syracuse chapter. In addition to running the internship programs and holding weekly workshops, Hill is in charge of imparting to students the necessary skills to carry out their respective projects.
Although Hill may coordinate the entire chapter, it is in fact the student board of directors that is in charge of hiring the staff. Syracuse is allotted three spots on the statewide board of directors. Directors are elected by those they are representing - in this case, students at SU and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
"The board of directors is the governing body of the entire NYPIRG group," said Chad Brooker, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and a current member of the board. "We decide who gets hired, who gets fired, what we're going to lobby for and what we're going to take a stance on."
Brooker will be returning next year for a second term on the board. He will be joined by veteran Tom Hackman, a senior studying in Washington, D.C., this semester, as well as newcomer Lynnette Agostini, a sophomore at SUNY-ESF and a current project leader for the organization.
In addition to a full-time project coordinator and three board members, the Syracuse chapter of NYPIRG receives several student interns each year, as well as dozens of volunteers. Eight Syracuse and SUNY-ESF students, who are in charge of holding weekly meetings with their student volunteers and implementing their respective projects, held internships at NYPIRG this year.
These representatives are NYPIRG. They're all students, hard at work in an office above their unsuspecting peers on Marshall Street.
Who They Are
Heading the Syracuse office is project coordinator Dana Hill, the prime liaison between NYPIRG headquarters and the Syracuse chapter. In addition to running the internship programs and holding weekly workshops, Hill is in charge of imparting to students the necessary skills to carry out their respective projects.
Although Hill may coordinate the entire chapter, it is in fact the student board of directors that is in charge of hiring the staff. Syracuse is allotted three spots on the statewide board of directors. Directors are elected by those they are representing - in this case, students at SU and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
"The board of directors is the governing body of the entire NYPIRG group," said Chad Brooker, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and a current member of the board. "We decide who gets hired, who gets fired, what we're going to lobby for and what we're going to take a stance on."
Brooker will be returning next year for a second term on the board. He will be joined by veteran Tom Hackman, a senior studying in Washington, D.C., this semester, as well as newcomer Lynnette Agostini, a sophomore at SUNY-ESF and a current project leader for the organization.
In addition to a full-time project coordinator and three board members, the Syracuse chapter of NYPIRG receives several student interns each year, as well as dozens of volunteers. Eight Syracuse and SUNY-ESF students, who are in charge of holding weekly meetings with their student volunteers and implementing their respective projects, held internships at NYPIRG this year.
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