Learn about Mich. government now

At the beginning of the school year, I find myself reflecting on my experience as an undergraduate student at MSU from 2001 to 2005. Though I am now a graduate student at MSU, I take my classes in the Detroit area, where I work full-time, and seldom find myself in East Lansing.

Ryan Dinkgrave

Geographically, I am like many MSU students. Though students come to study at MSU from across the country, approximately 80 percent are from Michigan. Of those students, 55 percent are from the nine counties that comprise southeast Michigan’s Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint Combined Statistical Area, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

I love my Metropolitan Detroit home, but part of me regrets not taking greater advantage of the opportunities to experience and explore different aspects of our state while I was living in East Lansing.

Before attending MSU, I came to the Lansing area just once for a tour of the Capitol with my fifth grade class. During that visit, we had the opportunity to observe the state Legislature in action, but I must admit other than that experience, I was largely inattentive of our state government until near the end of my undergraduate years.

That’s not to say that I was unaware of politics or the actions of government during that time, but having arrived at MSU two weeks before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, my focus tended to be more on national-level issues, such as the war in Iraq and the 2004 presidential election. It was not until I moved back to the Detroit area and began working for a Detroit nonprofit organization that I began to more closely follow the actions and developments in state government.

Not coincidentally, my increased attention to state government came as the Legislature struggled to resolve significant budget problems that threatened to shut down state government entirely. While these challenges certainly occupied the headlines, they also affected me and the organization I work for, as we depend on the state government for a significant portion of our budget.

There are numerous and complex reasons for these budget problems, but some relate directly to the way we organize and elect our state Legislature. For example, term limits dictate legislators may not serve more than two terms in the Senate and not more than three terms in the House. These limits have resulted in high turnover of relatively inexperienced legislators who, by the time they have “figured out” how to be effective in state government, are being “term limited” out of office.

In retrospect, I wish I had taken the time to take a closer look at the state government while I was so close to it to better understand how it works. Though it only occupies the top headlines during the most challenging of times, the actions of state government affect all Michigan citizens and even non-citizens, such as those from out-of-state who attend the public universities.

While you are studying at MSU, why not hop the westbound Capital Area Transportation Authority bus and take a look at your government in action? The public is free to observe the state Senate and House from the galleries above their respective chambers. If you’re concerned about a particular issue, you can arrange to meet your state legislators in person by calling their offices or by sending them messages on the floor through the Sergeant at Arms.

State legislators are much more accessible than members of Congress in Washington, D.C., and can offer valuable insight into the workings of government. Even the Capitol itself is an impressive, historical edifice worthy of a closer look.

A few blocks past the Capitol sits the Michigan Hall of Justice. It is one of the most majestic looking buildings in Lansing and houses the Michigan Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court hears oral arguments that are open to the public once a month from October to May and provide real insight into the workings of the justice system at the highest level. Downstairs is the Court of Appeals, which handles about four times as many cases as the Supreme Court, offering more opportunities for public observation.

Chances are you will only be in the Lansing area for the few years until you graduate. I encourage you to use this opportunity to become familiar with the workings of your state government. You never know how this knowledge and understanding may be of value to you in the future.

Ryan Dinkgrave is a State News columnist and a public relations graduate student. Reach him at dinkgrave@gmail.com.