Basketball buzz dimmed at least for a moment Friday as people from around the Midwest focused on sharing ideas for new regional environmental policies.
Most of the attendees of the Roosevelt Institution’s launch event for a new journal that focuses on environmental issues were members of the institution, which functions like a nationwide student think tank. The institution generates new and innovative public policy proposals, created solely by its members.
The Roosevelt Institution has chapters at universities across the country, including MSU. Representatives from MSU, Northwestern University and the University of Michigan, among others, were in attendance at the launch at the Union.
“No one gets a grade for this, no one gets paid for this,” said Dan Blue, an international relations and economics junior. “It’s an extraordinary opportunity … a self-guided training to be the next generation of policy leaders.”
Blue is the MSU chapter president as well as a Midwest regional coordinator for the institution. He met with other members and interested students.
Proposals written by students are chosen for publication in the Midwestern Regional Policy Journal, “Growing A Green Midwestern Economy.”
“I’m excited to see them be passionate about something that’s not really normal in university life,” said Kanika Suri, an international relations and comparative cultures and policy junior.
By creating new policy and attending the event, students have the opportunity to break out of the norm and find their place in public policy, said Monika Johnson, an international relations sophomore, who is the other Midwest regional coordinator.
Paul Burger, an environmental economics and policy junior, is interested in using endowment funds for “green retrofitting,” which essentially means improving technology in campus buildings to make then more energy efficient.
He presented his policy idea to a panel comprised of policymakers and other experts. The idea also was published in the journal and he would like to take his idea to the MSU Board of Trustees for implementation.
“I’m going to try and turn this into something,” Burger said. “Something has to be pushed into action.”
Members of the institute, such as Burger, are responsible for coming up with and implementing their own ideas.
In his keynote address, Mark Largent, a James Madison College professor, gave some advice to students involved in the institution.
“No risk equals no reward,” Largent said. “If you’re not taking any risks, you’re not doing anything.”
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