DC Students Speak Blog

Opportunities to Engage with the District Government

By Evan Brown (American 2014)

While student engagement with the D.C. government has grown exponentially over the past few years, the ultimate goal is to achieve a continuous and mutually beneficial relationship. Numerous vacancies currently vacant on Boards and Commissions in the District offer a path to such an opportunity.

Students have typically interacted with the government on an event-driven basis. Campus Plan hearings, redistricting, legislation, ANC meetings, and other similar things have drawn student interest. Now, DC Students Speak encourages all students to apply for a Board or Commission if they believe they may be interested.

Some of the committees that may be relevant to students include:

-          Tenant Advisory Council

-          Environmental Planning Commission

-          Advisory Committee to the Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgendered Affairs

-          Commission for National and Community Service

-          Commission for Women

-          Commission on Human Rights

-          Mayor’s Commission on Persons with Disabilities

A full list of vacancies is available here- http://obc.dc.gov/obc/frames.asp?doc=/obc/lib/obc/pdf/vacancy_list.pdf

We believe students are more than qualified to contribute positively to this city through such Commissions and Advisory Boards. Students can work with the government to make this city a better place for all. Through positive interaction and engagement, it is our hope that students and other residents of the city will work together positively and foster productive relationships.

In order to apply, one must fill out a simple form, a tax disclosure request, and submit a resume or biography. A guide to registering is available here (http://obc.dc.gov/obc/cwp/view,a,3,q,520782,obcNav,%7C31356%7C.asp) and here (http://obc.dc.gov/obc/frames.asp?doc=/obc/lib/obc/information/pdfs/obc_application_guide.pdf).

Please feel free to contact DC Students Speak if you have any questions, and we will be happy to support you.

DCSS-Georgetown Hosts Councilman Wells

By Ricky Garza (Georgetown 2013)

On Monday, January 23^rd, the Georgetown chapter of DC Students Speak hosted DC Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) at their weekly membership meeting.  Speaking to an intimate crowd in Georgetown’s iconic Healy Hall, the event was attended by civic-minded students from Georgetown, American, and GW universities.

“I love that you created this organization,” said CM Wells of DC Students Speak, after turning to student issues near the end of the event.

As perhaps the strongest current advocate for ethics reform and government oversight on the current DC Council, CM Tommy Wells currently represents Ward 6 and drafted new sweeping ethics legislation passed last December, including provisions for impeachment  of councilmembers and tougher penalties for ethical misconduct.  Due in part to his investigations of ethics violations by peers on the Council, Wells was reassigned from his position as Chair of the Transportation Committee to the Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation, and Planning, which he said still gives him a large role in city planning.

A former ANC commissioner himself before moving on to the DC Board of Education and eventually the District Council, Wells spoke of his role in District government as a unique administrative challenge.  Doubly charged with administering and creating local law in the many instances where DC acts as a state, including human rights law, same-sex marriage legislation, education, and child welfare, he also deals with municipal matters like potholes, fallen trees, and local licensing. Speaking of his proudest accomplishments during his time on the Council, Wells cited drafting of the “Bag Bill” five cent tax on plastic bags, doubling the number of bikes in the Capital Bikeshare program, ethics reform, and a new citywide referendum aiming to curb further corruption.

While using most of his time to describe his accomplishments in general, Wells turned to student issues before taking questions at the end of his speech, stating that he was impressed with the creation of DC Students Speak and adding that he sees its sustainability as a measure of our potential success.  He said while he believed Mayor Gray and most members of the Council were wrong to oppose Georgetown’s 2010 Campus Plan as the university was the city’s largest private employer, he said it was probably politically useful for them to do so.

Fielding several questions from the audience, Wells responded to issues of gentrification and sustainable urban development, a potential new Redskins football stadium within District boundaries, and the frequent demonization of students in the public discourse.  Giving a lengthy answer on the challenges coming with gentrification, Wells used the changing H Street Northeast corridor as an example, stating that the government must ensure that potentially priced-out businesses must be given assistance but cannot be subsidized forever. He stated that through using a combination of grants and economic-advice assistance, potentially displaced businesses would be given time to adapt their business models to a changing environment.  Wells did not like the idea of a large new football stadium within DC, calling it a waste of valuable urban space that wouldn’t make the city much money and suggesting instead that the proposed area could be used for public recreational space.

Responding to a question about the role of students in city government and their demonization in the local discourse, Wells stated that it is done because of stereotypes about students and a lack of consequences for doing so.  If students don’t vote or vote locally, there is little incentive for politicians to be responsive to student perspectives and concerns.

Saying the event itself was a good start to changing public perceptions about students and showing city leaders that real interest exists in local issues, Wells said students and groups like DC Students Speak should continue their work of voter registration and encouraging students to take the next step of running for ANC offices to make a real difference in the District community.

DC Students Fight Repeal of Parking Law

ANC 2E Roundup: Infrastructure, Public Works, and, yes, Macaroons

By The Editors

ANC 2E's meeting last night was as noteworthy for what was going on as what was not going on. Two commissioners, Commissioner Solomon and Commissioner Lewis, were absent. And the headline-grabbing issues that have been covered in past ANC meetings -- redistricting and the campus plan -- were not on the agenda either.

Instead, the focus of the meeting was on the Glover Park Infrastructure Project. The project stretches beyond any one ANC, and it consists mainly of basic improvements to Wisconsin Avenue between Massachusetts Avenue and 34th Street, along with sidewalk expansions for pedestrians. Neighbors expressed their many concerns about how this plan would impact traffic, pedestrian safety, and how permanent the new project would be.

Commissioner Jake Sticka asked about whether performance-based parking has been explored (it has not), and whether the GUTS buses will have an easier time making turns on this new road than they have in the past (they may). After heated moments of community comment, the commission went on to endorse the Glover Park Infrastructure Project unanimously.

The commissioners also noted that the O and P Streets project is nearing further completion, and they encouraged neighbors to continue monitoring the progress of the project through the project website.

The commissioners noted that public works workers will be doing extensive leaf-blowing in the neighborhood. In other news, the Commissioners voted to oppose the expansion of Blue Gin on Wisconsin Avenue in light of noise-related concerns, Wisemillers's application to renew its ABC license was endorsed, a number of neighbors' home improvement projects were approved, and a neon sign adorning a local business was found to be non-compliant with the neighborhood's aesthetic.

Causing much discussion, a macaroon store wants to open and sell its product through a folding window, which the commissioners only would approve for this specific purpose, with the fear that this would otherwise set a precedent for pizza or other goods being sold through windows as well. And perhaps as the most controversial item of the agenda, a ANC 2E homeowner wished to convert her residence into a home that neighbors claim would be obtrusively larger in nature and claim that the aesthetic would conflict with Georgetown's historic appearance. Unsurprisingly, the commissioners declared their opposition to the proposal.

Between Monthly Meetings

By Ricky Garza (Georgetown 2013)

At DCSS, our District-wide Student Board convenes once a month with representatives from every major
university in the city to discuss issues affecting all of us and to approve policy positions that apply to
all Chapter organizations. Because there can often be a lot to talk about (with meetings lasting several
hours), DC Students Speak also appoints special ad-hoc committees to work on specific issues in greater
detail. Made up of interested members of the Student Board and leaders in Chapter organizations, ad
hoc committees meet between monthly meetings to get things done on behalf of DC Students Speak.
Smaller and more conducive to group work, ad hoc committees work to craft policy and achieve
solutions to problems that can be presented as recommendations at the larger meetings of the Student
Board.

Last week, the Ad Hoc Committee on Policy convened with representation from American, Georgetown,
and Howard Universities to work out the details of our District-wide policy stance on transportation
reform and to create a list of secondary issues all students can agree on. While the policy is yet to be
approved and will involve more detail, at the core of our transportation vision for the city is a WMATA
Metro Discount for university students.

Additionally, the committee will recommend DCSS formerly take stances against the new DC Noise
Ordinance, for Pell Grant support, same day voter registration rights, improved city safety measures,
student-friendly polling station locations, and a position for full DC democracy and federal voting rights
at our upcoming November meeting.

Also, the Ad Hoc Committee on Voter Registration convened last week to discuss initial steps and our
plan moving forward for our citywide Student Voter Registration Drive to take place next semester
ahead of the March 2012 primary elections. Scheduled to register student voters on every campus in the
city and to train over 200 students to serve as poll workers to increase student participation, our team
has much to be excited about as we look to the months ahead.

As DC Student Speak prepares our November meeting of Chapter Presidents and looks toward full
elections before the Fall semester’s end, we have much to look forward to. When classes resume in
early January of 2012, a new DC Students Speak leadership truly representative of the diversity on every
campus will begin a year of exciting work filled with advocacy and action on behalf of the growing new
student political constituency.

Whether it’s looking ahead a year from now or planning for next week, DCSS is working to keep the
conversation going.

Smart Paths for Smart Transit: Getting a Student Discount for the Metro

ANC2E Roundup: Law & Order Edition

By Drew Cunningham (Georgetown 2014)

This month’s ANC 2E meeting convened with significantly less fanfare than last month’s (in which Mayor Gray made an appearance, with somewhat disappointing consequences for students at Georgetown).

The early stages of the meeting centered around a report from the Metropolitan Police Department regarding the Halloween shooting on M Street and Wisconsin Avenue. The police assured everyone present that all suspects had been taken into custody and that the investigation was expected to proceed rapidly. They also stated that the victim was in very critical condition at GWU Hospital, and that the Homicide Unit was leading the investigation. No one involved—shooter or victim—was from the Georgetown or Foggy Bottom areas.

In addition to the weapon from the shooting, MPD seized two other unrelated firearms—one of which was a sawed-off shotgun. They stopped a burglary in progress, ran crowd control, and made arrests in a number of snatch-and-grab robberies.

At this point, Commissioner Tom Birch inquired why “Georgetown has become a Mecca for Halloween Night,” and how MPD expects to handle the situation in the future. MPD assured the Commission that this was an extraordinary circumstance and that next year’s task force would be larger. Georgetown’s history and bar scene make it a popular Halloween destination, and that is unlikely to change next year. An influx of visitors generally means an influx of criminals. Nevertheless, MPD promised to be keenly aware of groups of 10-15 people who “wander M Street aimlessly,” as they seem to be causing most of the problems.

They also reminded students to travel in groups, to use University transportation services when necessary, to keep their doors locked, and to report all suspicious activity.

Before this incident, crime had generally decreased in the region.

After this report, there was a brief discussion from the US Attorney’s office about various initiatives in the community; complaints about traffic issues caused by the Marine Corps Marathon; a contentious, often-out-of-order debate about changes to a local 7-11 storefront; and a plea to the Commission not to allow cuts to Circulator stops among various other regular business.

Other discussions particularly relevant to students focused on issues of parking as construction on O and P streets continues. They cautioned residents to be sure to follow parking rules and to be aware of traffic constraints—especially as patrons flock to M Street and other areas for the upcoming holiday season.

Despite such topics, the focus of this meeting remained on crime in our community. It is a problem, certainly, that will continue as an issue to be considered by our ANC, our community, and DC Students Speak itself.

New Allies for Familiar Challenges

By Ricky Garza (Georgetown 2014)

Long maligned by a vocal minority of resident neighbors and ignored by many of our city councilmembers, this week the Georgetown 2010 Campus Plan and the entire DC student rights movement got a loud boost of support from the Washington Post.  Describing the decennial drama that plays out between universities and their surrounding neighbors at the filing of every campus plan, the Post Editorial Board –emphasizing that Georgetown U is the District’s largest private employer—insists that the balance between town-gown relations has shifted far too much towards non-student residents.

Decrying enrollment caps and unreasonable restrictions on building dormitories for the university, the Washington Post seems finally to be taking notice that the demands put forth by GU are much less than unreasonable.  Finally, here is an independent voice justifying our stance that to require 100% of students to live on campus or to have them relocate to a location like Arlington, VA, is what is utterly unreasonable.

Extending much further than the Georgetown neighborhood, the Post recognizes that students in general should be the types of people—seeking knowledge and education in a new, vibrant city—that the District government should work to actively court, not serve to discourage.  Part of DC’s continual draw today is its role in the growing knowledge-based economy.  Without a robust network of high quality universities, that role would quickly diminish.

In another post printed this week, Washington Post reporter Mike DeBonis mentions DC Students Speak as a new actor in the struggle between university development and resident neighbor resistance.   The next day, we are mentioned again in a District of DeBonis blog post on the newspaper’s website.

While far from wide-reaching endorsements, we are reminded this week not only that our organization has come far in the last few years, but that we have much more work to do.  As we continue to organize and articulate our goals in favor of a unified transportation policy while pursuing campus-specific goals to achieve it, we must remember that our expectations have been raised.

DC Students Speak is quickly becoming the definitive voice for cross-campus student policy, but to justify that we must be ready to deliver.

ANC Commissioner of the Week

By the Editors

Deon Jones

What ANC/SMD do you represent?

ANC 3D 07 American University, Rockwood Parkway, Indian Lane, Nebraska Avenue  

What percentage of your SMD’s population do you believe to be students?

Less the 70% are college students and probably 30% families.

What outreach have you made to students in your SMD?

My outreach with students varies depending on the issue.

Do you feel as though there are ways in which you could better engage the student population in your community?

Yes. Students need to see how ANC decisions affect them.

What contributions do believe students bring to your community and the District of Columbia?

Students bring economic growth to the community by shopping. They also do service throughout the community whether it is baby-sitting kids, helping seniors, or trash clean ups.

What, if any, have been the negative consequences of a large number of college students living in your community?

Loud noises late at night and cars coming and going out weird hours of the night are really some of the major issues in my neighborhood. Also, when a few students have a party off campus, the majority of students get blamed for whatever happened at that party.

Do you believe students should have the right to live off-campus?

Yes

Do you support the continued use of same-day registration in DC? Why or why not?

Yes, I feel like everyone should have a voice.

Do you support the addition of decibel limits to the 2010 Disorderly Amendment Act?

Yes

What have you done to increase safety in your community?

We don’t have many safety issues.

Enriching the Community

By Ricky Garza (Georgetown 2013)

As any college student living in DC knows, the university experience does not stop at the campus gates.  In the case of some schools like GW, hard distinctions between what is and is not part of campus may not even exist.  Instead, student life and the greater city outside tend to blur together, with businesses, residences, and the campus community coming together to form the fabric that is our rich, urban society.

Across the city, there is a special relationship that exists between students and the small businesses that cater to them.  There are hundreds of restaurants, coffee shops, and other locations that tailor their services specifically to college students, without whom they would scarcely be able to survive.

Whether through longer and later hours designed to accommodate and keep up with our late nights and hectic schedules or offering discounts and reduced prices, many businesses understand the vast benefits that come with living close to students.  Students are able to get a unique “college town” experience while still living in one of the largest urban areas in the United States.

Although getting half-priced burritos at Qdoba on Monday or frequenting pizzerias well after midnight is definitely a positive for students, the business community would not offer such services if they didn’t work for them as well.  Contributing to the local economy, college students are avid consumers of low-priced, quality food, school supplies, groceries, and other products.

Simply put, college students are a valuable economic demographic and the livelihood of many small businesses who have long ago realized this.  Rather than inhibit local markets or distorting prices negatively, college students enrich local neighborhood life and add value to economic sectors that would otherwise slump.

While certain restaurants and convenience stores may be useful and frequented by an older demographic of neighbors living in the same community, often the exceptionally low prices they enjoy are thanks to the frequent purchases of the college demographic.  With our numbers, we are able to buy enough at such prices to justify keeping them across the board for everyone.

In this way, college students contribute positively to the quality of life for all residents of the community surrounding campuses.  With the help of small business across the city, college students are continuing to make DC a better place to live for everyone.

DCSS Policy Corner

Martine Randolph (Georgetown 2012)

D.C. Students Speak has been working for months to provide a space for students to get involved in local politics. In our blog, we have covered ANC meetings, campus plans and noise ordinances and more. We will continue to do so, bringing you our analysis of developments at ANC meetings and at events throughout the city, but we are also beginning to look forward. As part of the policy team for DCSS, we are excited to begin a conversation about what a student-friendly D.C. could look like.

Though as a group we are still learning about each other, about the different challenges that affect each of our campuses, it is easy to see that there are some issues that come up time and time again. Issues like transportation, safety, and education. More importantly, we also have the opportunity to flip the question and ask ourselves as a city-wide community of students what else can come from student involvement in our neighborhoods, and in neighborhoods far from our campuses.

Read More

The Top 5 Myths About Voting in DC

By Ricky Garza (Georgetown 2013)

As DCSS ramps up its voter registration efforts across the city, it’s important to note that many obstacles to the student voter constituency still exist.  Some DC residents have vested interests in not allowing students to vote, and have attempted to dissuade students from registering by spreading a host of false rumors and myths about your fundamental right to vote in the city where you live.

I’ll address the Top 5 Myths about DC Voting here:

1. You Need a DC Drivers’ License

Maybe this one comes from an inverted reading of the Motor-Voter Act?  While DC—like the other 50 states—is required to allow people to register to vote when applying for a license at the DMV, having one is not necessary to vote. The fact thousands of non-student residents do not own cars or have drivers’ licenses aside, there is nothing in the DC Board of Election and Ethics rules stating that one must be able to legally drive to be able to vote.

2. You must own property in DC

This comes up more often than you’d think possible for a country which abolished the last property owning requirements for voting in 1856.  Believe it or not, several wealthy ANC attendees have suggested this idea more than once, holding their status as powerful property-owners must give them a privileged status. Unfortunately for them, this is 2011 and all citizens can now vote.  This includes leaseholders, renters, the homeless, and students who happen to live in dorms on or off campus.

Read More

This Is Our DC

Through Chapters and Elections, Keeping Democracy at the Forefront

By Ricky Garza (Georgetown 2013)

At DCSS, we are committed to creating an organization that truly represents the interests of all college students in the District, and that becomes more of a reality every day through the efforts of our growing membership.  In light of this, I’d like to use this space to highlight the special role that our affiliated campus Chapter Organizations play in realizing the goals of a united DC student voice in local politics and the steps we are implementing to ensure a more democratic process.

As of this semester, DCSS is undergoing a transition from a single body to an umbrella organization with representation drawn from nearly all universities in the District.  Most schools have by now established Chapter Organizations, with their own leadership, members, and policy goals.  Because we recognize not all student interests are equal across campuses—although we have many in common—these chapters are free to set their own course as pertaining to their local university.  DC Students Speak Chapter Organizations serve to fill the gap for school-specific student rights advocacy that was often lacking before.

While these chapters meet independently, they are the lifeblood and constitution of the District-wide DC Students Speak organization.  Each university elects to send their chapter president (or Chair) to citywide meetings that set policy, approve spending, and set the direction for the entire group.  At Howard and the University of the District of Columbia, the student government sends a representative. We call this our Student Board.

While to date our day-to-day leadership has been occupied and undertaken by a group of students who founded and remained interested in the organization’s growth and survival, we are announcing today the beginning of a transition to an elected Executive Board that will serve the interests of all DC students on a daily basis.  This Board will be elected before the end of the semester by the Student Board, and will be accountable indirectly in this way to the entire DCSS community.

As leaders from all universities cannot be expected to meet in consul weekly, the Executive Board will answer to them and carry out all initiatives and policies approved by the Student Board at their monthly meetings.  While we will retain some small discretion as is practical, the Executive Board will serve to further the DCSS mission with a small team of committed members, including a Chair, Executive Director, and Directors of Policy, Communications, and Fieldwork.  This group will meet often to address issues arising in between meetings of the Student Board.

With these new reforms, we look forward to continuing to build a stronger organization that is both adaptable enough to face the challenges of daily advocacy and democratic enough to ensure a vested interest in the voice of all college students in DC.

As many Chapter Organizations are actively seeking new leadership, I encourage anyone in college in DC to contact info@dcstudentsspeak.org for information on getting involved. Our movement is just beginning, and I’m excited to see many new student candidates come on board with new vision for the group’s development.

Thank you and keep organizing,

Ricky Garza

Interim Executive Director

ANC 2E Roundup: Georgetown Hosts Mayor Gray

Getting Loud: DCSS Georgetown Hosts Concert

By Ricky Garza (Georgetown 2013)

As a cool breeze whipped across the grass on Copley Lawn, echoes of “DC Students!” could be heard from across campus as students gathered in front of one of Georgetown’s most iconic buildings to protest DC’s new discriminatory noise ordinance.  Led by DCSS-Georgetown Co-Presidents Alykhan Merali and Andrew Klemper, the event was the first of its kind for our organization and featured musical performances by several of the most popular a cappella groups on campus, the Georgetown Chimes and Harmony.

Working to raise DCSS’ profile on Georgetown’s campus ahead of our feature in the Voice and several other media, the concert spotlighted attention on the discriminatory provisions of the DC Disorderly Conduct Amendment Act of 2010, put into action last February amid huge student protest.

Moderated by DCSS member Vivian Ojo, the event highlighted the necessity of students to rise up and claim their role as a political constituency and their right to be heard on equal terms with our neighbors.

When the Chimes finally took the stage around 9:30, they told stories of interacting with DPS and law enforcement after the law’s passage.  On one occasion while singing with members of the Chimes’ alumni off campus, they were warned by officers to keep it quiet or face possible arrest and steep fines.  After stating their support for the cause, they continued on with “Eight Days a Week” by The Beatles to student cheers.

As students trickled in from across the Georgetown grounds to the sounds of Wale and Lady Gaga on the lawn and heard the Chimes sing the Beatles just after 10 PM, I can rest assured that the neighbors couldn’t have missed the noise.

Making Noise for Student Rights

By Alykhan Merali (Georgetown 2013)

Numerous blog posts have been written on this site concerning the noise ordinance from the initial opposition by DC Students Speak to the proposed amendments to the law.  We’ve had petitions and meetings to try and spread the word about this discriminatory noise ordinance.

The Georgetown chapter of DCSS will be hosting a noise concert in the coming days as a symbolic protest of the noise ordinance but to me, this concert will accomplish more than that.  One of the major goals of this organization is to ensure that college students across DC are informed about the issues that directly affect them in the community.  This concert serves as a fun and entertaining way of getting the message across to our fellow students that local politics can have an enormous impact on our day to day lives.

This concert will not only inform students about the noise ordinance but also about various other issues facing students.  In my experience with DC Students Speak, it is when we have the opportunity to explain to students what the issues are that gets them involved to try and make a difference.  It's certainly what drew me to work with DCSS.

The concert will be held on the White Gravenor patio of Georgetown University at a time and date to be announced shortly with performances from the most prominent student groups on campus.  We look forward to seeing you there!

DC Millennial: 9/25 Weekend Links

By Jake Sticka (Georgetown 2013)

Each weekend we attempt to offer a sample of the stories going on at the various campuses around DC. 

Task force considers all-student ANC district: The Eagle reports on the contention over how to redistrict ANC 3D, which includes American University as well as George Washington's Mount Vern campus.

Gallaudet University adjusts to a culture that includes more hearing students: The Washington Post has a feature on how the culture is slowing changing at Gallaudet as technological advances bring a different type of student to the university.

GU Unveils Plans for a New Athletic Training Center: Georgetown has announced the design for their proposed three-story Athletic Training Center, which will soon appear before the Old Georgetown Board.

University to host Clinton Global Initiative: George Washington announced last week that they will be the host site for next year's fifth annual worldwide conference of the Clinton Global Initiative.

Students and Faculty Arrested in Troy Davis protest: According to the Hilltop, 13 members of the Howard community were arrested at an anti-death penalty rally at the White House that was organized by their student government President Brandon Harris.

Faculty Speculates Success of Dorm Lawsuit: The Tower speaks with members of Catholic's faculty about their thoughts on the lawsuit being brought against CUA over their move toward creating entirely single-sex dorms.

This year, think big: DC Student Speaks makes the front page

By Ricky Garza (Georgetown 2013)

This Monday, DC Students Speak-Georgetown hosted its first General Membership Meeting featuring special guest Fiona Greig, a prospective candidate for the Ward 2 DC Council seat currently held by Jack Evans.  While attended by 30-40 interested students and members of the campus media, our organization was lucky enough to be profiled on the front page of the Georgetown Voice, one of two of the university’s premier student newspapers.

It’s worth noting that this semester most Georgetown students have only been on campus for about three weeks. As of today, the efforts of DC Students Speak have been profiled on the front page of both major Georgetown student media outlets, The Hoya (in February 2011) and the Georgetown Voice. In less than a month of organizing, we’ve made the front page again.

Aside from lending significant credibility and visibility to our work here in the District, I believe this newest feature has come to symbolize our vision and theme for this year: Think Big.

Read More

Another step forward for DC Students Speak

By Scott Stirrett (Georgetown 2013)

This past Sunday, DC Students Speak had its first in person meeting of its student board, which is composed of representatives from GW, Georgetown, UDC, Trinity-Washington, Howard, and American.

The fact that this student board represents almost every major university in the District of Columbia is a testament to the organization’s presence throughout D.C.

As a group composing 85,000 residents of D.C, students can only truly exert influence through working together.  Too often different campuses have worked on isolated projects.  It is only through having students from different universities work together that the influence of students will be truly taken into account.

At the student board meeting, many foundations for future growth were laid down, with the consensus being established that transportation related policy issues are going to be a major target for the organization.  DC Students Speak looks to further engage college students with these issues, as we go into more of the specifics in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned, and best wishes to all college students for a great semester.