ISS hosts ice cream social for students to meet local politicians

Students had the opportunity to meet and converse with local politicians at an annual ice cream social hosted by the Illinois Student Senate (ISS) on Tuesday afternoon in the South Lounge of the Illini Union.

“Essentially the point is to get politicians to come out, interact with the students and talk to them about their concerns,” said Kara Beach, ISS press secretary, senior in Media and former Illini Media employee.

An ice cream social was chosen because it provides for a fun, relaxing way to get people involved with local politics, she added.

Students passed in and out of the South Lounge from 2 to 4 p.m. for free ice cream and to talk with the politicians present.

“I think it’s important to meet with all my constituents and it’s important for students to know that they’re my constituents,” said state Sen. Mike Frerichs, (D-52). “While they’re residents here in Champaign-Urbana, I am their state senator.”

While some students only attended for the free ice cream, others were more focused on getting to meet their area politicians.

“It’s nice to know who our officials are and who is trying to help us out with the school,” said Rachael Markwell, ISS intern and freshman in DGS. “They’re definitely opening a door saying that they want to talk to us too, so that gives us an opportunity to voice our opinions.”

The event also provided exposure for state representative candidate Norman Davis, who said he is relatively unknown because it is his first time running. Davis, a Republican, will be campaigning against current representative for the 103rd district, Democrat Naomi Jakobsson, who was also in attendance.

“It’s important for them (students) to know the faces, be able to put faces with names, and then after a while, be able to put the faces and the names and the policies all together,” Davis said.

Jakobsson said she saw some new faces at the event this year.

“I was able to meet some students that I haven’t met before, and that’s one of the benefits of this kind of event,” she said.

One student who attended the ice cream social, Richard Ward, senior in LAS, said he hoped to ask some of the politicians about the Blue Waters project.

The project is a plan to complete a multi-million dollar supercomputer in the University’s Research Park by 2011.

Students, ISS members and politicians talked about various subjects in small groups throughout the two hours.

Charlie Smyth, alderman for Ward 1 in Urbana, said tenant rights along with pedestrian and biker safety were issues students brought up to him.

Frerichs said funding for the University was the number one issue he discussed with students.

“Students have different priorities for where that money should go,” he said.

“But there is a general understanding that if we want to continue to provide a world-class education here at the University of Illinois, it’s going to require state support.”