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Students make national mark By AMBER FOSSEN Ashland Daily Tidings The National Student Union and National Student Alliance are merging to become the first nationwide student-operated political organization in the country. The NSU formed after Oregon voters rejected Measure 28 in January, which lead to drastic cuts in school funding throughout the state. Students then rallied to create a political voice to lobby on behalf of students and education. Originally known as the Ashland Associated Union of Students, the group was later renamed the Ashland Student Union. It has continued to grow under the banner of the NSU with affiliates from coast to coast. Evian DiStefano, chair and founder of NSU, said partnering with the NSA, a student-rights advocacy group, will align 300 chapters on the West Coast and Northeastern seaboard. "It would make us truly coast to coast," DiStefano said, noting chapters are spread out through 24 states. "Our power comes in numbers. We don't have money or other means to influence politics." The NSU's Ashland chapter worked tirelessly on last year's Youth Activities Levy - the first focus. The next was rallying more voices. Connor Buhl, NSU's West Coast operational director and Ashland High School student, released a statement saying "Not only will the addition of more chapters help garner local support, but our combined voices will be more effective in lobbying the state legislature." He later added, "We are simply tired of being marginalized by legislators who are more concerned with balancing the budget than the learning of young people. We want to provide a more centralized voice for students to tell the community and the government that school ought to be a higher priority." Efforts to strengthen the union's numbers led to rapid national expansion. According to DiStefano, NSA Co-Chairs Jatin Baghap and Anuj Agarwal, of Long Island, contacted him regarding a students' rights issue that was politically tinged. "There was a freshman hazing incident last year and this year their school canceled all sports because of it and they're saying it's not right," DiStefano said. After a week of discussion between student groups, both boards unanimously decided to merge under the NSU banner. It will be the first nationwide student-operated political organization in the country and the second nationwide student-operated nonprofit, according to NSU officials. "As of this week, we're going to be working under the same umbrella," DiStefano said. DiStefano will continue to lead the political action division while Agarwal and Baghap hold chair of student rights. As chapters throughout the nation continue to work on solidifying membership, DiStefano is focusing on the voucher bill expected to be voted on by the Senate this week. The bill, if passed, would allow parents or guardians to take their children from Washington, D.C., public schools and receive vouchers from the federal government to pay for private school tuition. The pilot program is to test the waters for a national program, DiStefano said. "The justification for it is that the public school system isn't doing its job - it isn't functioning," he said. "We believe there are ways to improve the public school system without turning its back on it." LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -