Lansing Blitz Date Announced

UPDATE

2/14/12

LANSING, MI – The Student Association of Michigan (SAM) has formally announced that the Lansing Blitz, a rally on higher education, will be taking place on March 29th and 30th.

This will be the first year where the Lansing Blitz is a two day event. Day one will be structured lobby sessions, where well informed student leaders will travel to Lansing from each of the member schools to lobby legislators in their respective schools districts as well as their home districts. Day two will be the rally for higher education on the capitol steps where each school will bus hundreds of students to Lansing to take part in the rally.

“Including lobbying this year will send a much more powerful message,” said SAM President Jay Gage, “It shows the serious professionalism that our organization has come to believe in this year and is a great accessory to the rally.”

Student recruitment will be a major discussion topic this weekend as SAM hosts its fifth conference at SVSU. “Organizing the Blitz earlier this year has helped us make sure that it is a success,” said Blitz  Coordinator Sean Walser, “We are expecting numbers this year that will blow past years out of the water.”

“We are all excited to see how much impact our Blitz can truly have,” said President Gage.

2/3/12

LANSING, MI – The Student Association has started the beginning stages of planning the Lansing Blitz, a rally for higher education hosted on the steps of the state capitol each year. This will be the third Blitz SAM has hosted since its formation in 2007. With past themes including the Michigan promise scholarship and 15 percent cuts, SAM is planning a more effective and tangible rally so that lawmakers will understand what higher education means in the state in the short and long term.
SAM President Jay Gage has made this Blitz a top priority for the second semester. “With higher education becoming less important, the Lansing Blitz will be a good way to have students show the need for reinvestment in our states future,” said Gage.
The first step the organization has taken in developing a more strategic plan for the Blitz is electing its Blitz coordinator, University of Michigan Student Sean Walser. Walser, a junior studying political science, plans to make this Blitz more effective so Michigan students may have a more prominent voice in Lansing.
Structured lobby sessions are also planned to become a major part of the Lansing Blitz, as Michigan students Blitz their legislators from their schools districts as well as their home districts. “A form of lobbying will also take place so that students may have a more personal interaction with lawmakers. Marching to the capitol steps is very affective, but personal meetings will be extremely positive and productive,” said Blitz Coordinator Sean Walser.
Dates and logistics will be planned at the upcoming conference at Grand Valley State University.