Students get a first-hand look at government

Government students listen to Representative Guy Vander Linden as he explains how the House discusses and votes on bills. (Bryan Stanford photo)

by Niamh Lyons 

The Government class attended a “Visit the Hill” conference held by the Iowa Association for College Admissions Counseling and the Iowa School Counselors Association on Feb. 23 at the Quality Inn & Suites Event Center. Students were able to listen to speakers talk about forms of Government financial aid available for college and university. The amount of money that is funded for schools and grants changes every year and has been decreasing because of budget cuts. Another topic discussed was rural access which highlighted the problem some rural schools have with getting up-to-date technology. 

A speaker said budget cuts also affect the number of counselors in schools. Counselors help students get their schedules done, aim for classes that will prepare them for college and make sure they have what classes they need to graduate. When graduation gets closer, they also help students find and apply for scholarships and colleges. Some conference speakers stated that with the decrease of counselors, they might be overworked and unable to work hard for all the students. 

The last session before lunch and before going to the Iowa Capitol building was to discuss the how-to’s of lobbying. Students were taught to persistently contact the representative or senator to lobby their ideas and push to get a bill passed or vetoed. Speakers demonstrated how to and how not to lobby. Students were encouraged to get their thoughts across politely in about a minute because legislators can be very busy. 

After lunch, students traveled to the Capitol building to meet with their legislators. Representative Guy Vander Linden discussed what he does on a daily basis, where he works, when he will visit areas in our county and briefly explained bills currently in the House. Senator Tom Rielly was unavailable while the students were in the Capitol, but another worker showed them the Senate and led them to the top of the building. The trip ended with a tour of the Capitol’s five-story library. 

Krista Engelbarts attended the “Visit the Hill” day and said, “My favorite part of the trip was getting to meet Guy Vander Linden and seeing how the Senate chambers are run.” Vinny Buchanan also attended and said, “I enjoyed being in the Capitol building and seeing where our representatives work.” 

Beth Orr, the history teacher who planned and led the trip, said she brought the students because they got to “experience lobbyist groups. Throughout the day, students participated in a variety of experiences within our government. The day was hosted by IACAC, an interest group that lobbies for legislation that pertains to and supports colleges, school counselors and college students’ financial aid. After four morning sessions, the students learned about a variety of topics and got to go to the Capitol to visit their legislators.”