Maryland Invests Essay Contest: Are Students Investing?

By Kathryn Klett on February 5, 2014

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley examines last year’s compilation of the final essays from the Maryland Invests Essay Competition

How many people noticed last week’s email sent out by the Student Government Association President Samantha Zwerling?

It’s a good question, but what matters more is whether students will care enough about rising tuition to get involved in the Maryland Invests Essay Contest, a competition that is meant to allow students to voice their concerns to legislators in Annapolis.

“I think this is the first time I remember an SGA president asking us to petition,” said senior Abi Carroll. She had received the email and thought it was interesting, but like many students, she hasn’t done anything with it yet.

With the Maryland General Assembly now in session, the second annual Maryland Invests Essay Contest is an effort to inform top representatives in Annapolis of student perspectives. Last year, the top essays had some influence in keeping tuition increases relatively low. This year, however, students are not so sure if they’ll make a difference.

“The essays submitted will probably be well thought out, but I don’t know how effective they’ll be,” said Christian Santana, a communications major.

Other students worry that the SGA is working through the wrong medium to get their concept across.

“They should do a video instead; more people are visual learners,” said senior Ivania Morales.

American universities are not the only ones that have students actively involved in governing the schools. Viktors Smirnovs, a current member of the Student Council of the University of Latvia, says that by Latvian law students must have at least 20 percent power in any institution. Where tuition is concerned, students and staff on the University Senate must come to a compromise, and students have the power to veto unfavorable decisions.

“Veto is like the Cold War weaponry,” said Smirnovs.

“Both sides know it’s there and it helps find solutions prior to using it.”

It seems the SGA is hoping that the essays will help folks in Annapolis to find solutions, too.

Abi Carroll thinks might just be a matter of students learning to use the weaponry available to them.

“Students have a lot more power than they take advantage of; we tend to just focus on our studies and extracurriculars and don’t focus on what we can do,” said Carroll.

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