When and how can I vote to support Florida PIRG at Eckerd College?
You can vote YES to support funding Florida PIRG at Eckerd College this April 14-18th.
How to vote:
To start, click this link
Steps:
- Click the icon on the top left
- Click the arrow on the top right
- Chose “Personal Information”
- Click “View Full Profile” at the bottom
- Click “Other” on the top right
- Select “Answer a Survey”
Screenshots of instructions:
What is Florida PIRG?
Florida PIRG is a statewide student-run and largely student-funded advocacy group working to protect the environment, fight hunger on campus, build a zero-waste future, make college more affordable, and more. We work locally on college campuses such as Eckerd College, and have professional staff, like organizers and advocates who work with us to make sure we make tangible change. We bring issues that happen in the real world to college students so they don’t have to wait until graduation to make a difference.
Why is Florida PIRG beneficial for Eckerd College students?
We want Eckerd students to have the opportunity to be engaged citizens and make a real, tangible difference on issues that matter to us and society. We think that having our voices heard in the broader political process by voting in elections, signing petitions for causes we care about, and gaining tangible leadership skills helps to fulfill this mission, and the mission of the college as well.
Beyond making a difference on issues that affect all of us – whether that’s locally, statewide, or nationally – Florida PIRG offers students on campus hands-on training in a variety of skill sets that include public speaking, formal writing, planning events, and working collaboratively with other students and members of the government, to name a few. Our campaigns educate and engage students in current events and civics and make it possible for students here to start making a difference right now, instead of waiting until graduation.
How is Florida PIRG funded and directed?
At Eckerd College, we are funded by students through the college’s student activity fee. Voting yes means you support continuing this allocation. We are also partially funded by grants that students help to raise to support the program.
We use these resources to hire professional staff like organizers and advocates, who work alongside us to advocate on our behalf, run strategic grassroots campaigns, and win reforms that help improve the quality of life for everyone.
Students make the decisions on what campaigns we run locally and which issues we prioritize statewide. Florida PIRG is open to any and all students who want to participate. The student body at large has the opportunity to reaffirm their support of funding our own advocacy group every few years.
What has Florida PIRG accomplished?
- Fighting hunger on campus: We partnered with campus faculty on research on student food insecurity and worked with ECOS to establish a food and basic needs bank on campus available to students, faculty, and staff. We ran drives to keep the bank stocked for community members.
- Turning out the youth vote: Over the last four years, we’ve made thousands of peer-to-peer voter contacts for state and national elections, helping increase youth voter turnout and make young people’s voices heard in our democracy.
- Protecting our Environment: We’ve worked at the city level to save St. Pete’s straw ban, at the state level to stop hotels and golf courses from being built on our state parks, and at the federal level to establish massive investments in clean energy.
- Making Textbooks Affordable: Our network helped secure more than $50 million of federal funding for free open source textbooks through the Open Textbooks Pilot Program. This program is expected to save students more than $250 million.
How do I get involved with Florida PIRG?
We have volunteer and internship opportunities available! Fill out this form and we’ll be in touch! You can also follow us on Instagram @ec_flopirg
Questions?
If you still have more questions, please contact organizing director Dan Xie: [email protected].