Updates

The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting campuses nationwide. Here are a few of the ways that institutions are stepping up to meet students’ basic needs in this moment of uncertainty: 

While many states have plans to deal with emergencies like power outages, natural disasters and other one-off situations, very few states are currently set up to successfully run an election where large public gatherings, such as polling places, present a public health risk.

We are taking recommendations from college and university leaders and public health experts and taking proactive steps to mitigate the potential impact of COVID-19 in our campus and off-campus communities.

The UW chapter of Washington Public Research Interest Group (WashPIRG) is a student-run, student-funded activism group here on campus. As the UW’s leading student public interest group since 1976, WashPIRG fights for issues chosen by students throughout the year to… Read more

Seattle, WA (October 4, 2019) – On-campus voting at the University of Washington nearly doubled between 2014 and 2018, according to a report by The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE). NSLVE is a project of the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University.

The Student PIRGs and Environment America, along with students across the country, will launch 50 campaigns in 15 states this year, imploring colleges and universities to generate 100 percent of their energy from renewable sources.

CHICAGO: Today, McDonald’s released a new policy to restrict medically important antibiotic use in its beef supply chain.  The company says it will immediately start measuring and assessing antibiotic use in its top ten beef sourcing markets. Then, by the end of 2020. McDonald’s plans to set targets for lower use of medically-important antibiotics. 

TAMPA, FL- All preliminary results point to a record breaking surge in youth voter turnout in the 2018 midterm elections. Students working with the Public Interest Research Groups’ New Voters Project made over 375,000 Get Out the Vote contacts in 11 states.

Today, Congress set aside $5 million to renew the Open Textbook Pilot program for FY19, which gives grants to colleges and universities to promote adoption of free and open textbooks by professors. The program could save students up to $50 million!

This year, students working with their PIRG chapters across the country got their campuses to ban bee killing pesticides, passed a federal bill to make textbooks more affordable, and raised tens of thousands of dollars for hurricane victims. In the… Read more