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If you talk to any one of Missouri University of Science and Technology’s 7,000 students, you are likely to hear a common worry about tuition hikes. One of those students is taking his worries — and his voice — a step beyond everyday conversation.
“When you are a student, too much of your focus is spent in your books, and there is nothing wrong with that, but there is a world going on out there,” S&T sophomore Gavin Pringle said.
Pringle, of Cape Girardeau, decided last year to become more involved in that world by joining the Associated Students of the University of Missouri. This year, he is taking his commitment to the group a step further by lobbying legislators on its behalf.
So, what does that mean exactly?
According to Pringle, it means a lot of talking and a lot of early mornings.
The ASUM is a student organization formed in 1975 to connect students to legislators and the legislative process.
Pringle is completing an internship with the association this semester. While he is passionate about the proposed funding cuts to Missouri’s public universities, he also has more defined goals.
He has aligned himself with two pieces of proposed legislation dealing with funding for students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields — one of which he helped draft.
“That’s kind of my brainchild,” he said of legislation expected to be proposed by 160th District Rep. Ellen Brandom.
The legislation is not yet showing on the Missouri House of Representatives website, but is expected to be formally introduced any day now.
“It gives corporate tax incentives for companies that hire a certain percentage of their interns from University of Missouri schools,” Pringle said, summarizing the legislation.
That would include students attending Missouri S&T, as well as University of Missouri-Columbia, St. Louis and Kansas City. It would not include students from other state universities like Missouri State University, the second largest public university in the state.
Pringle says the legislation is aimed at giving in-state students an edge when looking for internships at large companies.
“It’s not meant as a subsidy,” he said. “It’s capped at $5,000 per company, so it really isn’t that much.”
The second piece of legislation Pringle is behind was proposed during the last legislative session by 158th District Rep. Wayne Wellington, but did not make it out of the committee process.
If you talk to any one of Missouri University of Science and Technology’s 7,000 students, you are likely to hear a common worry about tuition hikes. One of those students is taking his worries — and his voice — a step beyond everyday conversation.
“When you are a student, too much of your focus is spent in your books, and there is nothing wrong with that, but there is a world going on out there,” S&T sophomore Gavin Pringle said.
Pringle, of Cape Girardeau, decided last year to become more involved in that world by joining the Associated Students of the University of Missouri. This year, he is taking his commitment to the group a step further by lobbying legislators on its behalf.
So, what does that mean exactly?
According to Pringle, it means a lot of talking and a lot of early mornings.
The ASUM is a student organization formed in 1975 to connect students to legislators and the legislative process.
Pringle is completing an internship with the association this semester. While he is passionate about the proposed funding cuts to Missouri’s public universities, he also has more defined goals.
He has aligned himself with two pieces of proposed legislation dealing with funding for students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields — one of which he helped draft.
“That’s kind of my brainchild,” he said of legislation expected to be proposed by 160th District Rep. Ellen Brandom.
The legislation is not yet showing on the Missouri House of Representatives website, but is expected to be formally introduced any day now.
“It gives corporate tax incentives for companies that hire a certain percentage of their interns from University of Missouri schools,” Pringle said, summarizing the legislation.
That would include students attending Missouri S&T, as well as University of Missouri-Columbia, St. Louis and Kansas City. It would not include students from other state universities like Missouri State University, the second largest public university in the state.
Pringle says the legislation is aimed at giving in-state students an edge when looking for internships at large companies.
“It’s not meant as a subsidy,” he said. “It’s capped at $5,000 per company, so it really isn’t that much.”
The second piece of legislation Pringle is behind was proposed during the last legislative session by 158th District Rep. Wayne Wellington, but did not make it out of the committee process.
According to Pringle, the legislation — which is being revised and reintroduced — reallocates a portion of corporate taxes from STEM-related companies and places the money into a fund that can be used for science and math programs in secondary education, like science olympiads , robotics programs and scholarships for higher education.
“We are titling it as kind of a pay it forward system in which companies want to invest in their future, so some of their tax dollars go as an investment to the students that will one day be employed by their companies,” Pringle said.
He said the bill, as introduced last year, has been compared to the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act.
“At the moment, we are really trying to make a distinction between the two (pieces of legislation),” Pringle said. “MOSIRA has been a bit controversial.”
MOSIRA, or Senate Bill 7, was signed into law by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon in October after passing both legislative bodies during the special session.
The primary difference between MOSIRA and the STEM legislation Pringle is working on is the end placement of funds.
MOSIRA directs funds toward businesses, and is aimed at attracting more technology-based businesses to Missouri.
Wellington’s STEM funding legislation would direct money toward education, and is aimed at better preparing and attracting Missouri’s students who may be interested in a STEM-related field.
Regardless of what project Pringle is working on, he describes his time at the capitol as fast-paced days that begin before the sun comes up.
Days he spends at the capitol begin at 5 a.m., giving him time to create a plan for the day and get to Jefferson City by 8 a.m.
Once at the capitol he sits in on committee meetings and makes rounds talking to legislators.
“There are very, very brief moments of nothing to do, and then you realize that you are a mile behind on something,” he said. “It’s high intensity and high stress.”
Pringle says he is interested in a career in economics at the moment, but is hesitant to say if he sees himself working in the capitol building after college.
“I’ve been asked that by a lot of our politicians at Jefferson City, and I’ll give you the same answer I give them,” he said. “I’m not going to tell anybody. I don’t know, but we’ll see.”
