SPG Policy Project Group Formation/Selection

On Tuesday, 1/29, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM in 468 Birge Hall (this is a new location), SPG will meet so that members can form and/or join policy project working groups for the semester. New members are always welcome! Currently planned meetings include STEMvotes and the PG&E Bankruptcy Memo groups. If you have another project you’d like to advertise or work on, please let us know!

STEMvotes will focus on (1) lessons learned from last semester and (2) starting a new voting-related project. Previous discussion over (2) included ideas such as writing a white paper related to voting patterns on college campuses and hosting things related to civic engagement, such as visiting Berkeley City Council. We will use the working meeting to gauge interest, set general goals, and establish a regular meeting time.

The PG&E bankruptcy group is putting together a policy memo related to the PG&E bankruptcy debacle. This will appeal to any members interested in energy policy or those looking to improve their science communication skills.

Democracy 101: Political Engagement Beyond Voting

By Erin Sullivan, Eric Lee, Christopher Jackson

“After last November’s elections and the past several politically tumultuous years, we hope that many residents of Berkeley and individuals around the country are more politically engaged than ever and are eager to make their voices heard. However, your civic duty doesn’t stop after casting your ballot. As residents of Berkeley, with its rich history of political engagement and access to all the resources that entails, we have a unique obligation to engage with our government throughout the year, every year.”

Read entire Op-Ed in the document below!