Affordable Housing and Homelessness // The Affordable Housing and Homelessness Task Force coordinated with the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless to attend their lobby day for runaway youth.  They also worked in conjunction with Residential Life to institute a Dump N Run event, which gives students living on campus the opportunity to donate unwanted food, clothing, and electronics to Salvation Army at the end of each semester.  Homelessness Awareness week drew over a hundred students to movies, speakers, direct service projects, and a sleep-out on the quad.  MPIRG was honored to receive the Urban Sustainability award from Campus Activities and Orientation this year for our work to promote sustainability in an urban area. 

AugsPIRG students with all the items collected after students left for the semester. All items were donated to the Salvation Army.

Environment // The Environmental Task Force joined hundreds of students and community members at the Clean Cars Lobby Day, hosted by MPIRG and the Minnesota Environmental Partnership, to talk to their legislators about the importance of environmental standards on car emissions.  They went on to organize a Green Transportation Fair on campus to showcase examples of clean cars and other forms of sustainable transportation in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.  The Environmental Task Force also focused on toxins issues and hosted a Detox Forum where leaders from other nonprofit organizations came to speak about toxins in consumer products.  They obtained over 200 postcards and 50 phone calls to Governer Pawlenty’s office.

Kathy DeKrey, an AugsPIRG student, at the Clean Cars Lobby Day 2009. The message to legislators was to reduce emissions from cars and light-duty trucks 30% by 2016.

Democracy //  The Democracy Task Force registered over 500 students to vote for the 2008 presidential election.  They organized two nonpartisan presidential debate parties, and educated the first-time voters at Augsburg about their rights.  On Election Day, our students ran the only nonpartisan Get Out the Vote drive on campus, and directed students to the polls in a number of fun ways. 

AugsPIRG Getting Out the Vote on Election Day 2009.

Student Contacts
Kathy DeKrey, dekrey@augsburg.edu

Minneapolis Campus Organizer
Dakotah Johnson, extension 304, dakotah@mpirg.org

www.Augsburg.edu