GRS senior Dakota Olson advocates for ISU in Washington, D.C.

Joined by Iowa State University Student Government President Cody West, Vice President Cody Smith, and several others, Global Resource Systems (GRS) senior Dakota (Kody) Olson advocated on behalf of his peers on both the state and federal levels last week in Washington D.C. Kody is the ISU student government senior director of governmental affairs.

“This trip certainly ties into my career prospects,” Kody said. “I am hoping to go into governmental affairs, policy crafting and advising, or advocating for public interest legislation. This trip gave me a great insight on how our government works and how I can positively influence the system.”

As part of the Big XII on the Hill Conference, the team shared updates on campus projects and initiatives and heard from various groups on college affordability, sexual assault prevention, and mental health, as well as how immigration reform affects students. The group also learned about life in the district from a panel of Big XII alumni and toured the United States Capitol.

The students attended sessions with the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the American Council on Education to discuss the potential reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). ISU’s student leaders then visited with Iowa’s Congressional delegation to further advocate for and against segments of the HEA.

“One important element in those conversations that I brought with me from my GRS coursework is how higher education impacts our state and country while utilizing a community capitals framework,” Kody said. “It’s important to realize all that a university generates for communities across the country – from culture to social networks and new ideas. I essentially spoke on the impact that Iowa State University had on me – a low-income student from a rural Iowa background.”