From left to right: Kora Freeman-Gerlach, Tali Crowley, and Lily Seward — officers of the VPIRG at UVM Student Club.
Guest Post from Tali Crowley, UVM Sophomore, VPIRG at UVM Club Co-President, and VPIRG Trustee
VPIRG was founded at the University of Vermont in 1972 by a group of student activists, but hasn’t been affiliated with the school since the mid ’80s… until now! This semester, the Student Government Association of UVM voted to officially recognize VPIRG at UVM as a school club.
Students have always been an important voice for VPIRG. Since our founding, student activism has expanded to include close to a hundred students canvassing on VPIRG campaigns every summer, designated seats for student members on VPIRG’s Board of Trustees, and now, having an officially recognized club to carry on sharing the voices of young people (like me)! I’m proud to be part of an organization like VPIRG that provides leadership opportunities for young people to engage around the issues that matter most to them, from addressing the climate crisis to getting big money out of politics.
In starting a VPIRG Club on the UVM Campus, our goal is to align VPIRG’s broader statewide campaigns with the environmental movement on campus and ensure that UVM students have the tools and skills necessary to make a change on the campus where they live and learn. We also plan to push for 100% of UVM students to vote in 2020 with a campaign to bring mobile voting to campus!
We are excited to be getting back to our roots at UVM, especially during this crucial year of climate action in the statehouse. We are grateful for the UVM SGA’s recognition and look forward to making a positive change here on campus.