Students last night discussed sustainable policy ideas to improve the country in the next 30 years in a forum hosted by the Tufts chapter of the Roosevelt Institute. The ideas sparked by the discussion will later be fleshed out into policy proposals and submitted for inclusion in the Mass2040 Blueprint for the Millennial Massachusetts, a platform that showcases policy issues and facilitates student collaboration on future policy.
The forum was the last of a three-part series sponsored by the Tufts chapter as part of the Think 2040 initiative, a project that aims to foster political dialogue and encourage students to contribute to developing policy in their respective states, according to Roosevelt co-President Regina Smedinghoff, a junior.
The project also provides students with the resources to write policy and promote their ideas on a national level.
The discussion last night focused on students' desires for policy change in education, energy and equal justice. Students debated what issues to focus on in the Blueprint and examined what has gone into the Blueprints compiled by other states as part of the national Think2040 campaign.
Smedinghoff and the chapter's other co-President Sigourney Norman, a junior, led the discussion.
Freshman Josette West spoke about environmental justice issues in transportation. She and Norman discussed the environmental implications of subway expansion and the effects it has on surrounding neighborhoods.
West also emphasized the importance of widespread research on environmental policy.
"I think it's important to really focus on the ideas and not discount anything because it's too specific," West said about environmental policy changes. "These are problems to face everywhere."
In regards to education, the students debated the effectiveness of standardized school funding. Such an approach, according to Smedinghoff, would evenly distribute tax money to public schools all over Massachusetts, rather than the tax money coming from the specific towns. This method, while currently implemented in Vermont, would not be easily adopted in Massachusetts because of the more unequal income distribution, Smedinghoff said.
Attendees also debated the merits of standardized testing in evaluating student performance.
Junior Vittoria Elliott argued against standardized test scores as a measure of success, noting that the approach in Massachusetts' charter schools has promoted a focus on high scores rather than overall learning.
Other topics included the DREAM Act and the deportation of children of illegal immigrants.
The forum last night narrowed down policy suggestions from the first two meetings regarding the chapter's contribution to the Blueprint.
Once the Roosevelt Institute reviews Tufts' contribution to the Blueprint, it will compile the proposals of participating schools into a final product slated for release in April 2012, according to Smedinghoff.
Smedinghoff said the Think 2040 initiative gives students a chance to contribute to policy discussions at a level not normally accessible to them.
"A lot of us are volunteers, campaign workers or are involved in other political factions, but we are not involved in the policy, so this is an opportunity to be more engaged in that way," Smedinghoff said.
