As we reflect on the fall semester, the NJPIRG team is incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made on our campaigns to fight for a better future and humbled by the support of the thousands of students across the state who voted yes in our referendum. Here are some highlights:
Building our Team
Every semester, we have course credit internship and volunteer opportunities on each of our campaigns. This fall, more than 1,200 Rutgers students signed up to hear about these opportunities, and hundreds took action on one of our campaigns to help build a better future.
Save the Bees
Bees pollinate 75% of all the foods we eat, and they support many critical species in habitats across the state. That’s why we started a campaign to get the Mayors of New Brunswick and Camden to declare their cities as Bee Friendly, per the Bee USA Standards. In New Brunswick, we’ve collected over 1,000 petitions across campus in support, spoken at the City Council Meeting, and talked to the Mayor directly about our proposal- which we hope to pass in the spring! In Camden, more than 460 students signed a petition showing their support for the campaign.
New Voters Project
We know that our democracy works best when everyone participates, and our generation has the power to decide our future. After our success helping students cast their ballots in the 2020 Presidential Election (97% of the students who we helped register turned out to vote!), we launched another effort to help our peers turn out for the midterm elections this year.
Partnering with the Eagleton Institute of Politics and RUSA in New Brunswick and the Student Affairs teams in Newark and Camden, we collectively helped hundreds of students register and make a plan to vote in the Midterm elections. If you need to update your voter registration address, you can do so at studentvote.org.
The Referendum
Our biggest project this year was running our referendum. We are completely funded by students who, every three years, vote to support our waivable per-semester $13.01 fee.
After 4,300 hours of campaigning, more than 9,000 students statewide cast their ballots and we’re excited to report that more than 80% of students voted yes for NJPIRG.
Looking Forward
Next semester, we plan to work to save the bees, fight hunger and homelessness, and make textbooks more affordable. If you’re interested in getting involved, let us know here! You can also apply to be an intern with us or learn about our job opportunities for graduating seniors.
Thank you for your continued support of NJPIRG Students. It’s what makes our work possible. Happy holidays!