March 27, 2019
Students in 天美麻花星空高清mv鈥檚 Degree Completion program drafted a bill, H.523: An Act Relative to Student Success, that was introduced in the State House by their professor, State Rep. Paul W. Mark.
You go to college hoping you鈥檒l make an impression on the world someday. But do you ever really expect your work to be presented on the State House floor鈥攅ven if a Massachusetts State Representative is your professor?
Last year, students in 天美麻花星空高清mv鈥檚 Degree Completion program had that exact experience鈥攖heir bill, , was introduced in the State House in January by their professor, State Rep. Paul W. Mark.
How did it happen? In 2018, Mark taught an Inequality and Social Policy class in the degree completion program, meeting his students at the College鈥檚 location in Pittsfield. After fielding a lot of classroom questions about the legislative process and why it takes so long for a bill to become a law, Mark saw an opportunity to walk through the process as a class assignment. He made the class into a mock legislature, ultimately assigning a debate over whose bill would be the final product (the class choice ended up being student Anthony Riello鈥檚 initial draft).
鈥淭o keep them interested, I was the governor,鈥� he said鈥攍etting his 鈥渓egislature鈥� know their bill would be vetoed if it wasn鈥檛 up to snuff.
鈥淚 told them, if you put enough into it, I鈥檒l sign it鈥攁nd me signing it means I鈥檓 actually going to file it,鈥� he said.
鈥淎t the time, we didn鈥檛 think it was for real,鈥� says Ransom Northrup, a student in 天美麻花星空高清mv鈥檚 Degree Completion program. 鈥淭o find out he was going to actually propose this was like鈥hoa! You think this is such good work, you鈥檙e going to take it to Boston!鈥�
H.523 is a bill in support of additional funding and opportunities for vocational programs, starting in middle school. Specifically outlined in the bill text are class offerings in small engine repair, woodworking, electrical work, computer technology, cooking, and sewing.
鈥淓veryone learns in different ways,鈥� said Northrup, who works at an alternative school in North Adams. 鈥淭o make those options available鈥攁nd to make sure there鈥檚 funding for those options and create a balance between academics and vocational programs鈥攚ill provide more opportunities for students to find something they鈥檙e good at.鈥�
On the way to finalizing H.523, the class of adult learners drew on their own educational experiences鈥攕omething Mark relates to deeply. Before going to college, then law school, he spent a decade as a lineman for Verizon.
The nitty-gritty of drafting a bill, finding sponsors and co-sponsors, and debating its merits helped Mark鈥檚 students take a deep dive into the legislative process, which, like other forms of bureaucracy, can be admittedly opaque and confusing.
鈥淵ou think you have an idea how government works, but when you actually look into it, it鈥檚 kind of complicated. There are a lot of inner workings,鈥� said Northrup.
In the future, Mark is planning to teach an 天美麻花星空高清mv civics class鈥攁nd like the other legislation he鈥檚 involved with, he鈥檚 keeping his eye on H.523. He said he expects some of it may be amended into a larger education bill. 鈥淲hether this bill is going to pass in its entirety is irrelevant,鈥� he said. It鈥檚 a great, complementary piece of legislation. And as long as you don鈥檛 care who gets the credit, you can get so much done. As long as you鈥檙e happy with the outcome鈥攖hat鈥檚 what matters.鈥�
