Student lobbyists gathered in Olympia yesterday to meet with legislators and address the concerns of academic life at the UW.

About 50 undergraduates and graduates met at the Capitol Building and divided into groups to meet with senators and representatives from various committees to discuss issues ranging from child care to campus safety, which was a primary focus.

One group met with Rep. Jamie Pedersen from the House Appropriations Subcommittee to discuss ideas for prevention.

“There’s the Virginia Tech kind of issue, and then there’s crime in general, in Capitol Hill and the University District,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s the media making a big deal out of it, but it seems like there’s a lot of random violence. The governor’s budget … [emphasized provisions for] loud speakers and other big things, but those would be supplemental. We don’t have any money for these things, so we have to pick our battles.”

Student urged the legislators to act soon, particularly in light of violent acts as recently as last week, although part of the delay may be the result of a lack of information.

“I heard views I’ve never heard before, and we’re halfway through session,” said Rep. Deb Wallace, head of the House Higher Education Committee. “I had no idea that there was such a problem [with campus safety]. It’s so important that [student lobbyists were] here today, and that [they’re] weighing in with [their] legislators.”

Some suggestions from lobbyists included a text message alert system and increased funding for local law enforcement, which Pedersen dismissed as the city’s concern rather than the Legislature’s.

Pedersen was also opposed to the revamped Husky Stadium proposal, which asks $150 million from the capital budget.

“I think we need to tear it down,” he said. “I’d love to see the Huskies play at Qwest Field. The state already put $400 million into it, and I don’t see how it’s feasible to spend another $300 million on a facility that’s only used seven days out of the year.”

The primary concern for graduate students was once again childcare.

“[Graduate and Professional Student Senate] successfully got $2 million for child care,” GPSS representative Sarah Reyneveld said. “Previously, funding had come 100 percent through staff fees.”

Reyneveld and others hope to get more funding in the future, a prospect Wallace wholly supports.

Coordinators for Lobby Day were pleased with the outcome, despite a lower turnout than previous years.

“I thought it went really well,” said Elliot Helmbrecht, legislative coordinator for the Office of Government Relations for the ASUW. “I think all the participants had a really good time, and it sounded like they all had very good meetings with their legislators. It went more smoothly than last year, and people knew more about the issues.”

Although turnout was higher than last year, Helmbrecht focused on quality over quantity when planning the event. Last year’s expenses were about $14,000, which Helmbrecht predicts was cut down to about $3,000 this year.

“I liked that we had smaller, educated groups,” said Bryce McKibben, director for the Office of Government Relations at the ASUW. “Even though it wasn’t as big, I think that worked to our advantage. This Lobby Day is the best one I’ve been to so far.”

After yesterday’s perceived success, McKibben is looking to the future.

“Now it’s just about getting more people involved in the process and having them make more contact as time goes on,” he said.

[Reach reporter Jeff Tripoli at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]