I entered the Zoom call from a safely distanced computer lab as a student senator from the Iowa Lakes Emmetsburg campus. I arrived at the school at 8 AM on January 27th. After connecting I was greeted by Executive Director Emily Shields. She couldn’t hear or see me but I had been encouraged to ask questions in the chat. The event was scheduled from 9:00 through 12:00 before it was extended to 1:00 in the afternoon.
Public funding for community college was certainly a top priority among many of the legislators attending. Both Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg were the anticipated guests. They were with House Speaker Pat Grassley, with the explanation that they were busy approving legislation we know to have been included in the governor’s contentious 56-page Senate Study Bill 1065.
ILCC business staff did not seem as excited by these changes as the representatives themselves. When asked for comment, Dianne Hough replied “If it comes from the state, who knows when we’ll know anything.”
Due to COVID-19, this was the first time student senators had not met with their legislators at the Iowa capitol building in Des Moines. Normally, senators are allowed to observe Caucus activity in person. This year, they have been resigned to public recordings instead. The senate had a chance to ask legislators questions themselves. Senator Guth made it clear he was working to ensure Iowans have the right to decline the vaccine. After inquiring about his vision for the end of the pandemic, he provided me with a curious answer concerning “natural immunity” and a false claim that “the vaccine” is responsible for 55 deaths.
Student senators also asked about each of the representative’s other priorities in office. Republican Senator Chris Cournoyer admitted an interest in school security. Democratic Senator Jackie Smith, on the other hand, opened up about the governor’s call to divest from public education in favor of private. Smith warned Iowa’s community colleges the recently passed bill “constitutes radical change.”
https://www.iacct.com/events/student-legislative-event
Call of the Lake 
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