Entering Jason Miller’s East Lansing apartment, college student nostalgia is everywhere. But instead of a poster of John Belushi hammering a bottle of whiskey, his walls are adorned with maps.

Yes, maps. Of Lansing, Michigan, Texas, Western Europe and even the Census 2000 population guide.

There’s also one of the state House’s 69th District. Miller, a political science and political theory junior, is the campaign manager for Larry Ward, the district’s GOP candidate.

“I had them in my last apartment and found they were a great conversation piece,” Miller said of his maps.

“You can talk about anything from, ‘Why doesn’t anyone live in West Virginia?’ to ‘Why do so many people live in Arkansas?’”

But it goes past conversation. Miller, also the chairman of the MSU College Republicans, has had a great appreciation for politics from all over the world since he was young.

“Injustice bothers me,” he said.

“I have a motivation to be informed. I don’t just read newspapers, I have an emotional response to them.

“Rather than just sit and bitch about what I see, I go and change it.”

State House hopeful Ward said he could see Miller’s dedication to politics right away. Ward will face incumbent Rep. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, in the Nov. 5 election.

“Jason was exactly what I was looking for,” Ward said.

“I wanted someone young, energetic and ambitious with time to devote. One of the great appeals for me was his ability to see things the way college students see them.”

Ward said his decision to have an MSU student as his campaign manager was a great one.

“He just has a great political sense of what we need to do, what we need to accomplish and what we need to do to go about that,” he said.

Miller said he originally became involved in the campaign because he felt Ward was a good person who knew his stuff and could make needed changes in the district.

After months of working together, Miller has a high level of confidence in Ward’s campaign.

“This is a competitive area,” he said.

“The redistricting gave it more Republican support, and with numbers as close as they are, all it takes is hard work.”

Miller said the 69th district, which spans from East Lansing to Williamstown Township, is the ideal place to gain political experience while in college.

“Some of the most educated and politically elite people in Michigan live here,” he said. “It’s very interesting to go door-to-door.”

But Miller isn’t the only politically active student on campus.

Nate Engle, president of the MSU Democrats, is working on the 100th House District campaign.

He said he has done a great deal of assistant campaign manager work for Don Sterling, the Democratic candidate for the race.

“It’s a more rural area so it’s a little bit different than East Lansing,” the urban and regional planning junior said.

“I’ve gotten the taste of a wide variety of campaign management experience. Anyone that wants to be in politics should start early and start young. We’re actually getting into the field, which is critical.”

Whitmer said she also tries to include students in her campaign. She attends events on campus and has had MSU students as interns in her Lansing office.

“I try to get on campus as often as possible to keep up to speed on what is important to students,” she said.

“Students can call me anytime. And they should know their vote is important.”

Whitmer said she receives support from the MSU Democrats and from her brother Richard Whitmer who is an undergraduate on campus.

For more information visit the MSU College Republicans Web site at www.msu.edu/~repubs/ and the MSU Democrats Web site at www.msu.edu/~msudems/.