ASMSU can rest easy now.
Tireless efforts from several members of MSU’s undergraduate student government culminated Tuesday when Proposal 4 - a proposal they had been opposing since May - failed in the general election.
The proposal would redirect about $8.5 billion obtained by the state in a 1998 settlement with tobacco companies. Currently, a portion of the money is used to fund the Michigan Merit Award, which awards qualified students with $2,500 scholarships if they attend a Michigan college or university.
A portion of the settlement money also is used to fund the Life Sciences Corridor, a program that aims to spend $1 billion on biochemistry projects in Michigan over the course of 20 years.
The proposal failed with 66 percent of Michigan voters against it.
“It was a shocker,” said Jared English, ASMSU’s director of university, governmental and budgetary affairs. “Students came out to vote, and that provided a stimulus for the failure.”
English, along with ASMSU Academic Assembly Chairperson Matt Clayson and other members of ASMSU, have been working with other student governments to encourage students to oppose the proposal.
“There was a lot of people who thought we weren’t doing what we should be doing,” English said. “But this was a huge victory for students.”
Clayson said ASMSU had a lot to do with the outcome of the race.
“We really helped with this defeat,” he said. “A lot of our job was to educate other student governments.”
ASMSU has been involved with rallies against the proposal, as well as papering the campus with fliers to inform students.
The group also sponsored a debate about the proposal with Sen. John Schwarz facing Ron Davis of Citizens for a Healthy Michigan to present both sides of the argument so students could make their own decisions as well.
Louis Brown, ASMSU Student Assembly vice chairperson for external affairs, said more than 15 percent of people who voted in East Lansing were students - a number Brown said has increased from two years ago.
“That’s a phenomenal turnout. That speaks for itself.” he said. “We can take a substantial credit, not only ASMSU, but especially the City of East Lansing, the city manager’s office and Sharon Reid, the city clerk.”
English said higher student voters directly correlated with the proposal failing because students recognized the Michigan Merit Award was in jeopardy.
Despite the other side - the proponents for Proposal 4 - having a large amount of money to spend on the campaign, the proposal failed. Clayson said this is a compliment to them and anyone involved in opposing the law.
“It proves that big money cannot buy votes,” he said.
