BY Devin smith [HE/HIM] | director of system relations
My good people (or whoever),
Students United, known in my time as a student as MSUSA, has been an incredible adventure. After three years of advocating as a student, then another three and a half years of relentless advocacy as a staff member, I am both sad and excited to announce that I will be moving on from Students United.
While it is difficult to summarize the totality of my experience with Students United in a brief blog post, it should suffice to say that it has been a privilege to be able to work on behalf of the students of the Minnesota State universities. Whether we were working to host a conference, connecting students to folks and resources in our system, advising and strategizing with our bright students on how to advocate for the changes they wished to see on their campus, or simply writing reports breaking down the labyrinthine policies and initiatives within our system for current students to understand – I genuinely enjoyed every moment of it. The excitement of securing an advocacy win, especially when the subject at hand had been in the works for months or years, were some of my favorite times ever. I am glad to have had many of those moments with my fellow students and staff members.
I am not adept at writing sentimental blog posts, which has likely become excruciatingly clear to any readers who have made it this far, so I’ll wrap up this soliloquy with a piece of advice for all those who will continue their advocacy on behalf of students in the coming years:
Change and progress can be slow and sometimes frustrating. There can be months on end where, no matter how hard you push, there just seems to be no movement on an issue. Regardless, it is important to keep the momentum. When I was a student, I never would have imagined that OERs would eventually become so ubiquitous that several colleges (and, soon, universities too!) would be able to offer degrees that have zero textbook costs associated with them.
Students United was, and will continue to be, an important aspect of student advocacy and representation within Minnesota State and the larger landscape of higher education. I am glad to have been able to work alongside such dedicated and talented students and staff, and I am sure that I will continue to look back at these years fondly for years to come.
Goodbye for now, my friends. Never let the party die!
Devin Smith