Our Mission
We recognize that not all on-campus student issues can be resolved internally. The purpose of the Public Affairs Committee is to represent, pursue, and advocate for broad MIT undergraduate student interests as it relates to public issues and to be the Undergraduate Association’s initial liaison to all external organizations. This may include, but is not limited to, governmental entities at the local, state, or federal level; other student governments and organizations; media outlets; or any advocacy organizations that may aid any of UAPA’s missions.
Apply!
Interested in joining UAPA? Fill this short (5min) application form out telling us a bit about why you’re interested in joining, and we’ll get back to you soon! Applications are due October 3rd, 2024, at 11:59pm.
Contact us:
If you have any questions about our committee, please e-mail us at ua-publicaffairs-chairs@mit.edu.
Current projects
Examples of initiatives we are currently working on:
Student UROP Protections
MIT’s UROP program allows MIT students to gain experience with exciting and cutting-edge research happening on campus. The UROP office reports that over 90% of undergraduates participate in a UROP at least once before graduating. However, we recognize that sometimes students have bad experiences with the program or have suggestions for how to improve it. To this end, UAPA is currently working with the staff in the UROP office to improve protections for student researchers, provide more educational materials on the program and students’ rights, and create a strategic plan for the continued development of the UROP program as a whole.
We developed a report in Spring 2024 based on initial responses to an anonymous survey sent out to students regarding their experiences with the program. You can find that report linked below. If you would like to share any relevant experiences with the UROP program, please fill out the survey as well so we can hear your feedback.
Expanding Labor Protections for Unpaid Interns
Unpaid internships, which are typically exclusively filled by student workers, are a source of inequity and hardship for many students. By building support for our cause with other student groups and advocacy organizations, policymakers, and the public, we aim to (1) reduce the prevalence of unpaid internships (especially in the public sector) and (2) expand workplace protections for unpaid workers, to ensure students are not being subjected to exploitative or hostile work environments. Additionally, we broadly support all on-campus efforts that mitigate the issues associated with requiring unpaid internships as a graduation requirement.
On-Campus Election Day Holiday Advocacy
Various students and student groups have expressed support for making Election Day a Student Holiday over time, citing the need to reduce academic and professional obstacles for students, staff, and faculty to vote; the symbolic value of MIT supporting civic engagement and democracy; and student life benefits of having an additional holiday mid-semester. We have met with relevant MIT administrators, faculty, and student groups to develop a proposal for an academic calendar change that we believe is the most feasible and practical option for implementing an Election Day Holiday. A recent UA Public Affairs survey shows that undergraduate student support for the proposal is above 90%. We are now in the process of working with MIT faculty governance and administrators to implement the proposal.
Financial Literacy Around Taxes
We recognize that many undergraduate students, even by the time they graduate, remain unequipped to do their taxes. Many students, not knowing how to adjust their W4 forms, experience financial distress as their wages are over-taxed; many students, not knowing how to do their taxes, forgo their end-of-year tax refunds simply from lack of information. Given the shortcomings of opt-in workshops that are currently run, we have been pushing for a mandatory financial literacy trainings for all undergraduates— and working with relevant MIT administrators to address student financial illiteracy more generally.
Past Projects
During the 2022-23 academic year, we have successfully advocated for expansions of financial aid at MIT around winter travel costs, amounting to around ~11% increase in the travel aid for students on financial aid— amounting to tens of thousands of dollars each year. We expanded on-campus access to flu vaccines, getting MIT Medical to offer more appointments and extending its deadline. Additionally, we have done several one-off projects, including advocating for Student Financial Services to notify qualifying students of their SNAP/WIC and Federal Student Loans Relief eligibility.
Every election year, we work with MITvote to turn out the student vote. We typically get the faculty chair and vice-chancellor to encourage all MIT faculty to be mindful of Election Day and provide flexibility in their classes. Additionally, we offer free envelopes and stamps for those opting to vote by absentee ballot. We answer voting related questions through a voting questions form we offered in conjunction with MITvote. After this midterm election, we conducted a post-election day survey to better understand confounding factors that students face when voting, and compiled these results with data obtained by MITvote to formalize a set of suggestions to best facilitate future election days.
Student Groups we work with
Boston Intercollegiate Government
Wellesley/Northeastern/Tufts/etc. University Student Governments
UC Student Association
MITvote
Policy-Makers/Groups we’VE Engaged With
Massachusetts State Legislative Offices
Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office
U.S. Congressional Offices
MIT Office of Government & Community Relations
MIT DC Office
Boston Food Bank
Get involved!
We're always happy see new faces. If you're interested in joining, let us know at ua-publicaffairs-chairs@mit.edu!
You can also get involved in civic life by registering to vote online if you have a MA driver's license here or by mail with this form here.