By Signe K. Skinion

More than 100 students voiced their support to Illinois legislators Thursday for the Chicago to Carbondale Amrak route in an Undergraduate Student Government letter-writing campaign.

USG set up tables in the Student Center Hall of Fame

Advertisement

where students and administrators could go and, by computer, write letters in support of Amtrak to send to their state officials.

Scott Pfeiffer, USG chief of staff, said the first day of the computer-assisted mailing went better than expected.

Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., we sent 148 letters to Illinois government legislators, Pfeiffer said. I believe we can and will do better when we increase the hours.

Today the operating hours are from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Pfeiffer said on Monday USG will extend the hours from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. He said the mailing program will run until Feb. 8.

The computerized mailing system gives students and administrators a chance to sit down and find their home county on a computer. When the person chooses the county, the computer will give the names of the representatives and the state senator. The person will then receive three printouts of the letter to sign, and USG members will send those letters off to the three state officials indicated, Pfeiffer said.

USG President Kim Clemens said things could have gone better Thursday, but the outcome was strong.

Things did get off to a slow start because the computers were a little late getting there (Student Center), Clemens said. But once everything got going, it was a steady stream. If it (the mailing) continues to go this well, we will have a strong voice at the capitol.

Advertisement*

Pfeiffer said the computer mailing is part three of a four-part plan by USG to voice support to save the Amtrak Carbondale route.

The first part was the resolution USG passed and sent to Rep. Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro), Sen. David Luechtefeld (R-Okawille), Kirk Brown (Director of Illinois Department of Transportation), and Gov. Jim Edgar, Pfeiffer said. The second are the petitions the USG senators are passing around campus and collecting. The third is this computerized mailing, and the fourth should be finished soon. But it is a petition that is being signed by each of the student government presidents affected by the Amtrak cut.

USG senators are still colleting names for the petitions they initiated, Pfeiffer said.