Office location: Suite 3100, 3rd Floor of Campus Center
Who We Are:
The UMass Boston chapter is the only MASSPIRG chapter in the city of Boston, giving us easy access to our legislators downtown and representing students’ voices where big decisions are made on Beacon Hill. We work to bridge the gap between the campus community and the Greater Boston area, tackling issues like climate change, alleviating hunger and homelessness, helping students get registered to vote, and making college more affordable.
Read more about the MASSPIRG fee at UMass Boston here!
Current Campaigns:
100% Renewable Energy: Because of our overdependence on dirty fossil fuels, climate change is the biggest issue facing our generation. But we can make the switch to clean, renewable sources of energy like wind and solar! That’s why we’re pushing to pass the 100% Clean Act through the state legislature this legislative session. We can commit Massachusetts to 100% clean electricity by 2035 and 100% clean electricity by 2045 and continue to be an environmental leader in the country.
Make Textbooks More Affordable: College is expensive, and the skyrocketing costs of textbooks and course materials are restricting students’ access to education even further. That’s why we’re raising awareness of Open Education Resources (OER), low-cost or even free alternatives to textbooks. We’re educating both professors and students about OER and mobilizing students against the rise of expensive access codes and other initiatives running up costs for students. We’re working to establish an Open Educational Resources Program through the campus library to make textbooks cheaper at UMass Boston, and get more funding at the statewide level in Massachusetts.
Hunger & Homelessness: No student should have to worry about where their next meal will come from or where they’ll sleep at night, but the COVID-19 pandemic made this a reality for many students. We’re working with U-ACCESS, the on-campus food pantry at UMass Boston to fundraise, hold clothing and food drives, and more awareness of available resources to the campus and Greater Boston communities.
