Student Action Team is heading to Springfield today.

Eric Wilber, chair of the Student Action Team, will be leading the trip, along with Tiffany Turner, a Student Action Team member.

The team will leave at 7:30 a.m. and getting back between 4-4:30 p.m.

They will be taking a bus down to Springfield, which will leave from the east side of Old Main.

Wilber told the members that the dress should be formal, so suits and ties for the males attending and dress clothes for the females.

He said they would be informing representatives of Illinois about Eastern.

Wilber said the members should tell them about the Doudna Fine Arts Center, the Steam Plant, the proposed wind farm and textbook rental.

“We also will be talking about higher education,” Wilber said. “However, it should be short and sweet.

“We will discuss things like who we are, what we are about and we will also try to find out the general landscape for Eastern’s budget next year.”

There are three situations Wilber said members would run into – the office visit, on-the-go and off-the floor.

“For the office visit, there will be a secretary that serves two senators, and they will tell us if a representative can talk or not,” Wilber said.

He also talked about on-the-go and off-the-floor meet-ups.

“On the go will probably take only about 90 seconds to two minutes and off-the-floor, a member should give the name of who they want to pull off the floor to the doorman and they will pull that representative out to talk,” Wilber said.

Wilber said another benefit of lobbying is also networking, or “getting your name out there.”

Turner has also attended before.

“I am going back because I have been on Student Action Team for three years,” said Turner. “Going gives Eastern a voice.”

Marsheela Stinson, a Student Action Team member, said she witnessed the gun lobby last year when she went, which there were about 2,000-3,000 people present.

Members Mike Hilty and Michael Baird have never gone lobbying before.

“I am going because I think it is important to have a student voice for Eastern and do care about what is going on in Springfield,” Hilty said. “I want to have a voice.”

Baird said since political science is one of his majors, he has always been interested in government.

“There is no better way to get the whole experience and get to see the House in session,” he said.

Members Patrick Lindstrom, LeeAntwann McCline and José Alarcón will also be attending.

“We will be talking about Eastern itself,” Wilber said. “No big issues are coming up.”

There will also be a card Student Action Team is passing out with graduation rates and such.

Wilber said Student Action Team needs to get Eastern’s name out there for when they lobby for higher education in the spring.

Heather Holm can be reached at 581-7942 or haholm@eiu.edu.