The federal government shutdown is affecting more than just U.S. Congress — student groups are feeling the fallout as well.
The shutdown, now in its ninth day, has caused both the UNC-system Association of Student Governments and the UNC Young Democrats to readjust their upcoming travel plans to Washington, D.C.
The association, which is funded by an annual $1 student fee, decided at its September meeting to sponsor a trip this fall to Washington, D.C., where some of the system student body presidents could meet with U.S. Department of Education officials and discuss student concerns in higher education.
Association President Robert Nunnery said the trip had been planned for Nov. 5 — but it had to be canceled because of the government shutdown.
When he emailed the Department of Education to confirm the logistics of the trip, he said he received an automatic reply that said the department was no longer responding to email.
“It’s just not in our best interest to plan a trip without any logistics,” Nunnery said. “Plus, I realize that once they come back — if they come back by Nov. 4 — they have work to do and definitely might not have time to host students.”
During the trip, ASG had hoped to influence some of the recommendations made to the Department of Education concerning changes to FAFSA forms and student loan forgiveness, Nunnery said. He added the trip would likely be postponed until spring.
UNC Young Democrats travel to Washington, D.C. during UNC’s fall break each year to lobby on Capitol Hill.
But Peter Vogel, president of Young Democrats, said lobbying might not be possible if the shutdown continues — though he said members still plan on going.