The Political Science Student Association at University of Guam celebrated its 10-year anniversary by reminding undergraduates about the importance of politics.
“I think there’s a lot of work we need to do here in Guam,” said Nolan Flores, PSSA president. “It’s a lot about informing the public of advocacy on certain issues.”
PSSA was created in 2010 by like-minded individuals who wanted to form an organization for the college major.
Although the association was created to serve political science interests, PSSA is very inclusive of others who are willing to join.
Joseph Madlangbayan, the association’s current vice president, believes that having a variety of people join PSSA helps keep the association’s goals.
The association’s missions and goals revolve around promoting politics, providing opportunities and enhancing experiences.
PSSA participates in numerous community projects on Guam.
One of these includes conducting legislative forums every election season. The PSSA brings in potential senators and have them talk about their platform and plans if they were elected.
The association was able to have their sixth legislative forum in fall 2020.
This was also PSSA’s first time to organize a congressional forum where the association’s officers were able to meet with senatorial candidates to discuss their campaigns.
Kayleen Concepcion, the current PSSA public relations officer, was moderator for one of these legislative forums.
“For my friends and family, even those who are in the states, they found this forum to be super helpful,” Concepcion said.
Apart from Concepcion’s participation in the forums, she also believes in the importance of promoting political engagement, especially for the young.
“It’s very easy to dismiss the importance of voting and local politics,” Concepcion said. “A lot of people believe if they’re not directly involved, it doesn’t affect them.”
Concepcion also believes PSSA will help reach out to others by informing younger age groups about current political issues.
“If you were to ask me in high school about issues going on in Guam, I wouldn’t know anything,” Madlangbayan said. “Going to college helped me better engage in these issues.”
In order to attract the interests of younger audiences, the association hosts recruitment drives at UOG throughout the semester.
PSSA sets up a table at the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Lecture Hall. The members distribute free tea and donuts, and engage in discussions about the association and politics with others.
However, due to the global pandemic, these recruitment drives have been canceled until further notice.
According to Flores, the association has future plans of conducting recruitment sessions in Zoom virtual classrooms to reach students during the pandemic.
As his first semester as PSSA president, Flores has had a tougher experience in leading and transitioning the association into online learning.
“I’ve had to adapt my leadership style,” Flores said. “As president, I’ve never had an in-person meeting, so it’s harder to make the connections with people.”
PSSA is now currently aiming to increase and maintain engagement during this pandemic. Their goal of promoting decolonization, self-determination, and indigenous rights continues as well.
Apart from politics, PSSA also offers other fun activities such as trivia nights, bar fundraisers, karaoke nights, etc.
They also participate in community and volunteer work such as annual donation drives and feeding-the-homeless events.
Follow PSSA’s Instagram and Facebook page to keep up to date with the association’s activities.
Students interested may contact the association directly at pssa@triton.uog.edu for further inquiries.