A multi-college organization built to give students a more direct line of communication to legislators and officials
Higher education costs have been on the rise for years. Tuition, transportation, and housing are becoming increasingly unaffordable, with Michigan Tech’s undergraduate tuition going up $957 in the 2025-26 school year, according to a Fiscal Brief from the House Fiscal Agency. In fact, the average undergraduate tuition at public universities across Michigan went up $726.
To help combat this, the United Michigan Student Governments (UMSG) was created. UMSG is a student-led multi-university organization that banded together to give students a voice. They plan to address student affordability and help connect postgraduate students with the workforce. Their main goal, according to UMSG Executive Director and Michigan Tech USG President, Ford Schoonover, is creating “clear lines of communication between those writing and enforcing the policies that we’re living,” and to “bring student voices to legislators and to industry officials, as well as to connect student governments and provide resources and institutional knowledge.”
Currently, 12 of the 15 public universities in Michigan are involved with UMSG, along with the first community college to join the alliance, Henry Ford College. The Universities include, but are not limited to, Michigan State, the University of Michigan, Western Michigan University, and Northern Michigan University. “We don’t want this to just be public universities,” since “the idea is to bring in as broad a scope of students as possible, and to encompass as many of the student experiences as possible,” stated Petra Gablowski, UMSG associate director and MTU USG member. Schoonover furthers the notion, saying, “If we’re excluding community colleges from the picture, then we are excluding that major piece of affordability that our state is providing students.” Because of this, UMSG hopes to partner with more community colleges and trade programs.
Some members of the Michigan Tech USG are very involved, with our USG President, Ford Schoonover, selected as Executive Director. In addition, USG Vice President Braden Quesenberry is now the UMSG Constitution and Bylaws Committee Chair, and USG member Petra Gablowski is the Associate Director.
UMSG plans to take student voices and stories to legislators and industry officials, as well as connect student governments. They aim to be a “medium for collaboration between universities” and provide resources and institutional knowledge to students across Michigan, according to Schoonover. As an organization, UMSG is nonpartisan and aims to make as many connections as possible. They are currently working with Callie Barr, the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s First Congressional District, and her team, and are working to establish an open line of communication. They also met and exchanged contacts with Senator Elissa Slotkin; however, nothing has been finalized. UMSG’s next in-person meeting will be Oct. 24 to finalize their documentation, so they have “four weeks left to add sprinkles to anything before it’s signed,” said Gablowski.
UMSG is open to anybody who wants to be involved. One way to be involved is by joining USG. Schoonover said that for anything students “are passionate about, we have a place for them to engage and contribute.” If you want more information about UMSG or how you can help, you can follow their Instagram @UMSG26 or email them at director@UMSG.info.
