Heitkamp and Berg Vie for Senate

In the last days before the election, the race for North Dakota Senator has found Heidi Heitkamp and Rick Berg in tours around the state for some last-minute campaigning.

“Meeting with students is a great way to listen and to hear the concerns of young people,” Heitkamp said in an email.

Heitkamp spent a lot of time in Fargo last week: Clinton held a rally for Heitkamp on Oct. 29 at the Civic Center, and on Wednesday she spent an hour at a meet-and-greet sponsored by the NDSU College Democrats.

“Heidi just wants to meet NDSU students,” said Taylor Morgan, the president of College Democrats. Morgan is a sophomore triple-majoring in food sciences, food safety and biology.

At the beginning of October, the College Republicans sponsored a similar event on 13th Avenue with food and music, as well as several politicians including Rick Berg. A majority of the attendees at these events were college students, said Alison Brorby, College Republicans president.

These events have allowed NDSU students to understand the importance of knowing the issues and what the candidates represent.

Both Berg and Heitkamp graduated from major North Dakota universities, so their interests are not only political but also personal.

Morgan and Brorby agreed that North Dakota needs someone who wants to help our state.

“Don’t vote party lines, but [vote] for what’s right for North Dakota,” Morgan said. University students also want someone who will have their rights in mind, and Brorby said what the campus can agree on is that “we deserve to get the funding we need.”

In May, NDSU discussed funding issues with the State Board of Higher Education. NDSU receives $1,500 less per student in state dollars than the next largest University in the state.

“I think it is important that NDSU get its fair share of support because when it doesn’t, the costs are passed along to students,” Heitkamp said in an email.

Berg also thinks it is important that North Dakota has “a system that’s fair; we need to constantly review, and state legislature needs to look at NDSU and be sure that it’s fairly advocated its state dollars,” he said.

Senators have more opportunities to help students with advancing career growth. One of President Bresciani’s commitments to the university is to help undergraduate and graduate students graduate on time and place those students in jobs.

One important issue in this election is the Keystone Pipeline. Both Berg and Heitkamp support the Keystone Pipeline, in part because of the jobs it would create.

“I support the Keystone Pipeline, which would create private sector jobs,” said Heitkamp.

Berg stated, “The more we promote the energy industry, the more jobs it’s going to create, lower the price of energy, electricity, gasoline and help businesses grow, creating even more jobs.”

One of the most important things to do is to research the issues.

“[Research] means knowing your district, house numbers, knowing people,” Morgan said.

“These are people who are going to represent your state,” Brorby said. “Do your research on who you are voting for, what issues matter to you and what [candidate] agenda’s are.”