Tuesday the Illinois Student Senate is going to do something ambitious: Meet face-to-face with state legislators. To make it even more of a unique experience, Ron Zook is going to be the keynote speaker.

The reception will take place at the Illinois State Library in Springfield, just down the street from the Illinois State Capitol building.

“We’re doing something quite ambitious, inviting state legislators so that they may become more personally invested in the University,” said Ryan Ruzic, student body president and senior in LAS.

While the ISS acts on behalf of the students at the local and federal level, the primary concern is acting at the state level, Ruzic said. The main goal in the lobbying process is to secure more funds for the University, especially money earmarked for the students. Putting names to faces is essential in getting legislators to care more.

“We don’t want them to think that (the University) is just some place in Champaign,” said Justin Randall, junior in LAS and chairman of the University Budget Committee for ISS.

Randall added that faculty recruitment and building restoration are two issues that need to be made clear to legislators.

“We’re putting together a packet for decrepit buildings like Lincoln Hall and parts of the English Building,” Randall said. He noted that the Classics Library, in the Main Library, is a national historic site and has plywood sheltering the original 15th-century works from leaky roofs.

The reception will demonstrate the solidarity of the University and give students the ability to voice individual concerns to their legislators, Randall said. This is something they would not be able to do otherwise.

“I can tell (the legislators) about my 300-level class that is being taught by a TA because the professor has to do research to get grants because he’s not being paid enough,” said Sophie Doroba, junior in LAS and chair of the Government Affairs Committee with ISS.

Doroba said that while it helps to send President B. Joseph White to Springfield, having politicians meet with students promotes a more human element. It also reinforces the fact that legislators have to act on behalf of their constituencies.

The student senate is requesting a breakdown of University alumni, students and parents in each Illinois district so that legislators can see how significant the University is to their interests.

Ruzic, Randall and Doroba all agreed that while they have and will continue to cultivate support in the Capitol, the governor’s office poses a “roadblock,” Randall said.

“Until (the administration) cooperates, it’s going to be tough,” Doroba said, “But we can’t give up.”

Katie Hamilton, junior in Communications and ISS press secretary, said the legislators appreciate the students’ involvement.

“Students dress up and shake hands,” Hamilton said. “It means a lot. Legislators thank you for coming. They see that you care about the University, so that you’re no longer just an anonymous letter.”