Most view going to college as becoming an adult.
Students come home when they want, are responsible for paying their rent on time and are allowed into previously forbidden places once they turn the ripe age of 18, among other things.
Students who will be 18 years of age or older on Nov. 7 can also vote.
The people voted into office end up making decisions affecting the University, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., and the country — many of which will affect students.
This November, the entire state and U.S. Houses of Representatives, one-third of the state Senate, one of Minnesota’s two U.S. senators and the president of the United States will all be up for election, along with many other smaller governmental offices.
Minnesota has traditionally had higher voting rates than the rest of the country, attracting 60 percent of registered voters to the polls in 1998 in comparison with the national average of 49 percent, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office.
The state House of Representatives is comprised of 134 representatives, two from each district in the state. Each serve a two year term.
The representatives for the University area are:
ù East Bank: Democrat Phyllis Kahn has represented the area for 28 years and has a Ph.D. in biophysics from Yale University. Contact her at (651) 296-4257 or [email protected].
ù West Bank: Democrat Lee Greenfield represented the area for 22 years and has announced his retirement. Contact him at (651) 296-0173 or [email protected].
ù St. Paul: Democrat Mary Jo McGuire, an attorney, has represented the area for 12 years. Contact her at (651) 296-4342 or [email protected].
Kahn and McGuire will run for re-election in November, according to the state House of Representatives. Greenfield’s seat will be up for election in November.
The state Senate is half the size of the House with 67 members — one from each district. Each serves a six-year term, allowing only one-third to be up for re-election during any given two-year election cycle.
The state senators for the University area are:
ù East Bank: Democrat Lawrence J. Pogemiller has represented the area for 12 years and is a graduate of the University’s Graduate School of Economics. Contact him at (651) 296-7809 or [email protected].
ù Carol Flynn represented the area for 10 years, serving as majority whip for several years, and has announced her retirement. Contact her at (651) 296-4274 or [email protected].
ù St. Paul: Democrat John Marty has represented the area for eight years and is a writer. Contact him at (651) 296-5645 or [email protected].
Marty and Pogemiller are not up for re-election until 2002. Flynn’s seat will be up for election in November, according to the state Senate.
Minnesota has two U.S. senators and eight U.S. representatives. Each serve the same term as their state counterparts.
Sen. Rod Grams, R-Minn., is expected to be endorsed by the state Republican Party at its June 9 and 10 convention to run for a second term as Minnesota senator. The state Democratic party endorsed state Sen. Jerry Janezich as Grams’ opponent.
Grams, a former Twin Cities news anchor, can be contacted at [email protected] or at his Anoka office at (612) 348-1649.
Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., — a former Carleton College political science professor — is serving his second term as senator and will be up for re-election in 2002. Contact him at [email protected] or at his St. Paul office at (651) 645-0323.
Two of the state’s U.S. representatives make decisions for the University area: Rep. Bruce F. Vento for the St. Paul area and Rep. Martin Olav Sabo for the Minneapolis area.
Vento, a Democrat, announced he will not run for re-election after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. The state Democrats endorsed state Rep. Betty McCollum to run for his seat. The Republican Party will endorse a candidate at their convention.
Contact Vento at [email protected] or at his St. Paul office at (651) 224-4503.
Sabo, also a Democrat, will run for re-election after having served the area for 22 years. He was in the state House of Representatives for 17 years before that. Contact him at [email protected] or at his Minneapolis office at (612) 664-8000.

Erin Ghere welcomes comments at [email protected].