Iowa Senator Hamerlinck Finally Issues an Apology to Students

Last week, we asked you to email Senator Hamerlinck asking for an apology for his dismissive remarks to students in a budget hearing. Students showed up to testify on the impact of proposed education budget cuts, and Senator Hamerlinck told them to "go home." He said, "I do not like it when students actually come here to lobby for funds." Hear his remarks in this video.

Thanks to our readers taking action, we exceeded our goal of sending over 500 emails in 48 hours to Senator Hamerlinck. And it wouldn't have happened without, as the Daily Iowan deemed, a "flood" of emails from Campus Progress and other organizations.

Because of your emails, Hamerlinck finally felt pressured enough to break his weeks of silence and issue a formal apology. However, while admitting that he let his "frustrations" get the better of him, to our disappointment, he still attempted to justify what he said by indicating that he was trying to protect the students.

Tobin is the deputy director for Campus Progress.

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