With a provincial election on the horizon, politics have re-entered the minds of many students at the University of Saskatchewan, including the members of one student group that has recently made a comeback.

After a long period of inactivity, the Political Studies Students’ Association has returned to the U of S, officially becoming a ratified student group in February 2016. The group is working towards increasing its contributions and visibility on campus.

David D’Eon, a second-year political studies student and president of the PSSA, describes the prior state of the campus club.

“From what I can tell, the PSSA in the past wasn’t an incredibly active association. It was relatively small, it didn’t really do much in terms of events or anything like that — obviously that’s something we’re looking to change,” D’Eon said.

After speaking with faculty members, D’Eon determined that the decline of the PSSA was due to a lack of communication between the political studies department and its students. Although it was briefly reformed in 2013 in order to plan a graduation banquet, it folded soon afterward.

As they pick up speed, the PSSA hopes to promote political involvement for all students at the U of S, as well as provide development experience for members that are interested in helping to run the organization.

Membership is open to all interested students, not just those pursuing a degree in political studies.

D’Eon was surprised after overhearing a conversation in which someone mentioned the lack of an association for political studies students. He recognized the need for such a group and decided to look into re-establishing the PSSA. What he found was that much of the groundwork for ratification was already in place.

“It didn’t even feel like starting an association,” D’Eon said. “It was kind of like walking down the highway and coming across a car with the keys in the ignition and everything. It was really just like they were waiting for someone to take the reigns.”

D’Eon was soon joined by other interested students, including PSSA vice-president Jessica Quan, who emphasizes the gap the PSSA fills within the university community.

“It is important for everyone on campus, especially for political studies students. Just having hands-on experience and actually being in direct contact with administration and faculty and staff, because that’s definitely something we were lacking in political studies, which I think is absolutely crucial, especially for our discipline,” Quan said.

When it comes to on-campus involvement, the PSSA is looking to promote politics as something that is relevant to everyday life.

“I want to create an organization that encourages people to take politics outside of the classroom. So that involves not only engaging with other [political studies] students, but also with the student body as a whole and the community around us,” D’Eon said.

The PSSA is also collaborating with the U of S Students’ Union on its USask Votes campaign, which informs students about how, when and why they should vote in the upcoming provincial election.

Beyond provincial politics, the PSSA also offers political studies students a hands-on way to apply what they have learned in their classes within a more practical setting.

“That’s how you develop yourself professionally — by networking and reaching out to the on-campus community and to staff and faculty. You can have a lot of important experiences that you wouldn’t necessarily get in the classroom,” Quan said.

For D’Eon, the PSSA ultimately involves being an active and engaged member of society, something he believes everyone should do.

“More than people care to admit, our lives are determined by the communities that we live in. People like to believe they are these paragons of individualism. I don’t buy that. I think that we owe something to the community around us, and we owe something to the society we live in to participate, and to put our voice forward and to help shape a community we want to be a part of.”