Washington state Sen. Michael Baumgartner came to WSU Wednesday to speak with ASWSU about his activities in Olympia and share some words of advice with his alma mater.

Baumgartner discussed his negotiations in keeping college tuition from rising across the state.

“The big thing this year was getting a bipartisan agreement on a no increase in tuition,” Baumgartner said.

Baumgartner said there were challenges in keeping tuition down during the last legislative session.

“It’s easier to say we want something, it’s more difficult to say something is a priority,” Baumgartner said. “One of the biggest challenges is that you have several other people that want to spend money on so many other things.”

Baumgartner asked for feedback and questions from the WSU senate.

One senator asked Baumgartner about his thoughts on Pay It Forward, a bill that was originally introduced in Oregon and is now in Washington that would allow students to pay for school after graduating at a small, fixed percentage.

“There’s no substitutes in education for funding it … Problem with the Pay It Forward is, I don’t know how you would enforce it,” Baumgartner said.

Some WSU senators said a visit from a state senator made them realize they were doing something right.

“When you have a legislature to come by and say what you are doing is the right path and just being able to hear that is something rewarding in and of itself,” ASWSU Sen. Jake Montano said.

ASWSU Vice President Kevin Massimino attributed Baumgartner’s visit to a strong vision from legislative directors.

“We’ve had great leadership from the directors of legislative affairs of the past couple years, they’ve brought in several people to come in and speak with us,” Massimino said.

Massimino said the senator had good input for the student senators and that it was also fun to see the personal side of him.

Before he left, Baumgartner gave some advice to the senate, encouraging them to do whatever they can to avoid debt from school and to study abroad. He also advised them to consider volunteer work and military service.

Baumgartner said he believes representation in a student government is vital.

“They advocate for students and bring that voice in Olympia, and it makes a really big difference,” Baumgartner said. “It’s just a great learning opportunity. You find out in life that working in these types of setting makes a difference and comes with personal developments.”