Students from WashU’s Brown School recently took their classroom lessons to the frontlines of local policy, offering public testimony on a bill aimed at expanding nontraditional housing options in St. Louis. Their participation was part of the “Domestic Social and Economic Development Policy” course, designed to give students real-world experience in legislative advocacy and policymaking.
Taught by senior lecturer Molly Metzger, the course blends policy history with current debates on housing, economic development and climate issues, while exploring the complexities of tax incentives and the compromises often involved in the political process.
“We don’t just talk about policy research; we discuss what it means to engage in this work as social workers,” Metzger said.
The testimony was part of an assignment that required students to either participate in or simulate public testimony. On Oct. 29, Metzger and 11 students testified before the St. Louis Board of Aldermen Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee about Bill 114, which proposes more flexible housing options to address homelessness and housing insecurity. The committee advanced the bill; the St. Louis Board of Aldermen later passed it, and Mayor Tishaura Jones signed it.
Read more on the Brown School website.
