2008 Woodie Awards
Student voters can make difference in upcoming election
By Ashley Rice
Rocket Assistant Focus Editor
Issue date: 9/5/08 Section: Focus
SRU's Center for Student Involvement and Leadership (CSIL) is educating students about how important it is to vote, and going a step further by arranging transportation to the polls.
The CSIL does this as one of its many ways to help students get involved on campus, and to develop leadership skills.
To organize their campaign, SR-U Votes, the CSIL is pulling groups together on campus to get a bigger turnout at the polls and more students to register.
The group isn't affiliated with any party. CSIL even has a link on their website to research the candidates and the issues, so students can make choices on their own.
Brad Kovaleski, the director for the CSIL, is one of the many members working on SR-U Votes.
Kovaleski said it's important for students to be involved in the political process.
"If students are involved, they can see that they can make a difference," he said. "It's easier to see in the greater scheme when you're a part of a group, compared to an individual level."
Jessica Lynne Reese, a 20-year-old junior psychology major, said that she never registered to vote because she never cared about any elections, and was never really interested in politics. She said that no particular issues have ever affected her, and she has no reason to vote.
"There's just too much hype surrounding elections," Reese said. "For my whole life, who has been president has never affected me directly."
Koveleski said that anyone who thinks that voting is unimportant and pointless should look around to their peers on campus that are already making a difference.
"It's easy and exciting to participate," he said. "And it makes you more conscious of the world around you."
Koveleski said it's a myth that the majority of young people don't care about government. He said he knows that, even though there are a select few who don't, so many more students want to vote than what society makes the public believe.
"The older generation doesn't see college students as active voters," he said. "But there are many more than they think."
Bambi Haag, a 25-year-old senior criminology major, said she has been registered to vote since she turned 19.
Haag said the only problem she has with politics is trusting that they're going to do what they say they will. She does believe, however, that her vote counts.
"If everyone said that his or her vote doesn't count, and didn't vote, that could profoundly have an effect on an election," she said.
Koveleski gives the advice to students that if they want to see their vote count more clearly, to focus more on local politics than national. He said to try not to be overwhelmed by the presidential elections.
"Key in locally, because that has more of an impact on [students]," he said. "And in turn, [students] can have more of an impact locally as well."
The CSIL does this as one of its many ways to help students get involved on campus, and to develop leadership skills.
To organize their campaign, SR-U Votes, the CSIL is pulling groups together on campus to get a bigger turnout at the polls and more students to register.
The group isn't affiliated with any party. CSIL even has a link on their website to research the candidates and the issues, so students can make choices on their own.
Brad Kovaleski, the director for the CSIL, is one of the many members working on SR-U Votes.
Kovaleski said it's important for students to be involved in the political process.
"If students are involved, they can see that they can make a difference," he said. "It's easier to see in the greater scheme when you're a part of a group, compared to an individual level."
Jessica Lynne Reese, a 20-year-old junior psychology major, said that she never registered to vote because she never cared about any elections, and was never really interested in politics. She said that no particular issues have ever affected her, and she has no reason to vote.
"There's just too much hype surrounding elections," Reese said. "For my whole life, who has been president has never affected me directly."
Koveleski said that anyone who thinks that voting is unimportant and pointless should look around to their peers on campus that are already making a difference.
"It's easy and exciting to participate," he said. "And it makes you more conscious of the world around you."
Koveleski said it's a myth that the majority of young people don't care about government. He said he knows that, even though there are a select few who don't, so many more students want to vote than what society makes the public believe.
"The older generation doesn't see college students as active voters," he said. "But there are many more than they think."
Bambi Haag, a 25-year-old senior criminology major, said she has been registered to vote since she turned 19.
Haag said the only problem she has with politics is trusting that they're going to do what they say they will. She does believe, however, that her vote counts.
"If everyone said that his or her vote doesn't count, and didn't vote, that could profoundly have an effect on an election," she said.
Koveleski gives the advice to students that if they want to see their vote count more clearly, to focus more on local politics than national. He said to try not to be overwhelmed by the presidential elections.
"Key in locally, because that has more of an impact on [students]," he said. "And in turn, [students] can have more of an impact locally as well."
Be the first to comment on this story