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College Politics
By Tommy
Druen, Student at University of Louisville Law School
When you ask
the average college student what organizations there are on campus, the
most standard reply will be the Greek system.
Beyond that, there are common veins that run throughout colleges
and universities across the nation. One
of those seems to be the political organizations.
Nearly every college in the U.S. has political organizations, most
commonly the College Democrats and the College Republicans.
However, unless you are a member of one of these groups, their role
is often a mystery. Simply
put, who are these people and why have they banded together?
The history
of college political organizations is quite lengthy. For example, the College Republicans began at the University
of Michigan in the 1892. Not
bad when you consider the senior Republican Party began less than forty
years before that. A law
student at the University of Michigan founded the club with three
principles in mind: low taxes, limited government, and a free market
economy. Ironically, these
are still three of the core beliefs of the College Republicans.
Unfortunately,
a good history of the College Democrats does not exist. However, it is known that they are a branch of the Young
Democrats of America, which was founded in 1932. Not quite as old as the College Republicans, the longevity of
the College Democrats is still impressive.
Very few college organizations have that kind of staying power,
especially on the national scene.
So what exactly is the role of
these organizations? Both
champion similar goals in their promotional materials:
encourage youth involvement in the party, support the ideals of
their respective party, and to recruit, register, and train the future
leaders of their party. Ryan
Call, State Chairman of the Colorado Federation of College Republicans,
put forth his organization’s mission as, “More than anything, I see
the College Republicans as the future of the Party and our conservative
movement, the ‘farm-team’ if you will, that recruits, trains, and motivates the rising
generation.” One of his
Democratic counterparts, Courtney Weiner of Princeton University, outlined
the goals of her organization as follows:
“We basically provide a vehicle for activism on campus and in the
campaigns around us. We make sure people are in the right places to
do the most for the campaigns, and we organize lobbying efforts on causes
that are important to students.”
This all
sounds good in theory, but does it actually work?
According to the latest statistics put out by the U.S. Census
Bureau, the answer is a resounding (and depressing) “No”. In the 1996 election, only 31.2% of Americans ages 18-20
voted. Even worse were the
21-24 year old range where only 24.2% voted.
A Centre College professor who wished to remain anonymous commented
on this by saying, “I believe college-aged voters have abandoned the
system because they feel disenfranchised.
The average twenty-year old student looks around and feels
powerless, but when you question them on why that is, they look
dumbfounded. No one knows why
they don’t think they can make a difference.
They complain about the system, but can’t answer that one
important question.”
Kentucky
State Treasurer Jonathan Miller (33 years old) voiced his opinion on the
subject by saying, “Young people are frustrated.
Some are angry about the influence of money on our political
system. My generation largely
thinks that political power in this country is directly and proportionally
related to political contributions. The
influence of special interests makes my generation cynical. The
powerlessness of young people makes my generation apathetic. The current
campaign finance system has a chilling effect on young people entering the
political arena. Most young people don't have access to large
contributors. Many of those that do don't want to put themselves through
the process of raising money.”
When asked
their opinion of why their generation does not vote at an equal percentage
of older ones, college political leaders had several theories that
differed greatly with that of Mr. Miller.
Marcie Bianco, President of the Harvard College Democrats, stated
that, “I think the general feeling is that
candidates do not reach out to 18-25 year-olds. They do not talk
about the issues that concern this age group, and for good reason - the
18-25 year-olds do not vote. It is a vicious cycle.
Furthermore, young people believe that their vote does not count.
[However], I think this belief is changing, especially in light of the
recent presidential election.”
Brett
Mecum, State Chairman of the New York Federation of College Republicans,
added, “The greatest
misconception about 18-25 year olds is that they do not care about
political issues. The reason
they don’t vote is because politics is not geared at them.
Political candidates speak of education and they mean grammar
schools and high schools. Candidates
talk about taxes, which many college students don’t make enough money to
pay taxes anyway, and it is certainly not a priority.
The students are asked to do the petition carrying and other
functions – but are rarely included in who gets asked what they think. This is frustrating for students with real opinions who
don’t necessarily have a forum to express them.”
How does
this compare to the participation levels of college students past, though?
The 1960’s were supposedly the height of political activism on
college campuses. The
twenty-something generation has been taught that the radical students of
the day were able to bring about real change by becoming politically
active. Is this really the
case? Were the students of
the ‘60s much more politically charged than college students today?
The common consensus seems to be that comparing the activities of
that decade to the present is like comparing apples to oranges.
Jessica
Mainard, State Chairman of the Washington College Republican Federation,
commented that she believes college students are simply less aware of the
world around them because it has vastly been improved.
“The values that students of the 1960s (and before) were exposed
to, and often rebelled against, are something that my generation has not
encountered, in many ways because we've never been challenged.
We've never been faced with a war, with shortage, with the threat of the
cold war and its accompanying nuclear bombs, race wars, or even much fear.
Having life too easy meant we never had to work hard for it--or unite
behind a cause--be it an issue or candidate, or food rations, or scrap
drives, or troops stationed abroad.”
Similar
statements were made by Weiner, who said, “I think a lot of the
distinction between our era and the 1960s is the issues. We don't
have a war going on, and we don't have as blatant an issue of
discrimination as the Jim Crow laws. There is definitely a lot wrong
with our society, but it’s more complex and harder for people to see.”
College
political organizations fight the good fight and attempt to bridge the gap
between the senior political parties and college students.
But attaining the goal of higher voter participation cannot be a
one-way street. Take a hint,
Mr. Miller (and all other elected officials and candidates)!
From the responses I gathered, it is not a hatred of big money that
keeps college-aged voters away from the polls.
Rather it is the lack of respect they are given by the candidates.
And who can blame them? If
the candidates ignore young voters, why shouldn’t the young voters
ignore the candidates when they most need them.
By refusing to cast their ballot, perhaps college students are
speaking their opinion at a much greater volume than they could ever do by
voting. When candidates begin
speaking to college students on an equal basis as any other voting bloc
(say the AARP?) it is my belief that you will see the students flock to
the polls eager to cast their support to the candidate who will best fight
for their causes. Until then?
Well, let’s just say that there will be many a candidate that
loses a close race that will wish he had tapped into the remaining 75% of
those young people who don’t vote a bit more.
Tommy Druen is currently a law student at the
University of Louisville. He
may be reached by e-mail at druen@justice.com
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