From CALPIRG’s voter registration clipboard crew to a
one-manned table with a loud boombox and some “Mike Huckabee for President”
pamphlets, on-campus, student-run political groups are determined to prod
students to take a stance on today’s pressing issues.
With the Feb. 5 primary election approaching, politically
active students like
freshman Alec Weisman, an on-campus representative for the Presidential
Campaign for Governor Mike Huckabee, are eager to influence the university’s
young voters.
“I want to get involved on campus and do whatever I can,”
Weisman said. “I’m here to show people that [Huckabee] has a presence [in
Diego
too expensive. In the lower education system he wants more teacher equality and
more art and music in schools to help [students] become more well-rounded.”
Out of their strong support for Texas Rep. Ron Paul,
Isaiah Sage founded the College Libertarians club. Although Paul later chose to
run as a Republican, his change in status did not deter Cheng and Sage, who
employ a whatever-it-takes approach in their campaigning. Though still a small
club, College Libertarians find Facebook and tabling on Library Walk two ways
of reaching UCSD students.
“What’s the point if we’re just meeting and talking amongst
ourselves?” Cheng said. “The point is to get people involved and get the word
out. It’s nice to meet new people and get your ideas out there.”
Similarly, supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) are
campaigning aggressively. Students for
Hillary Clinton at UCSD managed to get
to speak at a
impressive turnout of over 8,000. Covering issues such as veteran affairs and
immigration,
region’s specific interests and addressed the rising prices of higher
education. Reizza Ty, a
Hillary Clinton at UCSD member, said the former first lady’s experience makes
her an attractive and trustworthy candidate.
“Everyone says this, but [
does have the most experience,” Ty said. “She cares about college students and
immigrants — she really speaks for the middle class.”
As a way to reach out to uninformed on-campus voters and
urge them to consider
take on various issues, the group hosted a forum at
daughter, Chelsea Clinton, spoke with about 60 students.
“She reached out to undecided student voters who might not
know about Hillary Clinton’s policies,” Ty said. “Our whole campaign is based
on social networks and just reaching out and talking to individuals. Even if
it’s something small, it still makes a difference.”
Students for Barack
Obama has also made its presence and opinion known on campus. In conjunction with
the Black Student Union, the organization had originally scheduled a rally in
Cannon to celebrate Black History Month and the progressive nature of Obama’s
campaign on Feb. 1. However, university officials, regardless of assurance from
Students for Barack Obama that additional security was not needed, felt that
Cannon’s presence would present a liability issue. Administrators also told BSU
that Cannon could not speak about Obama, since BSU did not officially support
the candidate and it wasn’t part of the original event planning.
This is not the first time the administration has been a
roadblock for political action on campus. In 2004, only two on-campus polling
places were open on Election Day, creating four-hour lines and preventing
approximately 50 percent of hopeful voters from submitting their ballots.
Although members of Students for Barack Obama hoped campus administration would
change this, the number of polling places will remain the same. With young voters
coming out in record numbers, the group expects lines to be six- to seven-hours
long this year.
Undaunted by the lack of support from campus officials,
Students for Barack Obama has continued to focus on progressive change and to
address young voters who have been absent at the polls in past years.
“What’s really interesting and unique about the Obama
campaign is that there are a lot of first-time voters and first-time volunteers
getting involved,” said
“And one reason why is that Obama really connects with a younger generation.
He’s not just looking for normative change but a more fundamental, better way
of doing politics. It’s about getting rid of divisive politics and having a new
vision of unity.”
While each on-campus political group has its own agenda,
most organizations are mainly concerned with informing and involving people.
Laura Fitzer, a
senior and College Democrats vice president of internal affairs, stressed the
importance of simply getting UCSD students to vote, even if it isn’t for her
party.
“My roommates last year were all Republicans and that was
fine,” Fitzer said. “It doesn’t matter who you vote for. Vote Republican, vote
Democrat — just vote.”
UCSD’s student political organizations have also found new
ways to make candidates relatable. CALPIRG’s Erin Steva, a recent UCSD graduate
and campus organizer, encourages voter registration and is an active
participant in the “What’s Your Plan” campaign. The campaign fights to increase
presidential candidates’ efforts to address the issues that college students
find important, such as global warming, making higher education more affordable
and health care.
acknowledged the influence of the nationally organized “What’s Your Plan”
program and has placed a number of her platform stances around such issues.
For liberal groups, the fight against global warming is an
important political topic among college students. CALPIRG participated in Focus
the Nation, held on Jan. 31, which spread the word about environmental issues
to students across the country.
Because of students’ concerns with future financial
responsibilities and health-care costs, CALPIRG has also urged candidates to
propose more affordable and reliable health-care plans.
“We know that [Governor Arnold] Schwarzenegger isn’t going
to pass a universal health-care initiative, so in the short we are in favor of
expanding coverage and capping the costs,” Steva said. “For instance, there is
a bill right now, ABX1-1 — it’s in the Senate and coming up [on the ballot]
pretty soon, so we’re gathering petitions, and that’s our way of working toward
reforming the health-care system.”
More conservative students are concerned with the Iraq War
and domestic economics.
“Contrary to popular belief, not all [College Republicans]
are white, and a lot of us are immigrants,” said Mark Mendoza,
College Republicans. “Speaking from personal experience, I have seen how
illegal immigration can hurt the economy. My family is in the medical field and
I’ve seen the overcrowding in hospitals. When it comes to the Iraq War, a lot
of us have family members in the military or are in the military already. As
for the domestic policy, we’re all about to go out in the work world and start
making money, and we want to have a say in where our tax money is going.”
As opposed to the aggressive campaigning of liberal groups
such as CALPIRG and College Democrats at UCSD, College Republicans has
encouraged more subtle political discussions at weekly forums held in Center
Hall. By offering a less intense political atmosphere,
said the club appeals to conservative young voters who might be overwhelmed
with liberal viewpoints of their peers.
Student activists feel it is important to show that young
voters, however apathetic polls have proved them to be in the past, are an
important group to cater to in the 2008 election.
“We’re the most ignored voter group out there, so we’re
basically forcing candidates to pay attention to us,” Steva said. “[The ‘What’s
Your Plan’ campaign] has gotten to the point where [former North Carolina Sen.
John] Edwards and Clinton know us and know our names, so when they see us
they’ll answer our questions.”
Lyndsay Maier, a
Democrats vice president of external affairs, also mentioned student enthusiasm
in the 2004 presidential election, when 10,000 students flocked to
“Students as a demographic are progressing,” she said. “More
students are becoming more aware, and more students are voting … the fact that
many students showed up [in 2004] on UCSD’s campus … shows that students are
willing to pay attention and even more so when a candidate pays attention to
them.”
Shiga said voting in the Feb. 5 primary is a must for
students.
“People get caught up in their own lives but there’s
something about now that is urgent for us,” Shiga said. “We as students can
really motivate our peers to get involved, and not only get involved, but be an
informed voter. There’s an issue that’s important to everyone, whether they
know it or not.”
