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[Forums Administrator]

Politicians across the country are starting to recognize the importance of young voters. College administrators should, too, write Michael X. Delli Carpini and Ivan Frishberg in this week's Chronicle Review. Colleges should make voter registration part of fall orientation and class registration; polling stations should be placed directly on campuses; and service-learning programs should be designed for undergraduates to encourage high-school students to register to vote. What role should college administrators and faculty members play in encouraging students to vote? Would such programs be open to political indoctrination or abuse?
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[%sig%]

[Why?]

 What role should college administrators and faculty members play in encouraging students to vote?


None: The sole function of faculty is to teach,  not to meddle in and coerce their students' political opinions or actions.  



Would such programs be open to political indoctrination or abuse



No: They ARE political indoctrination and abuse.  Stop pounding students to do what you want them to do because you cannot get necessary votes to make your political opinions public policy. If you can't get the votes, deal with it: That means your position does not have democratic support.


Leave defenseless students in peace: They are not political puppets and they have homework to do.

[Dale, Advisor, IUPUI]

Why?  Because one of the long-lost purposes of higher education is to create educated, civic-minded citizens.  Encouraging students and making it easy for them to vote without bias is something that administrators ought to do.

[Randy Stephens]

I say not.   Civics education, if only an aspect of
Political Science programs, are under utilized and
should enjoy greater implementation; however,
the role of increasing voter registration should
be left to political organizations (they have something
to sell) and/or community organizations [NAACP,
DAR, etc.] who have that function as part of their
organizational intent.  Colleges should educate
and communities should activate!

[John Elliott]

Funny you should ask.  Isn't the college campus already a place of political indoctrination and abuse?

[%sig%]

[wondering]

Of course, everyone should vote.. what is wrong with that?

[Why?]

"Encouraging students and making it easy for them to vote without bias is something that administrators ought to do."



Arguably, but this has nothing to do to with actuality and it is nothing that the vast majority of faculty and administrators are even capable of. You might have noticed that people are genuinely sick of faculty and administrators' abusing students politically. Like I said: Let the kids get their work done and make their own political decisions. That is their right, and politically frustrated faculty need to respect that right and move on in life.



Same goes for administration, faculty, and staff: If they put a fraction of the effort and time into teaching that they do into badgering students politically, we might actually have an educated populace. This is a question of maturity, people: Cultivate your own garden and let the kids make their own decisions. Students are not faculty puppets. Period.

[Dale]

The answer:  Depends on who you ask.

[Mike]

I must agree with "Why."

All of these efforts to get college kids to vote are Democrat-friendly.  These registration efforts are nothing more than left-wing conscription camps.  

It never works, however; college kids never turn out to vote as we've seen over the last 4-5 election cycles.

[Besides]

Besides, why would we want people who are uninformed about the issues to vote?  That's worse than low voter turnout!

"I didn't vote because I don't care"

"I voted because Puff Daddy told me to 'vote or die'"

"I voted because my professor told me that Red Candidate hates gay people"

Reasons 2 and 3 are much scarier than Reason 1.

[How about this?]

Those involved in the registration drive are forbidden from expressing their own political views during registration activities and may not be a part of any PAC or election campaign.

The total # of those involved in the effort must include an equal # of registered Repubs, Dems, and Independents.

No one who has any influence on student grades, admissions, recommendations, or any other activity that affects students' academic or professional lives may be involved in registration.

[Randy Stephens]

Uh, yeah, that's what I meant to say.  Very good!

[John Elliott]

It would be an administrative nightmare, impossible to police, quite impractical, and absolutely unnecessary.

[%sig%]

[Why?]

Forget it: Similar rules have existed for decades with respect to classroom performance, and they have been completely ignored. If anyone so much as asks a question about classroom political abuse of students, the abusers screech:  "ACADEMIC FREEDOM!"



Until faculty, administratotrs, and staff gain a minimum of self-control and respect for students' academic freedom, your theory here is nothing but that -- a nice theory that bears no relation to facts on the ground.

[wondering]

again, I ask what is wrong with suggesting it is important to vote in an informed manner? Answer that question!