I was dismayed when students in my Poetry Writing course told me on Election Day that many of them had to fill in "provisional ballots" that were likely to be rejected (a major problem in Western PA)...especially after activist groups at our school had gone out of their way months ago to not only register students to vote, but also caravan any student who wanted a ride to the polling places. Despite this, our campus did an impressive job getting students out to vote and I was genuinely thrilled by the level of activism I saw on campus about voting and national politics, on all sides of the political spectrum.

(To put my surprise in perspective: I recall when the war in Afghanistan first broke out...and I was surprised that I saw an anti-abortion prostest before ever seeing any anti-war activism on campus! Our campus seems to lean to the right, when it isn't apathetic...this is a lot different than it was for me, coming here from one of the most activist campuses in the country (U of Oregon) several years ago.)

There's been a lot of talk on the news about whether or not "young people" made a difference during a record-breaking turnout year at the voting booths nationwide. In October, for example, the Washington Post reported that more college students were taking the vote seriously this year than ever before. Energized by both the closeness of the 2000 election and the changes in the country since Sept 11, apathy among 18-24 years -- finally -- seemed to be a thing of the past.

News reports initially suggested a rise in college student participation, only to later take it back. Overall, it seems that college-aged voting in the election did rise. Optimists are reporting that "Being politically aware has become cool again" and MTV's now infamous "choose or lose" campaign reports that more than 21 million 18-30 year olds voted, nearly 52% of all who were eligible (compared to 42% in 2000). In battleground states (Ohio and Florida), one in every five voters was under the age of 30.

Student-aged participation is up, but half of all students are still alienated by, disenchanted with, or simply ignorant of the political process.A recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education (reprinted at UCNuclearFree) challenges the reigning media disappointment in student voting, showing that student turnout was the indeed at its highest since 1992. Nevertheless, apathy and ignorance continues to curtail student political activism. A recent issue of Christian Science Monitor has an eye-opening story -- "On Nov 2nd, Many of these Students Flunked" -- detailing the attitudinal barriers college students have toward democratic elections. It also raises the question of whether the educational system could have done more to raise civic awareness. It's a sobering article...and a good reminder that teachers must continue to try to educate students to exercise their freedoms on every level if they want to be true citizens in a democracy. The author, Joseph Cooper suggests courses and lectures demonstrating the actual voting process, in addition to discussions of social issues and current events. As Cooper writes, even though there will always be a degree of apathy among college students, "Familiarity breeds attempt."

That's a good motto for anything that's important to teach. I'll try to remember that.

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