Jen Pelizza has spent the past few weekends canvassing the streets of Baltimore with peers to talk about the Maryland Dream Act, a measure on the ballot this November 6 that would allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at Maryland colleges and universities. The Goucher sophomore finds it a chance to spread awareness regarding an issue she’s passionate about.
Pelizza, a political science and dance history major, also makes sure to be politically engaged here on Goucher’s campus by attending presentations, viewing the debates, and being involved with the Goucher Democrats. She said the Goucher community understands the importance of voting and being informed, and all the events held here are fueling her enthusiasm for what will be her first presidential election vote.
“People of all parties seem to be eager to voice their opinions without offending people of other stances,” Pelizza said. “I feel as though this is really characteristic of Goucher. We may be somewhat of a mixing pot, but everyone respects each other and tries to understand perspectives that may not be similar to their own.”
To help cultivate community members’ informed ideas and thoughtful perspectives, Goucher has embraced the election season with a schedule of nonpartisan politically themed events, including a speaker series sponsored by the Office of the President, voter registration drives, and debate/election viewings.
According to Wendy Belzer Litzke, vice president for government and community relations, the election-themed speaker series has been occurring since 2004. “I think that obviously the right to vote is so incredibly important, and we want to raise the political consciousness of our students,” she said. “Response is always positive,” she said, reflecting on previous events.
The speakers, while provoking conversations in the community, also provide material for professors to use in classrooms. “The elections in general are perfect for experiential learning,” said Nina Kasniunas, an assistant professor of political science. This semester she is teaching “Parties and Elections,” in which students are required to do 20 hours of campaign work.
Kasniunas said many of her students have chosen to work presidential election phone banks at nearby headquarters, while others have been involved in rallies and similar election activities.
“They’ve been doing a lot of things outside of class, going to different political events; there’s a lot of enthusiasm,” she said. And it extends to students beyond the class. “I know that they have a lot of friends they’ve been working with who are involved without it being required.”
Kasniunas led a campaign for the Political Science Department to get 100 percent of the student population to vote. The department held a weeklong voter registration drive in the dining halls and targeted first-year students through Frontiers classes. “They’re the least likely to be registered to vote because they’re new voters,” Kasniunas pointed out. “I think, in all, we contacted or helped out at least 400 students who registered. … It felt pretty good.”
On-campus viewing parties to watch the debates have been packed. Other upcoming election-themed events at the college include Eliot Cutler, independent gubernatorial candidate for Maine in 2010, who will present the talk “The Parties Are Over: Why That’s Good for America” on Wednesday, October 24, and the election-night watch party on Tuesday, November 6, in the Gopher Hole. For more information about this event series, click here.
All members of Goucher’s community are strongly encouraged to attend any or all of these events on campus. And, of course, please be sure to vote on Tuesday, November 6.
“You don’t need to be the most involved person when it comes to politics, but if you stay on top of the general issues and have an opinion on how our country should be, then voting is the ideal way to influence and create change,” Pelizza said.