Bryant students get out the vote

Management 200 project and Raise Your Voice Week encourage students to vote.

With the country in the middle of one of the most exciting presidential elections in recent history, Bryant students organized events to educate their classmates about important issues facing our country and to encourage them to vote responsibly.

A group of students in Management Lecturer Abraham Hunter's Management 200 (Principles and Practices) class incorporated the election into their service learning project. Justin Andrews ’10 (Spencer, MA), Matt Juszczyk ’10 (Warren, MA), David Nelligan ’10 (Portsmouth, RI), Chelsea Quakenbush ’09 (North Hampton, NH), and Bryan Regele ’10 (Rutland, MA) organized “Tailgate ’08: Vote Responsibly,” which culminated in a debate between the Bryant Democrats and Bryant Republicans on March 4, which was Primary Day in Rhode Island.

The event also included an appearance by Rhode Island Secretary of State Ralph Mollis, who took time from one of his busiest days of the year to talk to Bryant students about the importance of voting.

“As future leaders, it is very important to be engaged,” Mollis told the students. “The issues of today are your issues.”

The group organized the debate to educate students on topics like healthcare, the economy, and immigration. Liana Grieg ’09 (York, ME), Samuel Schultz ’09 (Bellingham, MA), and Daniel Tothill ’11 (Center Barnstead, NH) represented the Democrats, while Nicholas Mantione ’11 (Plains, PA), Abigail Munafo ’11 (Hyannis Port, MA), and Ken Peabody ’10 (Rochester, NH) spoke for the Republicans.

“Many young people say that they are not interested in the political process because politicians do not address the issues that we care about,” says Juszczyk. “The reason they don’t is because our generation has historically been apathetic. Get involved in the political process and that will change.”

Says Quackenbush, “Our hope for this project is to make voting cool again.”

Events like this are important because the college-aged population is historically underrepresented at the polls. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 57 percent of 18-to-24 year-olds were registered to vote on Election Day in 2004. Less than half actually cast a vote.

“So many issues that are going to be dealt with in the next four years are going to affect us directly,” says Regele. “It is for this very reason that our generation needs to register and get out to the polls to vote for the candidate that best represents their stances on these issues.”

Says Nelligan, “The next President is going to affect our generation greatly, and it is up to us to put the right person in office.”

“Making an informed decision is extremely important,” adds Andrews.

Raise Your Voice week culminated with a mock election that allowed Bryant students to let their voices be heard. Senator Barack Obama was the winner with 35 percent of the vote, while Senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton received 27 percent and 19 percent respectively.

“It is vital for every American to vote because change won’t happen unless our voices are heard,” says Christopher Walker ’08 (Brooklyn, NY), a student service leader in the Center for Student Involvement who helped organize Raise Your Voice Week. “Vote because it matters … vote because it is your right.”