E-mail this pageSUNY Plattsburgh Rocks the Vote
The faculty and staff at SUNY Plattsburgh are working to help students become citizens who will play an active role in America's future. Toward that end, organizations at the college are pulling out all the stops to get students to learn about the issues and vote in this year's historic election.
Getting out the Vote
The Center for Teaching Excellence is one of the organizations trying to get students to register. According to Director Dr. Becky Kasper, the center is working with the Rock the Vote campaign.
"All students have to do is go to the Rock the Vote Web site, print out a registration form, fill it out, and hand it in at the front desk in the Angell College Center or at the Feinberg library," Kasper explained.
Kasper also noted that the Center for Teaching Excellence has recruited faculty members to join in the effort to get students registered. Teachers have been asked to carry registration forms with them to class and to make students aware that there is still time to register.
Students, themselves, are involved in these efforts through groups like the SUNY Plattsburgh Student Association. The SA is using popular Web sites, such as Facebook, to make students aware of events going on around campus that have to do with the upcoming election. To encourage voting, the SA has used their own Web site to get the word out and provides students with information about where they can find registration forms and more.
How To Register and Vote:Pick up forms:
Those who are already registered in a previous location can re-register with Plattsburgh as their current location. Students who are not yet registered should put Plattsburgh as their current location if they want to vote at the Plattsburgh polls on election day. On the day of the election, transportation will be available to and from the polls for students. For more information, contact the Student Association or Kasper at the Center for Teaching Excellence. |
Learning More about the Candidates
The National Political Science Honors Society in collaboration with the Student Association has been working to educate the campus on the current election. On Oct. 1, the two groups sponsored a "Voter Education Fair" at the Angell College Center. This event allowed students and staff to learn more about the candidates and their takes on the issues.
Some clubs on campus, such as the group One, which strives to end global poverty and disease by raising awareness and money, are also working to inform the campus. The group hosted a table during the fair, in which they shared the candidates' views on important topics.
These are but a few of the many activities on campus which promote democracy and civic engagement. There are others that take place on a regular basis. For instance, the college's Honors Program hosts forums each year that invite attendees to explore national issues in depth, allowing them to gain a broader perspective.
Last year, Dr. David Mowry, the director of the Redcay Honors Program, and his students held a forum titled "Is American Democracy in Jeopardy?" According to Mowry, 150 people were in attendance. The audience included staff, students and faculty, but it also included members from local civic organizations, church leaders, politicians, and concerned citizens.
Their discussions touched on current challenges to our democracy and allowed for the attendees to give their own opinions. Students and community members alike were excited by the topics at hand and wanted to do more. Pleas came from the audience to not have this be the end of the discussion, but rather a beginning and one city counselor said that he was going to take the ideas presented at the forum to the Plattsburgh City Hall.
Mowry and his students will host another forum, "Democracy Challenge: Reclaiming the Publics Role," on Thursday, Nov. 13, a week following the election.
Contact Information
For more information, please contact:.
Becky Kasper
Director of Center for Teaching Excellence
Phone: (518) 564-3043
E-mail: kasperrb@plattsburgh.edu