I and nine other students at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a plan to promote civic engagement on campus and now seek administration and student support. The Student Civic Initiative (SCI) started in light of the administration's refusal to allow Senator Barack Obama to speak on campus, compelling us to evaluate how the university community engages students in the political process. We crafted this initiative to address a real need for promoting voter education, registration, and protection. The initiative calls on the administration to work with students to develop a fair speakers policy that encourages political candidates from all parties to speak on campus. It also urges administration and Student Union support for a proposed voter registration plan, voter education training for Residential Advisors, and voter protection efforts.
Text of initiative below the fold
Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton
Campus Box 1192
1 Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130
March 25, 2008
Dear Chancellor Wrighton,
We, the authors of the Student Civic Initiative, strongly urge you to support our plan to encourage political dialogue and civic participation among students at Washington University in St. Louis. Washington University students should know how to register to vote, make informed political decisions, and have their votes counted in both local and national elections. We should fully understand our right and civic duty, as Americans, to participate in the political process. Appearances by political figures, voter registration education, political forums, debates, and Election Day efforts all contribute to these worthwhile goals. Our experience on campus has shown us that there is a real need for a coordinated effort by the university to promote voter education, registration, and protection. To fulfill our goal of a civically-minded campus, we propose the following:
• The Washington University administration should adopt a fair speakers policy for political candidates, as outlined below:
o This policy should apply equally to all candidates for federal, state, or local elected office,
o Candidates or their campaigns should contact the university at least five (5) business days in advance of the proposed date in order to ensure that space is available,
o A disclaimer should be announced before any speech that the university is non-partisan and endorses no candidates,
o Campaign fundraising should be prohibited during the event,
o Speeches should include a question-and-answer period in order to ensure that students can take full advantage of the educational opportunity,
o Students should be invited and encouraged to assist in the planning of events,
o Further logistics should be determined by the university and the candidate’s campaign in accordance with existing guidelines for guest speakers, and
o Once a candidate is scheduled to appear, the university should inform the candidate’s competitors of the upcoming appearance.
• The Washington University administration, Office of Residential Life, and Student Union should adopt a plan to help incoming students register to vote, as outlined below:
o Hold voter registration training sessions for all Residential Advisors so that they can encourage their residents to register and help them with the voting process,
o Organize a program for freshmen at the beginning of the year about civic opportunities to become politically involved on campus,
o Include voter registration instructions in Bearings,
o Publish voter registration information in the first issue of Student Life, and
o Have tables available during move-in days where students can register to vote.
• The Office of the Chancellor and Student Union should notify the campus of voter registration deadlines and polling information via email or other appropriate means.
• The Washington University administration and Student Union should ensure that students’ voting rights are protected, including by endorsing current efforts by the Advancement Project.
Understanding the American political system is an important part of all students’ education, and civic engagement benefits the entire Washington University community. We look forward to working with you to create a more politically aware campus.
Sincerely,
Matt Adler, Jordan Aibel, Katherine Filaseta, David Fox, Jake Laperruque,
Max Lubarsky, Eric Reif, Eve Samborn, Sharon Silverberg, Zachary Steinert-Threlkeld
CC: Neil Patel, Student Union President
Feel free to share ideas on how to rally the community behind our initiative and make sure the administration follows through on our proposals. Thanks Kossacks!