The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Rock the Vote encourages young voters

For those still in bed after a hard night, the music was probably a harsh substitute for an alarm clock.

But for those who came outside to hear the music, some still clad in pajama pants, it was more than just Christian band Skuf waiting to greet them. There were the College Republicans, the Feminist Action Coalition and lots and lots of pizza, but perhaps most importantly, there was a challenge waiting to be met.

That challenge is to get out to the polls in a week.

"People don't seem very politically minded here," said Jenna Pesavento, a graduate student from Orland Park who organized Sunday's Rock the Vote event at Thompson Point. "They need to get out and vote."

Registration is one thing, Pesavento said. Voting is another.

With such a critical election hanging in the balance, she said Sunday's half-hour event, which saw about 100 area students pass through, was an effort to demonstrate just that.

In a recent Harvard Institute of Politics poll, the number of college students who stated they would "definitely be voting" this year as compared to 2000 rose 24 percent. Students in the spring of 2000, according to the poll, had a 50 percent probability that they would be vote, now the percentage has grown to 84 percent. The poll surveyed 1,202 college undergraduates on 210 campuses in 48 states.

Funded by the Residence Hall Association and promoted with flyers on every door in University Housing, the event was one of an increasing number aimed at getting young people out to the polls. With a record number of on-campus students registered this year, the final challenge is getting them into the voting booth.

"When they hear the music, they'll come out," said John Teresi, president of the College Republicans, who was present to make a pitch for his candidate of choice. "We just want to educate the swing voters and let them know what George Bush is all about. They want to know the issues and make a good vote."

Rich Whitney, the Green Party candidate for state representative, was also out to shake students' hands and promote his cause.

"If students look around and see what all the candidates stand for, they'll see that I'm the best for them," Whitney said, citing his stances on raising the minimum wage, making education more affordable and legalizing marijuana. "If we keep building momentum, they'll see that."

Most students at the event, however, shied away from the tables where political candidates and representatives had set up shop. For the most part, the students stayed within sight of the stage, often stopping to watch for a few minutes before moving on.

Jackson Marusarz, a sophomore living on the second floor of Bailey Hall, walked over with two friends from his hall, Kerry Gansel and Steve Uselton, to see what all the commotion was about. Although they had received their share of the promotional fliers, the three were uncertain as to what the event's purpose was, but Marusarz said such events could be valuable, provided they are not forgotten after the election has passed.

"If you do it hardcore just one year, it will work," Marusarz said of getting young people out to vote in such a fashion. "If you treat it like a fad, it will be a fad."

Charlot Schmidt, president of the Feminist Action Coalition, said she thought the event was a good move in bringing young people out to the polls, and she would like to see the a high ratio of those who registered actually turn out and vote. The decision to be made in a week is an important one, she said, and student voters should not take that importance lightly.

"This is our future," Schmidt said. "We're going to have to live with the decision that's made."

 

 

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