Friday, April 4, 2007 Political apathy prevalent on campus By Matthew Schwabenbauer (is\i\iani new s editor It'lO 'S psll.Ciltl With politics so scarce on campus, and many stu- A quick look around campus reveals a vibrant and dcn(s dearlv umn f orme(l on the current election, it s youthlul community, a community with an extreme- surprisi that stU(lent po i itica i organizations are lv diverse siudem body, encompassing many dtller- mn ai ing more aggressively. One way for cm backgrounds and walks of life. From students po|itjcally uninformed students t 0 get more playing Frisbce outside of their dorms, studying at involved wjth , he current election is t 0 suhscribe t 0 the library or passing around fliers out side of Bruno's. Behrend has an extremely individualistic student body. With any collection of diverse young people usually comes an equal ly diverse collection of political v iews, but political affiliations are not readily communicated around campus. At most universities, political signs are a common sight- especially so close to a presidential election. Unfortunately. Behrend is severely lacking in any lorm ol political expression. However, it is impossible to say that there is no political awareness on cam pus. There is the occasional button on someone's clothing, and tables sup- porting candidates ami distributing pamphelts out side of Bruno's have garnered some attention, but most students are not aetively supporting any of the presidential eandidates. An explanation for this politieal passiveness is dillieult to locate. For some students, the eurrent presidential eandidates are to blame. "I don't sup port any of the eandidates. and I really don't have an explanation win. I guess none of them stiek out to me." said Ciarx Cooper, a freshman Plasties Engineering major. "I'm not too happy with the ehoiees for this eleetion." .Apathy max be an excuse for some, but during an election \\ lth such extreme supporters for eaeh can didate it can't be the sole explanation for the lack of politics on campus Some students are simply too unfamiliar with the current candidates to make a decision one wax or the other. "I don't really know 100 much about any of the eurrent candidates.'' said freshman Shane Appel, a Plasties Engineering major. "I don't think anyone should support a politi cian unless they are one hundred percent sure about them. Fxen if someone know s nothin" about a cer- tain politician, their vote counts as much as some one who knows polities inside and out." A lack of an outlet to support a certain candidate T !7D]£i IT L'" n r is causing detriment to some. "I xvould put up signs for a candidate, but I just don't know where to get them." said freshman James Svolos. a Psychology “l don't think anyone should support a politician unless they are one hundred percent sure about them. Even if someone knows nothing about a certain politician, their vote counts as much as someone who knows politics inside and out. ” ~Shane Appel information, or having rallies in support of eandi dates. the word is being spread about the eandidates. Recently, interest in certain eandidates has drawn small groups of people to booths outside of Bruno's, but nothing on the level of a rally. Student politieal organizations meet weekly, but many students are completely unaw are of where or when these meetings take place. "I had no idea that College Democrats or College Republicans had meetings." said Matt Kirkpatrick, a freshman Plasties Engineering major. "I've never seen any information on how to get involved with these organizations. You'd think things like that would have a bigger presence on campus." With any luck, the politieal apathy currently plaguing our campus should end as the eleetion approaches. As more students become educated about the eandidates, hopefully that will be reflect ed around Behrend. If enough people decide to start projecting their politieal views by putting up signs, distributing pamphlets or organizing rallies, then eventually Behrend may look like a typical college campus. More people supporting their eandidates will inspire others to air their politieal views and take an active stance on the future of their country. mailing lists for College Democrats or Republicans. Signup sheets for eaeh organiza- tion can sometimes be found outside of Bruno’s, but other than that there are few oppor tunities to get involved. At many uni versities. members of student politieal organi zations are frequently informing students on the eurrent election. Whether it be giving out buttons, or pamphlets of comin • Alternative rock band Third Eye Blind will be performing on Friday, April 4 at the Junker Center. Tickets are now on sale at the RUB desk and are $l5 for students and $2O for the general public. Doors will open at 7 p.m. and the concert will begin at 8 p.m. Lead singer Stephan Jenkins • There will be a Magic: The Gathering sealed deck tournament on Sunday, April 6 to celebrate the release of Morningtide. The tournament will begin in Reed 114 at noon. There is a $25 entry fee that will get each contestant will get five booster packs. E-mail kozsooo@psu.edu for more information. • There will be a cornhole tournament on Friday. April 11 at 6 p.m. in Erie Hall. There will be free food and drink provided and prizes will be awarded to the winners. Students can pre-register for $lO and at the rood for $l5. Pre-register by sending an e-mail to Patrick Walling at prwsoo6@psu.edu witth a name for your two-person team. The event is a fundraiser for the mens volleyball club team. • Environmental strategist and author Andrew Winston will be on campus as part of the Speaker Series on Monday, April 7. He will be speaking at 7:30 p.m. in McGarvey Commons and is free to both students and the general public. • There will be a Wii Tournament Tuesday, April 22 starting at 5 p.m. in McGarvey Commons. Teams can sign up during Senior Salute days on Monday, April 7 and Tuesday, April 8 in the Reed Wintergarden. The event is being held to celebrate 25 days until graduation. • The Percussion Group Cincinnati will perform as part of the Logan Music Series on Thursday, April 24 at 12 p.m. in the McGarvey Commons. Admission is free to students and the public. • The students vs. faculty basketball game will take place on Monday, April 14 at the Junker Center. The game will start at 6 p.m. Along with the game there will be t shirt sales, a Chinese auction and a pie-throwing contest. The game is being held as a fundraiser for the Make A Wish Foundation. To sign up to participate in the game call (814) 504-0974. • William Witherup will give an Organ Recital on Thursday, April 17 at 12:15 p.m. as part of the Smith Music Series. The event will be held at the Smith Chapel Worship Space. Contact Christa Morris at cdbl2@psu.edu or (814) 898-6609 for more infor- mation events on cam The Behrend Beacon I
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers