A Live Video Stream with the assistance of BUTV of the Bloomsburg University Fall 2008 Graduation will begin at 6 pm on Friday, December 12. Also, Saturday’s Graduation Ceremonies will be steamed. Want to watch the event in the privacy of your space? Get some friends and watch this historic event.  

Daniel Rae, 19, sits at the front desk of Elwell Hall, a textbook open in front of him…unread.  He glances at a yellow sheet of paper that hangs on the wall inside the office. “Quote Board” is written across the paper’s top.  A prominent quote near the bottom reads, ‘The Obama campaign is really starting to gear up…  -Dan Rae.’ 

Rae, a sophomore Computer Forensics major, hasn’t always been interested in politics.  Before college, he had a casual interest, but wasn’t actively involved. He explains, “My sister was very involved in politics, and she had a huge influence on me.  When I came to college, she got me into it.”

Since the fall of 2007, Rae has been president of the University Democrats, a political club on campus that has been heavily involved in this year’s presidential election.  “Politics affect everything, and this election is one thing we have complete control over,” Rae says.  He hopes to see at least 2,500 students on campus head to the polls tomorrow, himself one of them.  “It’s my first time voting in a presidential election,” he says, “I’m really excited!”

Rae chose to support Obama because his policies best reflect what Rae feels this country needs.  “His policy on the economy is bottom up, rather than trickle down,” he says, “trickle down has been proven to fail time and time again.”  Rae adds that Obama is an extremely charismatic speaker, and will be able to revitalize America’s standing in the world.

Rae will be at the polls from 6:30 am, even before the polls open at 8 am. He will stay until 8 pm, when the polls close.  “I talked to my professors and explained I won’t be in class all day,” Rae says, tapping his textbook, trying to put off the inevitable studying. 

His 6’2” frame expands for a second as he takes a deep breath.  “We had a pretty huge run in the primaries,” he says with a confident nod, “so this is just a continuation from that.” With his wardrobe already planned for tomorrow…jeans, an Obama shirt, and a green jacket, Rae only needs a few accessories to complete the look.  “I’ll probably find a button or two to put on there,” he says.

As the country waits for the polls to open, Rae reminds students they have certain voting rights.  He adds students should try to avoid attempting to vote during meal times because working people head to the polls during lunch and dinner breaks.  “If you’re in line by 8 pm, you can’t be sent home,” he says, “you have the right to vote.”

We do have the right to vote, and only time will tell how many take advantage of their right tomorrow.

A political pup sports on campus a sign proclaiming its allegiance to Barack Obama during election day.

With the election of the 44^th President of the U.S. in sight, voters are finalizing their decisions and preparing to cast their ballots. The race to the White House has been a close one from the beginning, and now only one question remains: who will finally emerge victorious?

Students on the Bloomsburg University campus seemed more than enthused to express their views and take part in the most pivotal election in years. Volunteer students were placed strategically around the campus today, offering assistance and making sure students knew where to go to vote.

Many students were also sporting t-shirts and badges showcasing their political stances and proclaiming which candidate they were supporting.

There was even a woman walking a dog around campus with a sign pinned to its sweater. The sign read “Bark for Barack.” The woman herself wore a shirt and several buttons expressing her support for the Democratic candidate.

“McCain is old,” Sam Osborne of Bloomsburg University said. “He probably won’t make it past his second year, and plus Obama seems a lot smarter to me. McCain is too much of a clone of Bush, and I think we all know that’s a bad idea.”

She finished by saying she is more comfortable with Obama’s running mate Joe Biden becoming president if something should befall the Commander in Chief, adding that Sarah Palin “would probably mess things up worst than Bush.”

“I sympathize with John McCain the most,” countered BU student Becky. “He seems to have more experience than Obama. I think the most pressing issue is the war in Iraq, and I feel like McCain could deal with that better than Obama.” She went on to say that her first choice was Republican Mike Huckabee, but McCain was a close second.

At this point, it seems the election could favor either candidate. With a myriad of pressing issues awaiting whoever wins the position, Americans can be sure that the next four years will be nothing if not interesting.

Ask Joe and Sandy Young of Harrisburg, PA. They set up a bake table every year at their polling sites during local elections and presidential elections.  They make a variety of baked goods as well as soups, coffee, hot chocolate, and hotdogs to satisfy hungry voters. 

“We are almost clean out of everything and it isn’t even 11:30 yet,” says Sandy.  “We got here and had everything set up by 7am when the first voters were arriving and they’ve almost cleaned us out already.” 

Joe and Sandy say they would get more food throughout the day, and stay well into the night until after the last voters leave. 

“If you want a good voter turnout it’s good to have some good food to go along with it. Especially with this election we are seeing a high voter turnout so people are going to be waiting awhile in line,” explains Young. 

As I placed my vote this morning I was greeted with cookies and apple juice from members of BU Now and it seemed to be a big hit with many students.

Litvinov had just left his local township building and was now headin for another day of classes and practice. But, he had just officially cast his first vote in America, as a full U.S. citizen.

The past year and a half has been a roller-coaster ride of campaigns, conventions and debates and it is clear that this 2008 presidential election will be one for the record books. For Mikhail Litvinov this election will definitely be remembered forever, because it was his first election as an American citizen.

“I am very excited to vote in America, being able to vote and having your vote count is a great thing and a privilege many countries do not have,” beams Litvinov.

Litvinov grew up in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, a place where people’s votes do not have much significance. He became a full U.S citizen in the winter of 2005 and has kept informed on political issues since.

“This process is really important to me because it shows that I am a citizen and I am able to take part in making decisions in this country,” he said.             

As a commuter, Litvinov gets much of his presidential information listening to the National Public Radio and visiting Barack Obama’s office in town. He tried to ignore the television commercials because “they skew the truth.” When asked which candidate he favors in this election, Litvinov said Barack Obama would get his vote.

“I like his plans on how to make the U.S. less reliant on foreign oil, how to clean up the economy, and how to make peace with other countries like China, Iran and Russia,” he said.

For many people like Mikhail Litvinov, this will be their first time participating in a presidential election. He is honored to have this opportunity and expresses how important having a voice can be, “voting is very important to everyone that is eligible. I think that everyone should care who becomes president because it can change a lot of what happens in the next four years,” he said. 

 

Mikhail Litvinov shows off his democratic pride throughout campus on election day.

In the past, young voters have been the cause of disturbing statistics: one of the steadiest declines in United States politics is that of the percent of youth who turn out for elections. This is since the 26^th Amendment was instated, which gives 18- to 20-year-olds the right to vote. 

Elaine McTaggart, a senior Communications Studies major at Bloomsburg University, believes that some young people don’t understand how important it is to cast a ballot. “College students don’t understand how important their decisions now will be in 10 years, so they don’t bother voting,” McTaggart said.

The 2008 election process has seen many changes so far, as voters have participated in a historical process leading to the first black president candidate to make it through the primaries.  Another change seen in this election is that polls are showing 62 percent of college students promising to vote this year, as compared with 50 percent four years ago for the last election according to a study undertaken by Harvard. 

This increase is impressive, but the question remains: are the youth voters ready to follow through on their promises, and truly “Rock the Vote,” as the popular MTV program promotes?

All over campus since last semester, students at Bloomsburg University have noticed this increased drive to vote amongst their fellow students.  Student representatives and volunteers for Obama, McCain, and Clinton appeared on campus handing out information on the various candidates, and encouraged students to vote. 

Chelsea Clinton spoke in the Union, drawing a crowd only restricted by the size of the room.  This semester, a day doesn’t go by without students on the Quad or outside the Scranton Commons stopping other students and asking, “Are you registered to vote in Columbia County?” or, “Are you a registered Democrat/Republican?” 

Greg Williams, a Secondary Education/Math major explained that the only way he sees the government evolving is to initiate change. “I registered to vote because I want to see changes made, and the only way to make change is to vote for change.”

This is a view shared by many students on campus; however, the disturbing issue is the number of students who refuse to register, or register just to get it over with.  Anthony Morales, a sophomore at Bloomsburg, said he registered to vote because he was asked when he went to get a photo ID, and he felt like he was put on the spot.

The majority of registered voters aged 18 to 29 say they are Democratic-leaning, while approximately a third align themselves with the Republican Party according to a study done by the Pew Research Center.  For all of the 2008 contests in various states where exit poll data is available, young voters made up approximately 14 percent of Democratic voters, up from a median of nine percent in the 2004 elections. 

Also according to Pew, Obama has won the majority of the 2008 votes in the primaries for this age group in all but three states.  This data is significant when one thinks that by 2015, this Millennial Generation will make up one-third of the electorate. 

If this isn’t an important reason to register to vote, and to invest time in learning all you can about the candidates, what is?

Issues that directly affect college students such as higher education tax relief for tuition, and increased, more accessible financial aid are ones that are being discussed during this election process.  Young voters must take responsibility for their own education and their own lives. 

The first step is registering to vote.  The true test is actually going to the polls on November 4^th and placing a vote.  Studies show that only 70 percent of registered voters actually go to the polls on Election Day. However, the problem is that approximately only 45 percent of young people are registered to begin with. 

“I have every intention of voting on November 4^th, and so do a lot of people, but things come up…It’s not convenient, it’s new and people don’t know how to do it,” Williams said, “The only way to know if college students really will vote, is to wait and see.”

Until Election Day, keep asking, “Are you registered to vote in this county?”  Keep asking, “Would you like to register to vote?” And maybe students will ask themselves, “Why shouldn’t I register?  Why shouldn’t I make a difference?”

I understand that many aspects of the potlitical system are are corrupt, and that it can be boring to listen to. But this is our future, our next four, or even eight years of our lives. If you chose not to vote in this election, do not complain about how the government is being run. You have your chance to voice your opinion, and every vote counts. This is a close election, and Pennsylvania votes will more than likely weigh in heavily this year. At this point, we do not know which way our state will lean. Do what you can to make your voice heard and to make an outcome that you want!