Student Union
- By Pete Musto
Students Have One Word for American Elections
But students at GW aren't convinced.
VOA asked several students about how politically active they were on a scale of 1-to-10. And none of the students put themselves higher than a six on that scale.
VOA also asked the students to describe the presidential election in one word.
"Crazy."
The Princeton Review created the list of schools they say have high numbers of politically active students. The Princeton Review is an organization and publication that ranks U.S. colleges and universities each year in a book called "The Best 380 Colleges." (It is not affiliated with Princeton University, which typically ranks in the Top 3 on college-ranking lists.)
The Princeton Review surveys more than 136,000 students at 380 schools. The organization told VOA that the list of politically active schools is based on one question: "Student-run political groups have an active presence on campus."
The possible responses are "strongly disagree, disagree, neither agree or disagree, agree or strongly agree."
Regan McAllister, 19, is a first-year student of international affairs and Asian studies a
"Just being right by the White House and the Capitol and everything. Our professors and the students are constantly hearing about the news. And it kind of hard not to, because it’s right where we live. ... People with interests in politics come to GW to be among it all."
McAllister first started following politics when she studied in Turkey in 2015 before coming to GW.
"There was a big election that happened in June. Leading up to that election was when I really got into it and it was mostly Turkish politics at the time. I learned a lot about it and so that just kind of carried over when I came to college."
The political activity of young people can be hard to predict. For example, college-educated young people vote differently from young people who never attend college.
Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg is the director for the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE, at Tufts University in Massachusetts. The organization studies the political activity of people younger than 30.
Kawashima-Ginsberg says college-educated young people are twice as likely to vote in primary elections as those with no college experience.
She says the 2008 campaign that elected President Barack Obama broke a 30-year record in numbers of young people involved. The 2012 campaign also had high numbers of young voters. But, she added, young people lately have trouble feeling connected to politics.
"We were hearing both from young people who are in college and out of college about how they perceive voting. For them, it was starting to become this old, outdated thing that has no relevance or impact. And that showed, truly, in voting statistics, where we recorded the lowest youth turnout ever in 2014."
Young people are not alone in low turnout. FairVote -- an organization that studies U.S. democracy and elections -- reported only about 36 percent of the entire voting population voted in the 2014 midterm election.
Nancy Thomas is the director of the Institute for Democracy and Education, also at Tufts University. The institute runs a project called the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, or NSLVE. Researchers studied the voting habits of U.S. college students from 2012 and 2014.
Thomas says there are more college students now who are older than 30. And studies of young people produce different results than studies that only look at college students.
Student movements like the Black Lives Matter protests show college campuses are important places for political activity, she said.
Thomas adds that schools where politics are frequently discussed in class have the most politically active students. If professors use political examples in any subject, including math or history, students will see how important politics are.
Hanna Corn, 20, is a second-year student studying international affairs and political science at GW. Originally from Wilmington, New Jersey, Corn is also the membership director of the GW College Democrats.
Corn says political student groups and political discussion are everywhere at GW.
"Students would be talking about it in line to get their food at cafeterias. You’d be in the library and you’d look over at people laughing and they’d be watching a political talk show. Even at a social gathering, people are discussing politics. ... Even when you don’t want to hear about it, it will be right outside your door… So you might as well reach out and also engage in it."
Corn says she has also learned a lot about people with opinions different from her own. She frequently talks and debates with members of the GW College Republicans.
"We share an office actually , so we are constantly exchanging ideas. … It’s good to learn both sides. ... But I think it’s very difficult to be a strident conservative or Republican at our campus because the Republicans even I know are not so far to the right.
"People that are more conservative don’t speak out. … But I think that there are more of them in our campus than you realize."
VOA reached out to the GW College Republicans but received no response.
Both Thomas and Kawashima-Ginsberg agree there is an increasing number of young Republicans voting in this primary. But Thomas says young Republicans care about different issues than older party members. Older members care more about terrorism, while young members care more about government spending.
Both younger and older Democrats seem to care about the same issues, she says. But fewer young people are joining any political party at all.
Kawashima-Ginsberg points out that technology plays a major role in how young people choose to be involved.
"Social media’s played a bigger role in this age. In a way, young people are able to organize themselves online with their like-minded peers and start some action or cause… without being told what might be helpful for a candidate or what they’re supposed to do for the campaign."
Thomas says that students entering the field of education vote more than any other group. Students studying math and science vote the least. Also, African-American students vote more than white, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander and Native American students.
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- By VOA News
Fewer men enrolling in college
In the last few years, the number of men enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities has dropped by 6%, and the proportion of male students is at an all-time low of 41%.
Lauren Hamilton of WAMU American University Radio looks at why the shift is happening, and what universities are doing about it. (August 2024)
Nine charged in police breakup of pro-Palestinian camp at US university
Authorities have filed charges against nine people who are accused of trespassing or resisting police during the May breakup of a pro-Palestinian camp at the University of Michigan.
"The First Amendment does not provide a cover for illegal activity," Attorney General Dana Nessel said Thursday, a day after charges were filed in Washtenaw County.
The camp on the Diag, known for decades as a site for campus protests, was cleared by police on May 21 after a month. Video posted online showed police using what appeared to be an irritant to spray people, who were forced to retreat.
The university said the camp had become a threat to safety, with overloaded power sources and open flames.
Nessel said two people were charged with trespassing, a misdemeanor, and seven more people were charged with trespassing as well as resisting police, a felony.
Protesters have demanded that the school's endowment stop investing in companies with ties to Israel. But the university insists it has no direct investments and less than $15 million placed with funds that might include companies in Israel. That's less than 0.1% of the total endowment.
U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Detroit Democrat who supports the protesters, said the charges were "frivolous" and a "shameful attack" on the rights of students.
Separately, Nessel said state prosecutors charged two people for alleged acts during a counterdemonstration on April 25, a few days after the camp was created.
Nessel said authorities still were investigating spring protests at the homes of elected members of the university's governing board.
- By VOA News
Colleges get ready for return of protests
After a summer lull when most students left campuses, colleges and universities are getting ready for the possible return of protests over the war in Gaza.
USA Today reports that while activists are likely to resume demonstrations, many schools have prepared by enacting harsher rules for those causing disruptions. (August 2024)
US research university ends ties with school in China
Amid national security concerns, the Georgia Institute of Technology has ended its partnership with Tianjin University in Shenzhen, which U.S. lawmakers say has ties to the Chinese military.
The Washington Post reported that an official at Georgia Tech said the Georgia Tech Shenzen Institute became untenable because of a problematic partnership, global politics and pending legislation. (September 2024)
International students share diverse views on 2024 US elections
International students in the United States are observing the 2024 presidential election with a mix of curiosity and concern, highlighting the global interest of American politics in the rest of the world.
When speaking with some current and former international students who have witnessed several U.S. presidential election campaigns, they were drawn to the openness of discussions and the amount of information available about the process.
They appreciate the high level of engagement and transparency in the electoral process, which stands in stark contrast to the more restricted political environments in their home countries. Their diverse feedback highlights the global interest in and impact of American politics.
Musbah Shaheen, a native of Syria, arrived in the U.S. in 2014 for undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University. Now an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Shaheen said he initially found the political landscape confusing.
“The first U.S. election I experienced was in 2016. At the time, I didn’t even realize I was experiencing an election in the same way I did in 2020,” he said. “My interaction with the political system in the [United] States has been an eye-opening experience.”
In Syria, political discussions were often avoided, he said, adding that, “Politics was taboo. Family gatherings involved hushed conversations with windows closed and voices lowered.”
This contrasted sharply with the open political discourse he encountered in the U.S.
“In the United States, people sometimes feel like their voice doesn’t matter, but I have experienced actual fear of vocalizing what I believed. This country does feel like there is room for conversation and debate in a way that I didn’t really get when I was in Syria,” Shaheen said.
Now a faculty member, Shaheen emphasizes guiding students through ideological differences.
“I want my students to understand not just the policies but the ideologies behind them,” he said. “What does it mean to be conservative or liberal? What are the foundational beliefs of these ideologies?”
Shaheen emphasized the need to create both physical and emotional spaces where students can freely discuss topics like U.S. politics. Moreover, Shaheen calls for increased intellectual engagement.
“We need to encourage all students, international and domestic, to reflect on their beliefs and engage in meaningful conversations. We don’t want siloed resources for our students; we want them to engage with a variety of ideas,” he explained.
Rohan Naval, from Bengaluru, India, and a political science student at American University in Washington, offers a different perspective.
Naval, who has been studying in the U.S. for a year, mentioned being impressed by the extensive media coverage of U.S. elections.
“From a student’s perspective, I like the way U.S. elections are conducted. There’s a lot of media coverage, and efforts to get voters registered and informed are commendable,” he said.
Naval expressed surprise at the unpredictability of the current U.S. campaign.
“Everything we’ve seen over the last two months has been very surprising, like the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. It’s hard to predict what will happen next,” he said.
He was particularly surprised by President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race after participating in just one debate.
Naval, who grew up in India, compared U.S. and Indian elections, noting the convenience of mail-in ballots in the U.S. and the transparency in the counting process.
“In India, voters often have to travel long distances to cast their ballots, whereas in the U.S., the process is more accessible,” he said.
Victoria Charalampidi, a recent graduate from the American College of Greece where she majored in communication with a minor in international affairs, had studied in the U.S. in 2022 at Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland.
“When I arrived, Joe Biden was president. I viewed his presidency as a shift away from Trump’s administration,” she said.
She noted that Trump’s economic policies had some positive effects, but she thought his approach to politics was often more divisive compared to Biden's approach during his candidacy.
Charalampidi said she found the complexity of governing a diverse nation intriguing.
She said she is disappointed with the current political campaigns in the U.S., which she said seems more polarized.
“The focus on military engagements and the rollback of policies like abortion rights show a country struggling to move forward while clinging to old values,” Charalampidi said.
She also says the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, represents progress as a woman of color is competing for high office.
As international students navigate the complexities of U.S. elections, their insights offer a valuable perspective on the global impact of American politics.
