This post was originally published on this site.
Another school year is underway, which means millions of students are again struggling to learn without their basic needs met, and thousands of colleges are trying to teach with grossly inadequate resources. Far from “very demure, very mindful,” this situation should engage us. It should make us think. It should make us vote.
The fact is that the egregious underfunding of American public higher education and its minority-serving institutions is primarily a political problem. Rather than a question of available resources, optimal resource allocation, or insufficient evidence, it’s a problem of leadership best addressed by voting.
Everyone affected – current, former, and future students and their families, college teachers, staff, administrators, trustees, and more – should fully participate in the November election. Voting is not only a central activity in a democracy, but it reflects and contributes to educational opportunity. In other words, it is mission critical for every educational institution, and especially those that require public funding.
But let’s be honest: voting is also a leap of faith. Much like the decision to attend college even though it’s expensive, time-consuming, and often deeply inconvenient, voting expresses your belief that life can get better, if only we keep doing the things that pave the road. It’s especially hard to do for people who’ve been actively harmed by politicians, locked out of voting, even attacked for trying to exercise their right to vote.
That means this must be a community activity conducted with care on our campuses. Starting now, let’s get used to asking each other and our students simple questions like “Are you registered? Do you need help getting to the polls? Have you checked on your friends, family, and neighbors? Do you know how to learn about candidates who care about the things that matter to you?” Let’s normalize giving everyone time off to go vote and offering lifts to the polls.
This work expresses our commitment to education and democracy; it is not partisan. While doing it, as educators we can illuminate the ways we mutually depend on each other, communicate lessons about how social networks matter, and teach about the roles of numerous social institutions (from media to family and so on) in our political lives.
Drs. Keith Curry and George Bogg are right: we should focus a lot of attention on helping community college students vote. They face the greatest barriers, including substantial time poverty, and are much more likely to come from households that feel (rightly) alienated from current politics. They are often overlooked in discussions of “college educated voters” that count only those with bachelor’s degrees, and yet lose the most when politicians fail to adequately fund their colleges. Check out the many resources available – yes, including grants – to help.
I hope local election boards will get involved to pay community college students (using federal Work Study dollars) to support voter registration (here’s how).
There’s no question that sitting out this election is enormously risky. It will affect what colleges do and teach, what it costs to attend, and what supports are available. It will shape our futures, potentially forever. Take the leap, please. Vote.
Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab is author of Paying the Price, College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream. She is a senior fellow at Education Northwest, an adjunct professor at the Community College of Philadelphia, and Founder of The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice.