By Sophie Jeffery, Co-Editor
Next week is McKendree University’s inaugural Civic Engagement Week. Organized by Paula Martin, Director of Holman Library, and Dr. Ann Collins, Associate Professor of Political Science, the week is packed with opportunities for McKendree students to learn how to be better involved in their community.
“We want to try to get students to be more aware and tuned into the political scene and what’s going on around them,” Dr. Collins says. It’s easy to live in a metaphorical bubble as young college students, but it’s more important now than ever to be involved and informed about decisions that are being made for us that directly affect our lives and the lives of those around us.
Events such as the Social Justice and Equity Committee presentation titled “So You Think Jim Crow is a Thing of the Past?”and the screening of the documentary “One Vote” are specifically designed to educate students about issues in our society they may not be entirely aware of.
Perhaps equally as important as being aware is being involved. Paula Martin emphasized this point, adding with a laugh: “We messed up; it’s your turn to fix what we did!” When asked what her hopes were for this week, she replied: “I just want students to understand they can make a difference in the world.”
Students looking for ways to make such a difference should attend Kelsey Timmerman’s presentation Monday evening at The Hett. He will be discussing his most recent book titled “Where am I Giving?”, which examines all of the different ways we can give and the effectiveness of each.
The final event of Civic Engagement Week is an all-day campus-wide voter registration event that takes place on September 25th. Coinciding with National Voter Registration Day, students will have the opportunity to register to vote in our local precinct or receive assistance registering to vote in their home states.
See the flier below for dates, times, and locations of all of the events taking place during Civic Engagement Week.
Informative article. Thanks for getting the word out about Civic Engagement Week at McKendree!
Excellent job, Sophie! This is such an important initiative. Kudos to everyone who is involved in planning this week.