Students learn importance of civic engagement
Civic engagement is an important responsibility students should consider, even outside of Election Day. Community members should become engaged to consider all viewpoints, bring to light public concern, and encourage change.
Civic engagement can be both political and non-political. At the University of Illinois, many students are involved in civic engagement, nationally and locally. Two LAS students students Kirsten Peters and Madalyn Velisaris have shared their experiences and suggestions on how to get civically involved on campus and within other communities.
Illinois senior Kirsten Peters is studying political science and English. After her undergraduate years, she plans to attend law school, work in public defense, and make her way into politics, as well. Kirsten started to get involved with civic engagement issues by joining Illinois Student Government (ISG), a student-run governmental organization on campus that represents student voices and perspectives. She got involved with ISG during her first year at Illinois. She quickly made her way from being a member of the first ISG committee on community and governmental affairs to now serving as a second year director of governmental affairs. Being the director has also allowed her to become the director of legislative affairs for the Association of the Big Ten Students (ABTS), as well. Kirsten notes that ISG’s mission is to “advance the collective interest and safeguarding the rights of the students; maintain the quality of life, education, employment, research, and services at the institution; and provide for the awareness and general welfare of the campus and community.”
When getting involved in ISG her main focus was to improve civic engagement on campus and, more specifically, work to increase the number of students who are registered voters. She notes that in 2018 during the midterm election, student voter turnout was higher than it had been in more than a decade. According to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) Report, from 2014-2018, there was a 28.4 percent increase in overall voting rates. It was important to Kirsten that she make civic engagement a continuous goal every year. She did this by talking with representatives, attending town hall gatherings, going to protests, and staying up to date on everyday politics. Most importantly, being a part of ISG has allowed her to grow and taught her how working with others to have a united goal is beneficial.
Outside of Illinois Student Government, Kirsten has worked with county clerks’ offices, Champaign County Voters Alliance, The League of Women Voters, The University YMCA, and Illinois PIRG — all of which have allowed her to work in pursuit of improving civic engagement. ISG and ABTS are working to implement ABTS Education Act (HEA) Week of Action. All Big 10 schools are setting up their own action plans to speak about the importance of the HEA as it impacts higher education for students across the country.
When it comes to students voting and being a part of the community, Kirsten says that it is “one of the best ways for individuals to be able to voice their thoughts on where our country should be going in the future.” Student votes help both locally and nationally, and, with the upcoming presidential primaries, it’s crucial that students have a say because issues of healthcare, education, and the environment are being discussed. All of these issues, in some way, affect the life of students at Illinois.
Madalyn Velisaris is a junior studying political science with a minor in English. Some of her interests are writing, current events, traveling, and exploring new places. Madalyn had the opportunity to work with U.S Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) as a press intern last summer in Chicago. She found this opportunity by looking up Duckworth’s campaign online during her second semester of sophomore year and saw that they had an internship available. Madalyn applied for the internship, and a couple months later she was hired. Her time at the office was nothing short of amazing, she said. It allowed her and the other interns to create projects that truly related to their passions and interests.
She was able to work with an Illinois alumnus on a project that “alerts staff members on Illinois educational news updates throughout the workday.” This was done by “organizing articles and addressing any educational issues.” All in all, the project turned out well and was implemented within the daily responsibilities and functions of Duckworth’s office. The positive impact that Duckworth and her campaign team had on Madalyn is something for which she is grateful. Madalyn knows she can make beneficial changes in the world through her passions and beliefs in the work that she contributes daily.