“I Voted”: A new way for SUNY students to experience civic engagement
SUNY campuses are no stranger to civil engagement and are now offering a creative way for students to get involved
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
A scattered pile of “I Voted” stickers at a polling center in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Students studying within the State University of New York (SUNY) system are given many opportunities to practice civil engagement and discourse, including: participating in the All In Democracy Challenge, which is a SUNY system-wide initiative “to help students form the habits of active and informed citizenship, make democratic participation a core value on their campus, and cultivate generations of engaged citizens who are essential to a healthy democracy,” as per the All In website; engaging in The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE), which helps to measure “student registration and voting rates,” as per the official SUNY website; and even studying civic discourse in the classroom as a SUNY Core Competency, as per the General Education Requirements page on the official SUNY website. Now, this election season, SUNY students are being given another opportunity to participate in civic engagement in the recently announced “I Voted at SUNY” sticker design contest.
State University of New York Chancellor, John B. King Jr., announced the contest on Sept. 14 as a “[p]art of SUNY’s Ongoing Commitment to Increase Civil Discourse, Civic Education, and Civic Engagement,” as noted in the SUNY press release regarding the sticker contest. As a part of SUNY’s dedication to its students and civic engagement, “SUNY students will be able to submit sticker designs, and the winning design will be available at all SUNY polling sites throughout New York State during the November midterm elections,” the press release further detailed.
SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said about the initiative, as quoted in the SUNY press release, “I am thrilled to be launching this opportunity which will showcase the excellent work of our students and inspire them to visit one of our on-campus polling sites this November. We will continue to promote civil discourse, civic education, and building bridges across differences on campuses so that SUNY students are fully engaged and ready to be future leaders.”
The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) published a study which “found students who take part in community-based, civically engaged [high impact practices (HIPs)] are more likely to complete college, and to earn higher GPAs and more credits. They also leave college with a deeper understanding of people from other backgrounds, a stronger sense of civic purpose and responsibility, and a greater sense of belonging.” Not only does civic engagement boost students’ academic success, but it also helps them “gain the practical problem-solving skills that are essential for a diverse, lasting democracy,” as well as form “the skills employers value…[such as] improved interpersonal skills,...better problem solving, communication, and teamwork,” the AAC&U further detailed.
SUNY students therefore experience benefits from being civically engaged—but also simply from being SUNY students. According to the State University of New York website, and The College Board data, SUNY colleges and universities offer affordable, yet impressive and comprehensive, access to higher education, with most “SUNY students [graduating] with less debt than the national average, and more than 50% [graduating] entirely debt free.” Furthermore, for this affordable tuition price, the SUNY system includes 13 university level colleges, and seven colleges of technology, as also per the State University of New York website.
With the U.S. midterm elections coming up this November, now is a great time for SUNY students to get involved in civil discourse. “I Voted” sticker submissions are open until Oct. 9, as per the SUNY Facebook page, and the winning sticker will be distributed at polling sites across 22 SUNY campuses, as listed in the official press release regarding the upcoming sticker contest.