It goes without saying that whether you are engulfed in the topic of politics or whether you are indifferent about it, you as a college girl undoubtedly know about the quickly approaching presidential election.
With the top two candidates being Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, the election has a way of bringing about extreme and differing opinions among the citizens of our country. Specifically, collegiates of the College have been affected by the election and therefore have formulated opinions of their own. Interested in knowing what is going through those collegiate minds of yours, I asked around to see how the election has affected you.
Many collegiates, like Sophomore Journalism Major Sara Torres, believe they should be informed about the election because of how politics affects them more the older they become.
“Being in college during a presidential election has made me open my eyes more to the issues the candidates are talking about,” said Sara, “and being in college I feel like it’s so critical to know what’s going on because when I graduate I’ll be even more exposed to the decisions made by our future president.”
Other collegiates have become inspired by The College itself and the opportunities it has given them to take part in the election, like Niriksha Kannan, a Sophomore Political Science Major.
“I have taken classes at TCNJ that have broadened my comprehension of the voting process, which made me want to register and take part. Also, just seeing the possibilities of how proactive and involved you can be on a college campus is kind of inspiring and has made me want to be informed,” said Niriksha.
Not only did collegiates talk about the importance of the presidential election during their time in college, but they also went on to say how it is going to impact them after graduation.
“Many of the key issues of this election will affect me personally when I enter the workforce. Unemployment for our age group is very high right now and the candidates have very different economic plans. I have to think about how each of those plans will influence the job market,” said Senior English Major Erica Kennan.
A Sophomore Nursing Major, Alyssa Henderson, talked about how the election will affect her future job specifically.
“Every one should exercise their right to vote especially those going into the health care field because of the current debate on whether or not the current health care reform should be implemented, said Alyssa, “ and one of the effects of this reform includes layoffs from hospitals.”
Regardless of what your stance is, it’s most important that you become informed, get involved, and vote. We as collegiate girls of The College should embrace the election as a way to learn about what is going on outside the “TCNJ bubble”. For that reason, the election can teach us to go confidently into the world after college.
“We have to know what goes on around us, especially at our age, because we are the people shaping the future,” said Niriksha.