While it may not be on the forefront of your mind, elections are coming up. 2024 is an election year, meaning we will soon be voting in the presidential election (along with other local elections). Due to how important this year is, many organizations on campus are trying to raise awareness about the importance of civic literacy. One of these organizations is the Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG).
PIRG is known on campus for its various campaigns, such as Hunger and Homelessness and Textbook Affordability. On March 27, PIRG will be hosting the Avenues to Advocacy event. The event itself will be taking place in the Dunlap Student Success Center and the Common Courtyard.
The Avenues to Advocacy event will have two parts. First, there will be an alumni panel and educational event. The alumni panel will be made up of seven more recent alumni who have been working in the politics and/or advocacy sector. Some of the alumni attending are Andres Cubillos, Tobey Gale, and Rodney Wells. This will be a great opportunity to get to hear from individuals who have real-world experience. Even if you aren’t interested in entering this field, the knowledge they have is relevant to everybody.
Following the alumni panel, individuals will be split into smaller groups to take part in workshops. The purpose of this part of the event is to educate FSU students on how to become more involved in the civic process and why it’s important to be involved.
The second part of the event will be similar to an involvement fair with many different civic engagement organizations, such as the Office of Governmental Affairs and our campus political parties, Surge and Forward. Also attending is FSUVotes, which is FSU’s official civic education resource. FSUVotes can help you register to vote, check your registration status, and show you a sample ballot. Something that isn’t largely known yet is that there is a voting location right in the FSU Student Union, making it accessible for students living on campus.
Another one of my favorite organizations attending is the Civic Engagement Board. The Civic Engagement Board is a Student Government entity. They not only educate people on civic literacy but also teach the importance of student government and help people get involved in it.
To save the best information for last — food will be provided! As I said earlier, with this year being an election year, it is necessary now more than ever to become educated on how to stay involved in the civic process. I know some people think that voting doesn’t matter because they feel no matter what, they aren’t represented, or they think that their one vote won’t make a difference. However, it’s important to recognize that having the right to vote is a privilege that we have in the U.S. In some countries, citizens don’t have that privilege. So, be sure to get out and vote on Nov. 5 and make your voice heard!
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