Students confess what politics means to them

By Erin Campbell |Staff Writer|

Some students confess they do not have a deep understanding of politics and that they don’t care.

Every student’s perspective on politics is different, but equally important.

Students and young adults are encouraged by society to become more aware of the politics in their community and understand their voice makes a difference.

“On a scale of one to five, five being the most important, voting is a two,” said student Tyler Nguyen.

Other students who are more involved understand that the decisions made by politicians and voters do make a difference.

“Although I am not highly involved in politics, they affect the things around me, therefore they affect me directly,” said student Matt Martin.

When asked about the different political topics students are interested in, each answer is different and unique but also relevant to his and her lifestyle.

The common answer amongst women was women’s rights.

A couple video game players both agreed that Internet safety and privacy were political issues they are concerned with.

Common answers from both men and women included gay marriage, foreign policy, budget and taxes, drugs and health care.

Kelci Lynn Lucier, a freelance writer for about.com and former full-time college admissions advisor, encourages students to get involved on campus and to become more aware about the different types of political activities that could affect our future.

Some ideas Lucier proposes to students to help them become more involved include, but are not limited to becoming a registered voter, volunteering for an on-campus political event, incorporating your activism and involvement into a research paper or project, and attending events for both or all political sides of an issue.

More ideas Lucier proposes can be found in her article at about.com.

San Bernardino Generation Now is a student-led organization that is always looking for new members and encourages young adults to become more active in politics.

Petitioners are commonly seen outside the library or student union asking if you or the people around you are registered voters.

The next time you come across that opportunity, take the time to listen to their reasons on why you should sign their petitions.

Signatures on each petition represent the public’s choice to have the chance to vote on different topics such as drug and alcohol tests for doctors who perform medical practices and overturning petty crimes from a felony to a misdemeanor for non-violent criminals.

“We are out here collecting signatures to help you and to help the people,” said student and petitioner Josh Castillo.

Castillo has been participating in petitions since 2007 and has been politically involved off and on campus.

Castillo recommends students become more aware of politics on every level by getting information, sharing information and embracing the fact that each vote matters.

Keep yourself updated on the politics in your area by reading the newspaper, watching the news and visiting sites like politico.com and politifact.com.