Thomas Jefferson once said, “Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.”
The candlelight vigil Monday night invited the media to cover the multitudes of Bradley students who were taking a stand against domestic violence. But the only people who showed up were media photographers and reporters.
Panhellenic Council is encouraging the women of the seven greek houses to apply for executive positions. But applications are only trickling in as the due date quickly approaches.
Student Senate needs representatives from all walks of campus life to serve the student body. But they’ve been struggling since August to get all of the seats filled.
The point is, sometimes we, the students, need to take a step outside of the Yik Yak, Twitter feed, Easy Mac world and step into a reality greater than ourselves. A reality where we have the power to change the future if we would simply choose to take action.
Elections are this Tuesday, and there is far more at stake than just voting in a few people and calling it a day.
Firstly, there are five ballot measures encompassing topics that range from mandating birth control prescription coverage by health insurance plans to increasing the state’s minimum wage to $10 per hour.
These ballot measures affect us, as college students, right here and right now.
Secondly, votes aren’t just being cast for small scale elections. These are votes for the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, our State House, State Senate, statewide judicial seats and more.
These people are the ones who are going to stand for us in Washington, D.C. and in Illinois to be our voice and act on our behalf.
Thirdly, it could not be any easier to vote. Being at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen and having lived in a specific jurisdiction for at least 30 days prior to the election is all that is required. That means there are very few people on Bradley’s campus unable to vote.
With voting, it does not matter if we’re employed or unemployed, 18 or 87, rich or poor, well-educated or a high school drop-out. We all get the chance to have an equal voice, a fair say and our own chance to be heard.
And don’t you want to be heard?
It takes 10 minutes to Google a candidate, read their site and determine whether or not you agree with their platform. It takes even less time to figure out how, when and where to vote, considering the abundance of websites popping up to aid citizens in the voting process.
This is a huge opportunity for us to directly affect the change we want to see in the world as we so freely paste on all of our T-shirts, so why not actually do it?
We are the land of the free. We are the home of the Braves. So educate yourself, get out there Nov. 4, and vote for your future.
This is your call to action. Will you answer?
