As I attended the College Democrats meeting last Monday, I was positively surprised by the large turnout. Sadly, I feel that this was an exception to a larger reality on campus: Dartmouth cares too little about politics. I feel that Dartmouth needs to be shaken out of its political apathy. It seems that while there has been a lot of buzz surrounding the 2008 presidential race, I have found that many students on this campus remain apathetic. While the race may seem far away, it is never too early to get involved in the political process and lend support to grass root events. We need more activism from the students year round, not just when the primaries kick off.
I have come to a sad realization: Dartmouth is not as politically active as one might hope, particularly when compared to its peer institutions. The signs are everywhere. Events like Step-It-Up last weekend saw some descent turnout, yet it would have been nice to see more students there. For other glaring examples, one does not have to look very far: Even the opinion section of the The Dartmouth seldom takes up national politics (I'm partly to blame for this as well), which I find unfortunate, since I believe many of our writers could add a great deal to the debates here on campus (or perhaps even start them). While the primaries are not high in everyone's mind, hopefully this will change come fall. While this might be the case, I would strongly advocate for a greater involvement in politics in general, regardless of political season.
Certainly I can understand that politics is not high on everyone's agenda, and many students are deeply cynical about government, yet we do have an amazing opportunity to help shape the world which we will inherit. After all, most of us will spend only four years in this wonderful institution before we must brave the harsh and cruel working world (or delay the inevitable by going to graduate school). And our everyday lives will largely depend on the decisions made in Washington.
Now, some might say that Dartmouth is politically active, since we pack Alumni Hall when a presidential hopeful decides to give us his spiel on what this country needs. In reality though, I think students are always prone to attend any big ticket events, and show up to events that have such high profile personalities, regardless of who it is.
Others might argue that there are many groups on campus, which help shape the political debate here at Dartmouth, such as the College Democrats or the College Republicans. Other groups have also been important for certain social discussions (like the Tucker Foundation debates on Imus). Now, while I commend the actions of these groups, I think they need to become more visible on campus. I also feel that these groups need to draw in more people in order to strengthen themselves. I would also advocate for more of these groups to be created to perhaps address other specific social or political issues.
We should not simply care when it comes time to vote. Many students seem more informed than your average person, some even vote or intend to vote. Sadly, most do not wish to lend themselves to a cause, and participate in any form of activism, whether it be supporting Sustainable Dartmouth, or mobilizing their efforts to help one candidate prevail in an election. Now it is easy to understand some of the causes: As Tom Atwood rightfully states in his column ("In search of Intellectualism," April 12), there seems to be a lack of interest in discussing or focusing on anything but our classes and where we're going to play pong that evening.
It is not too late however, since the bid for presidential nomination has just begun. We can all be more involved, and not shy away from activism. All we really need is students to be shaken out of their work-and-party routine, and contribute in any way they can.
