Students get free ride

By: Lucas Correia, Collegian Staff

Posted: 11/5/08

The Student Government Association (SGA) organized rides for students from the University of Massachusetts campus to their respective polling places yesterday.

"The transportation is an exciting project of the SGA, and one which we put as a priority this year," said SGA President Malcolm Chu.

The effort has encouraged many on campus to take political action as U.S. citizens, and to utilize the power put in the hands of the masses.

"I'm taking advantage of what little power I do have in this country," said junior English major Hilary Gardiner. "I think there's a lot at stake in this election."

"I want to vote because I feel this is one of those elections where the young vote really could make it or break it," said sophomore astronomy major Patrick Ashland. "I feel it's very important we have such a high turnout of young voters in this specific election."

The SGA and other Registered Student Organizations have been politically active through the entire semester. Between September 2 and October 15, a coalition of the SGA, the Center for Educational Policy Advocacy (CEPA) and the UMass Labor Coalition, in a movement called "Get Out The Vote," registered roughly 1,000 UMass students to vote in Amherst and over 300 to vote in their hometowns. The coalition was formed with the goal of providing Amherst with UMass' largest voter turnout to date.

"Active citizens take action to hold our politicians, systems and government accountable, but the first step is voting," said Chu before directing the carpool at Campus Center Circle with a megaphone. "I'm really excited about the turnout so far, and I look forward to the rest of the afternoon,"

He also said the SGA has collected between 2,500 and 3,000 pledge cards during the "Get Out The Vote" campaign.

"It was really about getting out awareness as well," he said. "Thousands and thousands of students are seeing this presence [of free rides]. I think there's a psychological piece to it when people think 'Oh, I can do this. It's accessible.'"

"I feel like it's part of my duty as a SGA member," said junior astronomy major Shane Coleman, secretary of diversity for the SGA. "The students are who we care about… part of our general cause is to help students know what's going on."

Other RSOs on campus, including MASSPIRG, University Democrats and the Cannabis Reform Coalition, have also registered students, bringing the total number to roughly 3,500 new voters registered for Amherst and about 1,000 absentee ballots.

Efforts to increase voter awareness included speaking in lecture halls before class, going door-to-door in residential halls, or "dorm storming," posting flyers and phone banking to remind people to vote on Election Day.

Some students on campus feel the effort has made a genuine difference in the number of UMass students who turned out to vote.

Senior plant and soil science major Bryan Man said if the SGA did not provide rides, he probably wouldn't have voted.

"My day is pretty busy, and I don't know where to vote," he said. "I don't know if I ever would've filled out the paperwork if not for student organization efforts on campus."

"I would've walked there if I had to," said sophomore history major Chris Negro. "But I think a lot of kids wouldn't have the incentive to vote if they didn't have an easy way to get there."

"I think it'll make a big difference [in UMass' voter turnout]," said junior plant and soil sciences major Tim Drake, who drove students to their polling locations for Field Trip Services this morning. "I think it's great to provide this service, it'll make more people want to go out and vote."

The buses and vans, funded by the SGA in coordination with Field Trip Services and the University Democrats, ran from Campus Center Circle to the three designated polling locations for the UMass campus from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Buses transported students to the Bangs Community Center and Wildwood Elementary School, while vans took students to the Immanuel Lutheran Church.

"Hopefully this will get everyone to the polls," junior biology major Brendan Bowen said on his way back from his polling location. "It's easy, and takes virtually no time out of the day. I met a bunch of great people in the van, and it's a good time."

Lucas Correia can be reached at ljcorrei@student.umass.edu.

© Copyright 2009 The Daily Collegian