Update from Ohio

Hello everyone!
A lot has happened in Ohio and around my campus in the past week and a half since I wrote my first blog. I was trying to decide what I should focus this blog on and finally came up with the idea to focus briefly on several different key issues that college students nationwide would find both interesting and pertinent to their struggles with tuition. I have included two newspaper articles from my campus newspaper and my thoughts on these articles. I have also included some general information about a Rock the Vote event on my campus this past week and the upcoming Got Tuition events in Ohio in October. Happy reading!

“Struggling economy will affect students.”

“Students could face difficulties finding loans.”

These articles are from about a week ago discussing the struggling economy and relating it to the issues college students are facing with funding. As the articles suggest the economy is an issue that affects college students whether we like it or not. If the stock market continues to decline at its current rate or fails to rebound from the mortgage crisis currently rocking Wall Street, it will become increasingly difficult for all college students to obtain loan money and acquire credit. In the upcoming election all voters who are active in the election probably have an issue or two that are personal to them such as education, taxes, etc, etc. But the economy and its state will affect all Americans in the upcoming weeks, months, and years to come. Even though news and commentary centering on the economy is not the most exciting topic to discuss, as educated voters we must pay attention to what the upcoming congressional and presidential candidates have to say on these issues because they are the ones that will decide the future of our economy and how our money is going to be spent.

“College Funding at center of Got Tuition?’s message”

This article begins by focusing around the message of Got Tuition?! Though the article’s focus shifts a bit as it goes on it is a great article based on the importance of college students becoming involved in the upcoming election. Much like the Got Tuition? site, this article compares the presidential candidates on their views regarding college funding and other higher education issues. I was actually quoted in this article as the chair of the Ohio Student Education Association (although I was slightly misquoted, my message was still clear.) As college students we need to be our own advocates, we no longer have anyone to speak for us. As high school students or younger we had our teachers (NEA members for example) and our parents to stand up for us in what they believed would best help us to grow and to learn. Now we are adults and we need to be politically active and educated voters because we have no one else to do it for us. Middle-aged adults who have paid off their college loans already do not have a stake in lowering loan interest rates or increasing Pell Grant spending. They may not even care because they feel that, having paid off their own college loans without assistance, our generation needs to as well. This view, however, fails to account for the fact that college loan interest rates and college tuition in general is much greater than it was thirty, twenty, or even ten years ago.

Most importantly from these two articles I am hoping that college students see the importance of voting and being an educated voter. Regardless of who or what you are voting for or what your opinions are. Please…. If you care about your future as an American make sure you VOTE! In Ohio you must be registered by October 6! But even more important than registering is actually casting your vote on election day. This year that is Nov 4! In every election, not just this one… as college students concerned about our futures we must VOTE! It is your right as an American and you need to use that right! Some people in other countries do not have the option to vote. In this country people used to be discriminated against due to their wealth, race, and gender when it came to voting. There have been many Americans up to this point that have worked hard to ensure that WE are all able to vote. Tell these people thanks by using your right. It is the least you can do. When it comes to being an educated voter I believe we should all read up on the issues, talk to others and explore different viewpoints. Don’t vote for someone just because a friend or a family member thinks you should. Have your own reasons and be able to back up your principles. It really isn’t too hard these days to find out information on the campaigns; use the internet, turn on the TV. Again, this is your right and responsibility as an American to vote AND to make an educated vote based on your personal beliefs, values, and convictions. I also feel that to be an educated voter you need to be able to look at ALL of the issues, or at least many of them and not just focus on one or two. As a future educator and a current very active member of the NEA I put an extreme focus on Educational issues. I can recognize that there are other issues that affect me and my future and I realize that I need to be educated on these as well. To me this is a major part of being an educated voter. I know many of you feel the same, I would just again like to point out the importance and significance of each and every election.

Rock the Vote at Kent State Friday September 26
The rock the vote bus pulled onto KSU’s campus on Friday afternoon. I helped out with the event alongside two other Got Tuition? volunteers. This event, as with all RTV events, educated college students on the importance of voting in the upcoming election. In addition to the concert that featured Hawthorne Heights and Ben Taylor (James Taylor’s son), RTV registered KSU students to vote on November 4. This was a somewhat under-crowded event but for those that did attend it was a fun time and gave them encouragement to vote in this election. Below are some pictures from the event.

Got Tuition? Days of Action comes to Ohio
As noted in my last blog, there will be three Days of Action coming up in Ohio in just two weeks! We are busy planning for these events and are very excited to get the word about Got Tuition? out to college students at three of Ohio’s largest campuses. Each of the events will occur from 9am-4pm on the respective campuses with dates listed below.

Monday, October 13 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio
Wednesday, October 15 at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio
Thursday, October 16 at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio

If you are interested in more information on these specific events or anything else I have addressed in this blog please contact me at dsherrit@kent.edu and I would be excited to talk with you! Thanks and keep promoting Got Tuition? at your campuses across the country!