The Observer, October 20, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 8
Editorial: Students can benefit from staying active and informed
With a schedule filled with midterms, papers, and meetings, it's easy to get caught up in the stress-filled Case bubble. During these exam weeks, students barely have enough time to shower and sleep, let alone care about the upcoming Ohio General Elections on Nov. 7. But with Fall Break starting tomorrow, it's an appropriate time to catch up on current events, state issues, and the elections that will impact your future.
Though the deadline for voter registration has passed, it's never too late to educate yourself on something other than the facts and concepts in your textbooks. Ohio will be electing a Governor and Senator in addition to other positions for federal, state, district, and county offices in just a few weeks. The ballot will also contain many State Issues on topics that may pertain to today's college student such as minimum wage, gambling, college scholarships, and the restriction of smoking in public places. A highly debated local topic is Issue 18, a proposed Cuyahoga County cigarette tax increase to fund arts and culture. While there is much opposition to the Issue, it has the potential to change the educational and cultural atmosphere in Cleveland.
You may be from a state as far away as California but it doesn't mean that the issues in Ohio won't affect you. By spending four or more years at Case, it is your responsibility as a student and resident of Ohio to stay informed. So take the time to do some research online about the candidates and their highly debated campaigns, look up an article, or just pick up a local paper.
If you are one of the students registered to vote, make sure your choices are informed and make them heard. If you have a strong opinion about something, there is no better time than now to voice it by showing up at the polls on Election Day. For the last gubernatorial elections in 2002, only 47 percent of registered citizens actually voted. Imagine how differently things could have turned out if the other 53 percent decided to express their beliefs.
On a greater level, the issues that we are considering now and the people we are electing may come back to us during the presidential elections in two short years. It has been speculated that controlling the governor's office in a state can be helpful to presidential candidates. What you don't bother to care about now may have some disturbing implications in the future. Get involved with the issues that are surrounding you instead of being a bystander while everyone else is making decisions without you.
Getting a degree from Case with very little knowledge of the outside world will only carry you so far. Stay educated, get involved, and if you have an opinion, don't be afraid to voice it.
