Our Place in the Race

Congratulations, Villanova, on your sincere contribution to the results of Pennsylvania Primary. To all of those who have dismissed our campus as politically apathetic, this year, and especially this semester, has proved them wrong.

In the past two months, all three campaigns have made an appearance on campus in some form or another. As a University, we received a lot of negative attention about these appearances from those who didn’t approve of pro-choice or pro-war candidates speaking at a Catholic university. However, students viciously coordinated the Michelle Obama rally despite the backlash they knew that they would receive. Villanovans for Hillary did the same, inviting Chelsea Clinton to campus to talk to students a few weeks ago. And finally, our school made a little appearance on national TV when McCain and “Hardball” paid a visit on April 15, solidifying our place in the Pennsylvania race.

Local democratic politicians have recognized Villanova’s political fervor in recent weeks and have visited campus to speak to students including Diane Edbril, candidate for Radnor Ward Two Commissioner; Patrick Murphy, Congressman for Pennsylvania’s seventh district; and Joe Sestak, Congressman for the eighth district.

It seemed like Radnor Township didn’t want us to participate, though. Campus is situated in four of seven different Radnor wards. South Campus alone is located in three of them. Because of this, students voted at four separate locations on Tuesday.

A University that takes up less than a square mile in size should only have to vote in one location and at one that is within walking distance. But Villanova evaded this confusion early in the game. The Villanova chapter of Students for Barack Obama canvassed door-to-door in the weeks preceding the primary and registered students, informing each registrant where he or she would be voting. Both SGA and SFBO offered students rides to the polling stations on April 22.

No Villanova student could forget that it was voting day on Tuesday. SFBO chalked up the campus and fiercely stuffed fliers under the doors of residence halls. They even knocked on doors to remind students of voting day like it was Christmas.

The good news though, Villanova, is that Tuesday was only round one. In the next seven months, this campus will have another opportunity, and that is to participate in the election that will decide the next leader of the free world. It is our responsibility as young Americans to take part in the process and shirk the political apathy that has plagued our campus in the past.

We rocked the vote once, Villanova; we can do it again.