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WEDNESDay Issue september 22, 2010 FRESNO STATE
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Shortage of young voters By Ana Mendoza The Collegian This November’s election involves several propositions that will directly affect college student’s education, health and future. But with the exception of the 2008 election, voter turnout among young college students has been historically low, significantly affecting governmental representation. “You can look at other groups that vote very strongly, like senior citizens and the elderly. Politicians try not to cut Social Security or Medicare,” said Rodney A. Anderson, political science professor at Fresno State. “It is much easier to cut from a group that doesn’t have a strong voice.” According to the Center of Information and Research o f C iv i c L e a r n i n g a n d Engagement (CIRCLE), 21.6 to 23.9 million Americans aged 18 to 19 voted in 2008. This
30 percent as Republicans and 20 percent declined to state or were independents. The number of registered Democrats has g rown from 6.7 to 7.6 million, and the number of independents from 3 to 3.4 million, while the number of Republicans went down from 5.4 to 5.2 million. “ I f o n ly 5 0 p e rc e n t o f D e m o c r a t s vo t e, b u t a l l Republicans vote, Republicans win,” said Fresno State political science professor Dennis Driggers. “That is how a minority group of people win an election in a democratic system. Minority rules.” According to civicgroup. org, in 2008 in Califor nia, which was a record voting turn out for young voters, 51.1 percent of people aged 18 to 29 voted. Of these voters, 62 percent had some college experience. In 2006 only 25 percent of young voters aged 18 to 29 voted. In contrast, that same year 53 percent of voters aged 30 or older voted.
By Alexandra Zentner The Collegian
“I
t is much easier to cut from a group that doesn’t have a strong voice.” — Rodney Anderson, Instructor, political science department
number is higher than the 1972 statistics when the minimum voting age was lowered from 21 to 18. According to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) website, 17 million of the 23.5 million eligible adults in the state during the June 2010 primary were registered to vote. Of them, 44 percent were registered as Democrats,
The most popular issue among colle ge students is Proposition 19 to le galize marijuana and Proposition 25, which will change the number of legislative votes required to pass the California budget. “I think we are represented, but not the capability that we could be represented, since not everyone votes,” said Jesus Sepulveda, mass com-
Why a high school on a college campus?
Ana Mendoza / The Collegian
Christian Montiel (left) a freshman student, filled out a voter registration form at the ASI table on Tuesday. ASI members also passed out voter guides.
munication and journalism major. Reyna Alvarenga, also a mass communication and journalism freshman, is not registered to vote, but plans to. Like many students around campus, Alvarenga doesn’t
know where to register. “There usually are registration drives on campus, or you can actually go to the library or Student Union and get the See VOTES, Page 3
Infographic by Michael Uribes / The Collegian Information compiled by Michael Uribes
While Fresno State celebrates their centennial, University High School (UHS) is reaching a milestone by accepting their tenth incomi n g c l a s s . H o w e v e r, t h e school’s founding and why it was placed on a college campus remains a mystery to many Fresno State students. Luis Costa, the for mer Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State, founded UHS with the idea that the school would be a college prep high school that included an emphasis in music. The school opened its doors in the fall of 2000 with Dr. Brad Huff as the original head of school. Approximately 400 students attend. The purpose of UHS “is to allow students to experience a small-school environment while enjoying the resources of a major university including the option of earning significant college credit while in high school.” “[Students] feel very comfortable no matter where they go [after high school] because they lived on a college campus for four years” said current head of UHS James Bushman. He added that the other advantage of being located on Fresno State’s campus is the ability for students to take college classes and understand what college classes are like. “Students head off to college with at least a semester, if not a year [of college], already completed,” said Bushman. Dean of the Kremen School of Education and Human D eve l o p m e n t Pa u l B e a re explained that UHS charter was based at Fresno State, so it was logical to place the school where the old lab school stood, and later supplemented by temporary trailers. “University High School definitely fulfilled its purpose,” said Jenneva Cantido, a former UHS student and current Fresno State student. “I graduated high school there completely prepared for academic college life and even ahead of my studies.” UHS students are expected to juggle their own college-prep courses and more advanced colle ge courses. According to Bushman, Fresno State does not shape their schedule around UHS students, which means that much like Fresno State students, UHS students struggle to get the classes they need. “It is more dif ficult for our kids because our kids are always trying to schedule [Fresno State] classes See UHS, Page 3