TU named Voter-Friendly Campus for third time

By Kyle Hobstetter on Tuesday, March 9

On Tuesday, Towson University was one of more than 231 campuses in 37 states and the District of Columbia designated as a “Voter-Friendly Campus” by Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

Since 2016, the national nonpartisan organizations’ initiative has held participating institutions accountable for planning and implementing practices that encourage their students to be informed about politics, register and vote.

And since 2016, Towson University has been a regular recipient of this honor.

“This is just a continuation of the work that we’ve been doing,” says Luis Sierra, TU’s assistant director for civic engagement. “This honor was made possible through our coalition and our commitment to keep our students engaged and informed.

“This was not just one person or one student; this is because we as a campus got involved.”

Throughout the 2020 election season, the Office of Civic Engagement & Social Responsibility[BROKEN LINK], the Counseling Center, Events & Conference Services, the Department of Athletics, the Student Government Association, the Office of Student Activities and many more hosted events and programs to help students learn more about their right to vote.  

Being designated a voter-friendly campus is not the only honor that TU has received for its work in voter registration and information. "Washington Monthly" has called Towson University one of America’s Best Colleges for Student Voting. TU is one of just nine institutions in the U.S. with a student voter registration rate above 85%, according to the magazine.

One of the biggest pushes came during National Voter Registration Day in late September with a bevy of activities online and in, albeit physically distanced, person. Just one example is the student-athletes and coaches who participated in the TU Athletes Vote initiative on Osler Bridge, waving signs to encourage people to register to vote.

Many student organizations, campus units and individual members took to Instagram and Twitter to share why they vote and resources to get registered and involved. Sierra even met with student organizations over Zoom to share information.

“Our energy had to be fostered digitally more than anything and anywhere else,” Sierra says. “Working with colleagues across campus simply to share resources through their social media platforms became even more important.”

TU is a prime example of the work being done to get young voters registered and informed.  According to Tufts University, college-aged voting reached an historic high during the 2020 presidential election, with 52–55% of voting-eligible young people, ages 18–29, casting a ballot.

And with the 2022 mid-term elections right around the corner, Sierra isn’t resting on his laurels. He and the rest of the Office of Civic Engagement & Social Responsibility staff are already hard at work making students aware of how they can get involved.

“While there isn’t an election in 2021, this isn’t an off year for our office,” laughs Sierra. “What happens in these years in between really sets the stage for the election years.”

To learn more about the events hosted by the Office of Civic Engagement & Social Responsibility, follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.