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| P.S. U Vote campaign helps fill HUB with voters By Andy Elder, Student Affairs Writer Most people would be surprised to know that federal law requires colleges and universities to make a good faith effort to help students register to vote. That Penn State's efforts far exceed any federal mandate probably wouldn't surprise many people at all. "Early on, before this election was even on the map, my office sponsored a web site to help students download voter registration forms and also have places for students to go to receive information on candidates," said Dr. Art Carter, assistant vice president for Student Affairs. The voter-registration effort has morphed into P.S. U Vote - a non-partisan, student-led organization established in 2003 that has influenced nearly 1,000 Penn State students into registering and voting. For proof of P.S. U Vote's self-proclamation, one needed only to step into Hetzel Union Building on Election Day 2004. "'The three voting precincts in the HUB were the only voting precincts on campus. That was problematic" Carter said. "I don't think they anticipated the sheer number of students who would be voting. I say that because the lines of students snaked throughout the building well after the polls closed." Apparently, the Centre County board of elections couldn't anticipate how effective P.S. U Vote would be. "The number of students who registered and voted in past years was very small and was probably handled very readily," Carter said. "I suspect the Penn State effort would exceed the turnout in other Pennsylvania communities for the young adult vote. Probably our turnout in the 18-24 demographic far exceeded those in average Pennsylvania communities." P.S. U Vote's web site provides prospective voters with an abundance of information on registering to vote and voting and links to other sites which reveal even more details. "I think it's a national model. There ought to be a way to get some attention for the students and faculty who helped put it together and maintain it. I think it's a tribute to what they could do and could creatively put together," Carter said. Carter identified Dr. John Carroll from the School of Information Sciences as being very supportive. "John's research helped support that web site," Carter said. "And I must say the staff support of Laura Brown was instrumental. If anyone single handedly helped the students in this effort, it was her. She's a staff administrator in the Division of Undergraduate Studies. From my perspective, it was the best example of a staff member helping students connect with their community to fulfill their civic duty." And chief among those students, Carter said, was Ben Holsinger, who headed up P.S. U Vote. "I'm especially proud of his efforts. He sat through hours of meetings with students. He organized weekend voter drives in downtown State College. He facilitated forums for students to go to on candidate issues," Carter said. "It was quite phenomenal." So much so that part of Carter's wish for recognition was realized. "We had a number of student inquiries about the campaign. We also had some media interest from other media sources," he said. "And it did get recognition from the Chronicle of Higher Education."
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Updated December 9, 2004