2022年5月12日
韦德体育app官网 students Jeremy 约翰逊 and Anna 凡超过 are among 25 students selected to serve on the Michigan Department of State’s Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force.
接下来的一年, they will serve as civic engagement liaisons between the Michigan Secretary of State's office and 韦德体育app官网 to inform their peers of their voting rights, promote awareness of the newly redistricted electoral maps and combat election misinformation on campus.
They were named to the task force in late April, along with students from 17 other higher education institutions across the state. 在被选中之前, students submitted an application and were interviewed about their ideas on how to increase civic participation among young people on college campuses.
约翰逊 and 凡超过 have worked on a variety of civic engagement efforts on OU’s campus and in their communities.
约翰逊, 勃朗峰, has served on the 韦德体育app官网 Student Congress as Director of Civic Affairs and Speaker of the Legislature, and as a Student Fellow for the 校园 Vote Project, an initiative devoted to reducing barriers to student voting.
通过这些角色, the political science major has supported campus-wide civic engagement efforts, including voter registration drives, providing free postage for absentee voting, and collaborating with student organizations and campus departments to host civic engagement events.
These efforts helped OU gain recognition as a 选民友好校园. 事实上, of the Michigan colleges participating in the National Study of Learning, 投票, 和参与, OU ranked fourth in voter turnout in 2020 and had a nearly 90% voter registration rate, among the highest in the state.
“通常, student voters turn out among the least of all voting blocs, and as the population that will eventually inherit our nation’s democracy and political systems, it is incredibly important we begin to turn out and vote now,约翰逊说. “投票 is not the only way to advocate for changes you’d like to see, but it is one of the most important ways, and my goal is to make voting as easy as possible for every student at OU.”
凡超过, an anthropology and sociology major, has been active on campus as President of OU’s Alpha Sigma Tau sorority chapter and Vice President of the Greek Council. 她是健康协会的成员, 乐观, 正念, 教育, 稳定性(房屋), a student group advocating balance between body, mind and social aspects of life, the OU chapter of the American Association of 大学 Women, and also has held student leadership roles in the First Year Advising Center, Orientation and New Student Programs, Office for Student Involvement, 本科招生, The 荣誉学院 and OU Athletics.
Through her sorority, 凡超过 has volunteered with 奥克兰县的避风港, a nationally recognized nonprofit that provides programs to promote violence-free homes and communities, and helps victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
She has also supported Kids Against Hunger and Dress for Success, a nonprofit that helps women achieve economic independence by providing professional attire and other resources. Along with these outreach activities, 凡超过 has served as an election worker in her hometown of Madison Heights.
“Many people only view electoral work as civic engagement, but that is not the case,” she said. “Civic engagement is when communities work together in political and non-political settings to improve and protect their communities. I joined the Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force because I want to make a positive impact on the 韦德体育app官网 community, as well as other college communities in Michigan.”