Guest Columnist | Bringing politics and students together again

Let's face it: I landed a Capitol Hill internship this summer, but I don't exactly spend my days rubbing elbows with the House leadership or shaping U.S. policy. Instead, much of my time is spent answering an onslaught of constituent calls for Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), some happy, some angry, some hopeful and some crazy.

But one group never seems to come calling - college students.

I know that the five other interns and myself are not the only college-aged constituents in my Congressman's district, which includes some of the best public and private high schools in the country.

So why is it that graduates of these schools - presumably some of the best and brightest kids in the country - don't care about how the Congressman voted on the Iraq supplemental war funding bill or his efforts to lower the cost of college tuition?

Because it's easy for students to feel removed from the federal government.

I'll be the first to admit that I do a poor job of keeping up with politics during the school year. It's hard enough to stay on top of everything happening at Penn without trying to keep track of the 18 - or is it 20? - 2008 presidential candidates.

Becoming a part of the political system has made me realize that I need to know what is happening in Washington. After all, I need to know whether I'm going to be talking to people about immigration or lobbying reform that day.

But the reasons I should care run deeper than being prepared for work every day.

The world is a turbulent place right now. While most of us are just carefree college students, we'll be forced in a few years by the real world to care a bit more about the costs of health insurance and a tank of gas.

And for those who don't like to think long term, remember that Congress holds the purse strings for federal loans and grants for college tuition.

The 2008 presidential election is gearing up, which ought to be a perfect opportunity for us to make our voices heard.

But according to a study by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, a deplorable 37 percent of college students voted in the last presidential election, compared to 70 percent when 18 to 21 year olds were first allowed to vote in 1972.

Fortunately for us, the media of our generation makes it difficult to be uninformed.

Most candidates have made their entire campaign - news clips, speeches, ads, even a clip of Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-Co.) talking politics as he drives - just a click away in YouTube's "You Choose '08" presidential spotlight.

The video-sharing Web site serves as a forum for presidential candidates to chat up the YouTube community in video exchanges (Hillary Clinton asked viewers to help pick her campaign theme song, for example).

It's a great way to feel more connected to the sea of candidates.

And in case the candidates are having trouble crafting their message to appeal to younger voters, they can turn to recent Georgetown University graduate and political video blogger James Kotecki, who made his mark on YouTube by critiquing politicians' videos (you can see his videos at www.youtube.com/EmergencyCheese).

"As other forms of traditional media fade away, especially for our generation, there's a chance that people who are successful on YouTube can become more successful at the ballot box," he said.

Kotecki thinks the site should be a gigantic town hall between candidates and constituents, but he noted that the site is also a great resource for quick information that will yield more informed voters without the burden of extensive research.

But being issue-savy isn't enough - students still need to get involved.

A browse through the Penn Democrats' Web site and a phone call to College sophomore and College Republicans President Zac Byer revealed that campus political organizations provide a number of ways for students to get involved without giving up hours of their time.

Both organizations bring in speakers, provide opportunities for students to discuss politics and volunteer on campaigns for local and national elections.

And as modern media equip us with the tools we need to start making a much-anticipated difference, the reasons for not being involved are fast disappearing.

So here is my challenge to college voters: Pick a few issues that are important to you, and find out where the '08 hopefuls stand. We're going to be running this country in a few years, so we had better start taking responsibility for it right now.

Rebecca Kaplan is a College sophomore from Bethesda, Md. Her e-mail address is rsquaredkaplan@gmail.com.

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