Saint Mary's students are beginning to show interest in this year's presidential election and Campus groups are preparing for it as they closely monitor the national news.
The Student Government Association wants to ensure that students are being heard, said Sarah Brown, student body vice president.
Brown said that campus groups such as Peacemakers, Feminists United, the political science club and the College Democrats and Republicans are joining together to educate voters and possibly even present a voting drive.
A campus-wide week of voter education will start January 26th. Groups will have a day to present issues important to them and present the candidate or candidates they will be backing in the election.
"We are meeting tomorrow night to discuss our plans for the elections," said Jessica Millanes, president of College Republicans. "Voting is very important and college students are a very underrepresented demographic. Saint Mary's women are well-informed, and we can work to change those statistics."
Like most students, Millanes said she stays informed by watching the nightly news and reading the paper often. Recently, newspapers have become a more friendly option for on-campus students through the Collegiate Readership Program.
Managed by USA Today, the CRP delivers leading local and national papers to over 250 participating colleges nationwide. The program is designed to enhance the campus-learning environment and is billed as a relevant real-world resource for higher education.
Mary Nelson, College Democrats vice president and co-founder, said that the papers provided around campus are a key learning tool.
"The newspaper is the primary source of information about our country and the world, and I think the readership program gives us direct access to that every day," Nelson said.
