Margaret Groarke, Ph.D.
MANHATTAN.EDU / COURTESY
Emmanouel Sofillas, Managing Editor
Manhattan University has been recognized as one of the most engaged campuses for student voting in 2024, by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.
MU was acknowledged alongside 471 institutions, by completing four main actions recorded throughout the year including, “Participating in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge; Sharing 2022 NSLVE reports with campus voting data with ALL IN; Developing and submitting a 2024 democratic engagement action plan; and Having a current signatory to ALL IN’s Higher Education President’s Commitment to full student voter participation,” according to an article posted on manhattan.edu.
For students like Gabrielle Blair, a philosophy major and member of Jaspers Vote, the recognition signifies more than a badge of honor.
“It means that we are definitely a campus that’s active in both student and social life and very concerned with the issues going on in our community,” Blair said.
The university earned this award through intentional efforts, according to Margaret Groarke, Ph.D., a political science professor and leader of Jaspers Vote, MU’s non-partisan campaign to get Jaspers to register and vote.
“We made a good plan of what things are effective and what gets people involved, and we tried to focus on those things,” Groarke said.
Among the standout initiatives Jaspers Vote worked on this past year were pamphlets called “The More You Know,” election watch parties and classroom presentations led by student members.
“It makes me feel proud to see that there are actually students and people my age who care enough to go out and vote,” Samantha Pavlick, a political science major, said. “Seeing the turnout of events and how people came and cared about what we were doing was really rewarding.”
One of the initiatives that contributed to MU’s recognition was the active involvement of student leaders in delivering classroom presentations.
“There are seven students on the team who made a presentation to bring into classes,” Groarke said. “Everybody also went and did some classes, and I got a lot of positive feedback from professors about that.”
The impact of these initiatives is likely to extend into the spring semester, as New York City and the campus community prepare for a mayoral election. Students involved in Jaspers Vote plan to build on their success by spreading information about candidates and voter rights.
“We’re planning on making sure students feel confident in their knowledge and who to vote for,” Blair said.
Groarke highlighted the use of a new online portal that allows students to register to vote via QR codes around campus.
“If you click on it, you can register to vote right there,” Groarke said. “We can track the count in real time.”
This data has already helped the team identify which strategies are most effective, such as prioritizing classroom outreach over tabling in common areas.
The recognition also aligns with a broader cultural shift on campus, where students are exploring ways to become more involved in their communities. Blair cited resource fairs and discussions on starting cultural groups as examples of this shift.
Pavlick also reflected on the potential for deeper civic engagement.
“I hope that lots of students with different views and interests will organize politically around the things they care about—not just vote, but use their voices all the time,” Pavlick said.