The Oakland University Student Congress (OUSC) recently hosted its Civics and Succulents program in the Oakland Center Habitat on Oct. 17.
The program centered around raising awareness about voting, especially with local elections either ongoing or upcoming. This event was also part of OUSC’s broader Sustainability Month, which runs until the end of Oct.
“We’re trying to get information out so people are looking at who is running for what, and they’re looking at what platforms are going to push sustainable initiatives as opposed to letting time pass by, letting different politicians who are against sustainability initiatives in general come to power,” OUSC’s Director of Sustainability, Katya Eskander, said.
Students were also able to grab a free succulent for their dorms and apartments — plants that require little water and little maintenance — provided by Greystone Gardens.
“We’re trying to get people a little bit more into greenery, a little bit more aware of sustainable initiatives,” Eskander said. “So indoor plants are loosely tied to biodiversity.”
OUSC passed out cards including information about how to register to vote, the local county clerk’s office, ongoing elections, early voting and absentee voting.
Even though Michigan had the highest youth voter turnout in 2022 with 36.5%— the largest jump from the 2018 elections — Eskander said there is still room for improvement. OU itself recently hosted the sixth annual Michigan Student Voting Summit earlier this month to engage students in politics.
“We had one of the higher registrations in the United States, and for that to only be 37% of young people, that’s still pretty abysmal,” she said.
Eskander added that local elections hold a great deal of influence.
“Local elections very specifically have a lot of power that people overlook,” she said. “People usually will take their presidential ballot, fill in the president and absolutely nothing else… but your local elections actually hold way more power over what your life looks like and what your future looks like than people ever give credit for.
“We are the generation that is coming to power. We’re going to be the ones that are deciding things sooner rather than later. So the sooner people start learning about what’s going on in their area, the better.”
People can either register or see if they’re already registered to vote online through Michigan’s Voter Information Center (MVIC). Voters can also view what will be on the ballot as well. To vote in the upcoming Nov. 7 Oakland County elections, voters must register in person at their local clerk’s office with proof of residency.
OUSC’s Sustainability Month continues with the Sustainability Townhall on Oct. 25 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Oakland Center (OC) Ambassador Rooms, the Plogging Run on Oct. 27 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Elliott Tower and the Sustainability Org Showcase on Oct. 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. near the OC food court.
To stay up to date with OUSC’s initiatives and programs, please visit their Instagram, @ouscofficial.
