Student group educates peers

 

 

Republican presidential candidates will set base on campus to discuss the current economy and lack of jobs on Nov. 9, and Cathy Rorai hopes it will encourage students to embrace politics.

Rorai, a professor in the department of writing and rhetoric, said she found that most of her students do hold interest in political affairs. She also observed that many students are uninformed about the issues during a class discussion.

“When I talked to my students about the upcoming debates, the one thing that became clear is that they care, but they aren’t quite certain of what to do,” Rorai said.

Max Elliot, a freshman, facilitated a survey gauging student reaction to political questions and the debate coming to campus.

“The most surprising thing I found in my survey is that students actually can recognize political figures,” Elliot said. “Also, most of the students were Democrats.”

Ashley Makebonsky, a freshman, sees this as a unique opportunity to educate herself about politics.

“I am not educated myself, but now that I am of age to vote, it is my responsibility to get educated,” she said.

The survey determined three political topics that students at Oakland University believe should be priorities.

The economy, unemployment and tuition deferment for college students rated most important.

“We are going to create links identifying the three issues, and we will publish these links to those that answered the survey,” Rorai said. “By creating our own community, we are sure that students will have access to this information.”