Freshmen political interest rises

This year's freshman class may be discussing something other than alcohol for a change -- politics.

A recent survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Information found political interest among college students reversed a long decline.

"The American Freshman: National Norms" survey found one-third of students said keeping updated on political affairs is "very important." This was a slight increase from last year and the first year without a decrease in thirty-five years.

The study also found 22.5 percent of freshmen discuss politics on a frequent basis. This is an increase from the 19.4 percent in 2002 and it is the highest percentage since 1993.

The recent resurgence of political interest has been attributed to several different factors. Tufts Republicans President Phillip Tsipman cited the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 as a contributing factor. He said Sept. 11 allowed people "to see that it's not just a process that is very removed in Washington D.C. but that it affects everyone."

President of Tufts VOX (Voices for Choice) Judith Neufeld agreed that the events of Sept. 11 had contributed to heightened political awareness. Sept. 11 "awakened a desire for people to help others and learn more about politics and foreign policy," she said.

Sept. 11 showed how important government and political policy was in context of everyday life, Neufield added.

The study authors suggested the renewed political interest is partially attributable to how students desire to influence political structure. 20.1 percent of survey participants said this was a very important life goal.

"College students don't feel disconnected from the world problems and they really do see a way of changing things through the political process," Tsipman said. He said one goal of the Tufts Republicans is to connect students to the political process and current issues.

UCLA education professor and survey director Linda Sax said in spite of the recent resurgence, political awareness among students is still relatively low. She said irrelevant campaign issues, the negative tone of politics and being busy with other activities are the three reasons most frequently cited for lack of political participation.

"[Students have] no time to worry about politics," Sax said.

The future of student political consciousness is uncertain. Sax said that it is too early to tell whether the 2004 presidential election will further captivate students' attention.

Tsipman predicted after the contentious selection in 2000 "a lot of interest has been generated in where the future of this country is headed." He added that the race this year is a "pretty close one" and that "everything is at stake."

Tsipman said there is a difference between the mounting political sentiment at other campuses and the atmosphere at Tufts.

"What's different is that you do have someone at Tufts University saying, 'Hey, I can do something about that,'" he said.