PioneerVote is Now a University Club
Goal is to encourage peers to register and get involved in local, state and national elections
PioneerVote, which began last fall as a grassroots effort by a group of students to encourage their peers to register to vote and become involved in elections, has grown into a new club at Sacred Heart University. Information about the new club has been incorporated into SHU’s orientation packet.
“We want to continue to encourage our fellow students to be politically aware and to register to vote,” says Meridith Kennedy ’20, who co-chairs the new club along with Carlos Ruiz ’21. “Our generation is not always so politically aware, which is a problem because we are the voices of the future.”
She says PioneerVote was extremely successful last fall in encouraging students both to register in Bridgeport, Fairfield or their hometowns and to exercise their right to vote. “With this being a presidential election year, we think it is even more important to get our fellow students involved,” Kennedy says. There are approximately 10 students in the club so far, and Kennedy and Ruiz are hoping more will join.
“I’m very thankful for the support that was given to PioneerVote,” adds Ruiz. “From athletics, student life and other members of the student body to faculty and staff, it showed us that the importance of voting was not only our passion, but was important to the entire SHU community.”
Gary Rose, professor and chair of the University’s government program, is the faculty adviser for the club. A political science professor for 40 years, he specializes in the field of American politics. In addition to his teaching, he has published 13 books on various subjects, including Connecticut government, the American presidency, constitutional law and presidential elections. A widely quoted political commentator and scholar, Rose frequently provides political analysis for local, state and national media. One of his most recent works is an 800-page tome titled HAYWIRE: A Chronology of the 2016 Presidential Contest. In 2011, he was named “Connecticut Professor of the Year” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Rose says he is excited to advise the students involved with PioneerVote. “It’s critical that young people take an interest in what is happening in the world—and a good way to have a voice is through organizing, exchanging ideas and voting,” he says. “In addition to registering students and providing information, the club will bring a variety of politically active guest speakers to campus—representing all aspects of the political spectrum.”