Departments, volunteers register new voters

The biology department and the School of Education did their part last week to register students in preparation for the voter registration deadline expiring today. \nGraduate advisor Gretchen Clearwater spearheaded the registration effort of the biology department, which set up a table in the atrium of Jordan Hall and sent out e-mails to all undergraduate biology majors in an attempt to make the registration process more accessible to students. \nThe table was staffed by other biology staff and graduate students and was available to students from noon to 1 p.m. every day from Thursday Sept. 23 through Friday. \n"We are just doing our share to promote voter registration," Clearwater said. "It is a privilege to vote in the United States, and too many people do not take advantage of it."\nClearwater has also been involved in registration efforts in Indianapolis with an organization called Common Bonds. In her experiences with that organization, Clearwater said she noticed a large number of women are not registered.\n"It's really sad when someone will say 'I don't vote'," she said. \nHowever, Clearwater said she is excited about the reaction she has witnessed here at IU.\n"The turnout has been great," she said. "We have been registering 12 to 15 people every day."\nSenior Keira Mac Isaac is one of the students who registered at the biology department's drive.\n"This is a really important election," Mac Isaac said. "The issues that we are voting on are more divisive than in the last election. If I don't vote, I can't be upset if something that I don't like happens."\nMac Isaac appreciated the convenience of registering at Jordan Hall.\n"I think it's great they are registering people in the atrium," she said. "It makes it easier (for science students) because we are here so much anyway."\nNita Levison, coordinator of diversity and international programs at the School of Education, instituted a similar initiative to register students.\nLevison, along with other volunteers from the department, staffed a table last week from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the atrium of the Education building.\nLevison said the series of articles in the Indiana Daily Student about voter registration brought the issue to her attention.\n"(The IDS) had all these stories about efforts on campus, and I thought 'Hey, we can do that'," Levison said. "It's been a real learning experience. Next election we will start earlier and have more hours."\nLevison has also had previous experience in registering people to vote at Ivy Tech, and locally at the Farmers Market, the Multicultural Festival and the Fourth Street Arts and Crafts Festival.\nLevison said the registration efforts have received positive reactions.\n"People walk by and say 'Thanks for doing this'," she said.\n-- Contact staff writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu.