Promoting Civic Education and Voter Registration at FIT

In this column by Amy Werbel, professor of Art History and Museum Professions, president of the Faculty Senate, and SUNY Fellow in Civic Education and Engagement and Civil Discourse, the art censorship scholar discusses the importance of voting.

It is presidential election season in the United States, and that always leads to increased interest in politics and debates about the future of the nation. This year, transformative state and federal elections will take place on Nov. 5. Many of the issues under debate are of paramount importance to our students, including reproductive rights, the climate crisis, gun violence, student debt, LGBTQ rights, book bans, and the war in Gaza. Early data suggests that youth voter registration is surging as compared with 2020, propelled by awareness and concern for the future direction of our country and the world.

During the last academic year, college campuses (including here at FIT) were sites of protest, disagreement, and discord. In a democracy, voicing disagreements and debating positions is both necessary and healthy. How we conduct those debates, however, is important. The strength of any democratic society lies in our ability to listen to opposing viewpoints, to articulate our values and policy goals, to persuade and to be persuaded, and to reach consensus. The need to win hearts and minds makes democracy an additive sport, and especially in public higher education, it should always be training season.

Civic education and engagement can help all of us develop the skills to be more effective participants in our imperfect but aspirational democracy. “Civics” used to be a core part of the United States’ public education system, but as more time was devoted to “the basics” (reading, mathematics, and science) following passage of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, civic education fell by the wayside. It is long past time to correct this problem, and both at the campus and SUNY-wide level, work is underway to do so. This fall, for the first time, SUNY first-years will take courses in “U.S. History and Civic Engagement,” rather than the old designation “American History.”

In keeping with this change, this fall, FIT faculty, staff, and students have planned a series of events to promote civic education and engagement, starting most prominently with FIT Votes!, our own one-stop shop for voter registration, requesting a ballot by mail, getting polling place and early voting information, and scheduling text reminders. Tables will be staffed in the Feldman Lobby and the Breezeway in the coming weeks, with easy access for eligible voters in our community to stop by and make sure their voice will be heard in November.

Voter registration will be just part of the fun on Sept. 17, which we are calling Political Empowerment Day (it is also known as National Voter Registration Day and Constitution Day). The Breezeway will be filled with ice cream, a trivia game and prize wheel, tables featuring information about the Constitution and the First Amendment, student club activities, and more. In the cafeteria and other sites across campus, film loops will feature footage of voting activists from the civil rights era. Faculty have also organized ongoing professional development opportunities and peer-to-peer mentoring for teaching civic education and discourse in the classroom. The Writing and Speaking Studio has organized workshops on “Writing for Change,” and the Student Government Association is launching a social media campaign they are calling “Why We Vote.” Lectures, films, and a library story hour are also planned, some of which address cross-cultural experiences of politics and voting.

We know that this work is just a start at rebuilding civic skills, but it is inspiring for so many in our community to be excited to do their part. The Great Seal of the United States features our first motto, E Pluribus Unum. While out of many we will never be one, we can work to make democratic forms of engagement once again a binding force and source of national pride.

Find links to some of the events below, and stay tuned for updates: