Coming from Singapore as an international student, Kathleen
Ditzig worries about adjusting to American culture.
As a first-year art student she worries about adjusting to life
in college.
She worries about getting used to the university system and
learning the new material from her classes.
She said that although registering to vote is important to her
as a dual-citizen of both the United States and Singapore, it is
difficult to make it a priority in between the academic and social
prerogatives that surround a college student’s life.
“I’m not worrying about (registering) yet. My major
thing is getting used to the American culture and worrying about
how things work here at UCLA,” Ditzig said.
For students just joining UCLA, learning about political
contenders and their platforms can be difficult even for students
who have registered to vote.
“Voting is important, but with the school year just
beginning, it’s hard to learn about the candidates and the
issues they care about.” said Nicole Mickell, a third-year
sociology major. “When I have time, I’ll start
researching more.”
The two leading candidates for the upcoming gubernatorial
elections are Republican incumbent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and
California State Treasurer Phil Angelides.
According to his Web site, Schwarzenegger plans to increase the
amount of funding for higher education, which distributes money to
the University of California.
Angelides has set a goal to increase the number of students who
earn bachelor and associate degrees by 40,000 people a year by the
end of his governorship, according to his Web site.
Along with the gubernatorial race, a number of propositions are
also on the ballot, some of which could affect the amount of
state-funding given to public universities.
Alisa Malki, a first-year international development studies
student, said she thinks voting is important because she attends a
public institution that is influenced by government policies.
“We do attend a public school so what goes on in the
government influences how the school is run,” Malki said.
Although Malki is concerned about becoming adjusted to her new
college environment, she said she still cares about knowing
candidate’s views and voting in the November state
gubernatorial elections, as well as the congressional midterm
elections.
“We have to be responsible voters. We have to use our
voices as citizens,” Malki said.
From the Undergraduate Students Association Council to the
University of California Student Association, many on-campus
organizations have been encouraging voter registration, reminding
students that voting is still an important part of college
life.
UCSA began the school year by registering over 7,000 students
across the 10-campus university system and plans to launch a Voter
Registration Week in mid-October.
On the Hill, USAC has held training sessions about voter
registration for resident assistants.
Receiving information and registration forms, Malki had
registered through her RA.
“Everyone says that college students don’t care
about anything, but that’s not true,” said Tina Park,
external vice president of USAC and a UCSA board member.
As the elections get closer, Ditzig said voting does become more
and more of a prerogative to her.
“I don’t believe in being politically apathetic. I
think the government should not rule the people but the people
should rule the government,” Ditzig said.