With the Presidential election swiftly approaching, citizens among every political party across the nation are considering which candidate to vote for. At WTAMU, though the search for a political party may not be too hard to come by, the quest for a student political organization is.
“I’m not sure why there are no student political organizations on campus at this time,” Dr. Dave Rausch, Teel Bivins Professor of Political Science, said. “Students may be served by similar organizations that exist out in the larger community of Canyon and Amarillo. It is also possible that with classes, work, and other social organizations, students do not have time for a College Republicans group, for example. Some social organizations may be providing that political outlet.”
For some students, political organizations would not be worth the time or effort put into creating and being a part of them.
“I think most students are disinterested in politics because they are very busy and don’t have time to spend with an organization focused on those types of issues,” Aaron Davidson, a junior Secondary Science major, said. “They also may feel that their voice will not be heard and their opinion doesn’t matter much anyway. I’m sure there is a mixed perspective of views on campus, but I think many students see such a group as just one more thing that they will have to deal with.”
Aside from lack of time, lack of knowledge also plays a role in the disinterest of starting political organizations on campus.
“I probably wouldn’t join a political organization because I don’t feel like I have researched political parties enough to decide which one I want to be a part of,” Cara Acciaioli, a junior Advertising and Public Relations major, said. “I call myself conservative because that’s what my parents are, but honestly I don’t really know what all being a conservative entails.”
Though students may not be extremely interested in politics, they are interested in political issues according to Rausch.
“Politics as an activity seems like a foreign activity to many students,” Rausch said. “Students would like to participate in campaigns, but real campaigns are hard to find around here. Political issues can be discussed outside of formal organizations. Where two or more are gathered, they probably are talking about something political, even if they don’t admit it.”
If students would like to become more involved with politics, Rausch said to simply get involved.
“The easiest way to become more involved in politics is to become involved in politics,” Rausch said. “I’ve always wondered what would happen if a student ran for one of the seats on the Canyon City Commission. Such an action would cause some controversy because we haven’t had an election for the Canyon City Commission in a number of years.”
