College campuses have always been hotbeds for political discussion and debate, and with the zeal and fervor that traditionally accompany election years, it is likely this trend will continue in 2008. Youth voter turnout has already proven critical for the 2008 primaries in both New Hampshire and Iowa, as a surge of 18-to-24 year-old voters continue to look for a candidate who supports their needs and addresses the issues important to them as the future leaders of the country.
So what are the issues that are getting America's youth more riled up and politically active in this presidential election than in any other since the days of Vietnam?
Some argue that the cynicism of today's younger generation is to blame. After growing up with the memories of the scandalous White House affair of the Clinton era and experiencing major, unnerving events such as Sept. 11 and the war in Iraq, many believe youths are simply searching for a government they can trust and depend on.
"For many, it's an issue of integrity," said Mike Sinacore, president of the College Republicans, and A&S '08. "People have lost faith in the government and they just want to see someone who's honest."
"Even if it's not the first issue they come up with, I think a lot of students associate the current administration with failure largely because of the war," said John Wheatley, president of the College Democrats and A&S '08.
Even the more recent fear of a possible economic recession has motivated students to become a part of the solution through their right to vote, rather than standing aside and letting the politics of the past continue to control Washington.
Wheatley can attest to the growing anxiety about the economy among college students, especially seniors, who are now only months away from entering the workforce.
People are getting laid off in larger numbers, he argued, and students are feeling the repercussions of this first hand.
Companies are not in positions to hire, leaving many undergraduate interns upset and disappointed after failing to land the coveted first job, and many seniors frustrated with the job search process.
And while change and a clean break from the past seems to be on the forefront of many students' minds, one has to be careful not to link this word solely with the Democrats because of its prominence in their campaigning slogans.
"Among seniors, the economy has become a big issue, causing many to switch to the Republican side because of Mitt Romney's economic conservatism," Sinacore said. "They want change. Many youth voters are following behind [Republican] Ron Paul as well, who is frustrated with politics as usual in Washington."
There are also some issues that have become major concerns to college students that are less universal and more specific to their immediate futures.
One such issue is the topic of army recruitment on college campuses.
Boston College's ROTC programs have faced criticism and protest from students in the past, while other students have stood in solidarity for the right to have such an option on campus.
For an issue that has created heated controversy at BC and undoubtedly other colleges as well, candidates have spent minimal air time on the issue.
At the Nevada Democratic debates, the issue was brought up briefly, with Obama, Clinton and Edwards all supporting army recruitment at schools, but the topic quickly shifted to other matters.
And while it's apparent that youths care about this year's election and understand what's at stake, without the issues that are important to them being given much discussion by the candidates, it is hard to motivate the laggards to become politically engaged and make their voices heard.
"Candidates need to invest time and effort to get the youth vote," said Marc Landy, professor and assistant chairperson of the political science department at BC. "On many dimensions, young people's interests are not so radically different from the older generations.
Candidates just need to actively attract the youth vote - go to college campuses," he said.
Landy, who has been a professor at BC for 32 years, has seen first hand youth involvement and interest in presidential elections, as well as youth apathy. And while he said he has witnessed other elections in the past in which BC students have been equally active, most notably during the Reagan era, Landy said that in the past four years, students have shown a resurged awareness and energetic commitment to political issues both on campus and in the world at large.
Christie Manning, a representative for Declare Yourself, a nonpartisan, non profit campaign trying to increase youth voter registration and involvement, agrees that there has been a growing interest among youths in this election.
"It is not just us [Declare Yourself]; it's this new movement among youths. Apathy is just not cool anymore. People are really starting to care about the issues," Manning said.
Landy compared youth involvement in the 2008 election, both voting numbers and active participation in campaigning, to the 1968 election, where widely unknown Congressman Eugene McCarthy nearly defeated incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson in the New Hampshire primaries through his youth engagement and inclusion of youths in his campaigning.
In this year's election, candidates have noticed the value of young, motivated spirits on the campaign trails (with many of them even hiring full-time youth voting directors), allowing youths to become more politically active than in years before.
And while Landy believes the issues are an important factor on which people should base their choice for a candidate, he advises both students and adults to look at the election from one major viewpoint as well: "Understand that whatever issues the candidate may run on, almost 90 percent of the president's time will be taken up on foreign affairs," he said. "So you really need to consider who you want as the commander-in-chief of the United States. Foreign affairs will always be inevitable, so you need to feel comfortable with who you're getting as your commander."
Jeffrey Aser, founder and president of the BC chapter of Americans for an Informed Democracy and A&S '08, also noted the importance of global issues when examining the potential candidates.
"As Americans, we don't know a lot about the world, and the world doesn't know that much about us," Aser said. "We need to be more informed."
Aser is one of many active and engaged college students from across the country who were chosen to participate in a recent film by young director David Burstein, "18 in '08." The film, which has recently gained the praise of many critics and earned significant media coverage, discusses the importance of the youth vote in the upcoming election and how, regardless of what issue sways one's personal decision, youths actively practicing their right to vote is an important component to a successful and educated future America.
"If you don't vote, your voice isn't heard," Aser said. "And especially as young people, the decisions that are made today are going to influence our lives the longest. If youths unite, we could actually have a dramatic impact."
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