A Community in Action
![Dickinson votes registration 20240917 022 jo 700x467 dsonmagf24](/images/Dickinson_Votes_Registration_20240917_022_JO_700x467_dsonmagf24.jpg")
Jones, pictured with student voting engagement coordinators Zoe Selig ’27 (left) and Erin Zacks ’25. Photo by Joe O'Neill.
As I write this, it is early October, the air has turned cooler and perhaps the most contentious presidential campaign in my lifetime is in full swing.
Time and again I am asked by alums and others outside of Dickinson how our community is dealing with this consequential and polarizing election season. My answer is always the same: We are endeavoring to foster a climate that is respectful and participatory. Since our founding, Dickinson has been committed to educating engaged global citizens. Leaning into democracy is in our DNA, and our current students are prime examples of this. Case in point: In 2020, the National Study of Learning, Voting & Engagement found that Dickinson had the highest voter registration rate and highest voter turnout of any four-year college in Pennsylvania.
Nearly 300 students gathered in ATS on Sept. 10 to watch the debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. The viewing was a nonpartisan event organized by Student Senate, and the Harrisburg newspaper reported on it. It was respectful, highlighted by some good-humored back and forth, and featured robust reactions by the crowd. I was incredibly proud of our students and grateful to Student Senate for hosting the watch party.
A week later, on National Voter Registration Day, the award-winning Dickinson Votes group held a voter registration event on Britton Plaza. Dickinson Votes is the college’s nonpartisan voter-engagement initiative, which has been doing this great work on campus for eight years. Associate Professor of Political Science Sarah Niebler, Associate Professor of Sociology Erik Love, Associate Professor of French & Francophone Studies Adeline Soldin and Director of Global & National Partnerships & Programs for the Center for Civic Learning & Action Laura Megivern lead the effort, which relies on student volunteers to get the message out. They have done a wonderful job this semester, with hundreds of students registered.
At moments like these, as I watch our community in action, I am reminded of just what a special place Dickinson is. We bring together people from around the globe to live and learn together, as well as to tackle the most challenging issues of our time. We aren’t perfect, of course, but we are a remarkable community and a shining example of what is possible.
As we work to strengthen that community, we are launching an effort that will require reflection from all of us. In the months ahead, we will work together to identify our core institutional values. What defines Dickinson? Why do we make the decisions we do? What are those core principles that we will never compromise as we adapt to the future of higher education?
Amy McKiernan, associate professor of philosophy and director of Ethics Across Campus & the Curriculum, will lead us as we work to define those three to five institutional values. This process will take time and be a communitywide effort. There will be ample opportunity for alumni and families to share their thoughts and get involved, so look for more information in January.
Whether engaging civilly in a contentious election, debating difficult issues or framing our values, we are proceeding in a way that is quintessentially rooted in our history and traditions. Indeed, it is how we continue to move Dickinson forward. It is no accident that, as I frequently say, we produce graduates who are confident and ready to change the world. It is the Dickinson way.
Read more from the fall 2024 issue of Dickinson Magazine.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published November 20, 2024