Students at both Campion College and Luther College rallied behind their College presidents in the Pledge to Vote challenge, which was first announced at the end of September. A total of 270 students on the university campus made a pledge to vote in the 2015 federal election on October 19. Of those, 83 indicated an affiliation with Campion College, and 81 indicated and affiliation with Luther College. The overall results were tabulated based on the proportion of students at each College, giving Luther College the lead in the challenge at 16.9% of its student population, with Campion following at 13.0% of its student population pledging to vote.
“The numbers were very close throughout the challenge. We congratulate Luther College on their strong performance in the last week, but are even more encouraged by the overall student engagement in the pre-election activities on campus. The purpose was to encourage participation and I feel that the Pledge to Vote challenge helped to accomplish that goal,” says Dr. John Meehan, SJ, president of Campion College.
The Pledge to Vote challenge was proposed to the College presidents by members of the various groups on campus hosting pre-election events as a means of encouraging student engagement in the federal election. Stations were placed at a number of locations across campus where students could complete a pledge card indicating their intention to vote. The student then placed the card in either the Campion, Luther, or University box, depending through which College or Faculty the student is enrolled. The cards were collected daily and tallied based upon the box in which the card was placed.
“The right to vote is something for which many people around the world struggle to obtain, yet, in Canada, voter turnout among youth aged 18 to 24 remains surprisingly low. The Pledge to Vote challenge offered a fun way to encourage our students—who generally fall into this demographic—to inform themselves of the issues and exercise their right to vote. We are happy with the overall results of the challenge, and I am delighted to hand over my Luther College sweater for President Meehan to wear. However, also in the spirit of federation and the great cooperation between our two colleges, Luther will split the costs of the pizza party in our lounge. We are just happy to be celebrating this effort together,” says Dr. Bryan Hillis, president of Luther College.
Students from both Colleges will enjoy a pizza party at 2:00 p.m. today in the Luther College student lounge.
For more information, contact:
Joanne Kozlowski
Director, Communications & Marketing
Campion College at the University of Regina
Office: (306) 359-1244 Cell: (306) 591-0130
www.campioncollege.ca