AU was among several universities to attend Harvard's Institute of Politics initial strategic meeting as part of the National Campaign for Political and Civic Engagement last Friday.
The main purpose of the campaign is to organize a national effort to encourage student participation in national politics especially with the upcoming 2004 presidential election.
"A lot of the students especially undergraduates felt we needed to work with other schools and institutions ... to further the political process and tie in more student involvement," IOP chairman Dan Glickman said.
The group plans to work together on a number of issues - issue specific recommendations for government, media, campaigns, compiling the best practices for promoting political and civil engagement; and creating new training opportunities for organizations who want to promote youth engagement in politics, according to their press release.
"We want to establish the best practices, a clearinghouse for those practices and provide politicians with ways to engage students into their campaigns since most look to older people for support," Glickman said. "Many young people don't vote or participate in politics. They are more involved in public service instead."
AU's Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, participants in the group, sent Sam Garrett, assistant director of research and Kevin Lenaburg, staff assistant director for public affairs and advocacy institute, as representatives.
According to Garrett, the meeting was more organizational but everyone there was eager to be involved in the project.
"We are hopeful and very eager in talking with students from across the country about engaging students in the political process," Garrett said. "We want to expose more students to politics through the program and other resources."
Other universities involved include Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute for Politics, the University of Kansas' Dole Institute of Politics and the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics. Other universities are expected to join the group by the next meeting in spring 2004.
