Project 10: Can We Increase Student Political Engagement?

1. Project 10: Can We Increase Student Political Engagement?

2. About Stetson University • A university in four central Florida locations: Gulfport (Stetson Law School), Tampa (Law Center), Celebration (graduate programs), and DeLand (main campus). • DeLand campus: Between Orlando and Daytona Beach. • 2,100 undergraduates, majority from Florida.

3. Stetson University: At the political epicenter of the world? • DeLand, Florida: Seat of Volusia County government. • Volusia was one of the counties at the center of the 2000 Bush-Gore election debacle. • Central Florida: The battleground of the largest battleground state in U.S. presidential elections.

4. Young Americans’ Political Engagement • Dimensions of engagement: interest, knowledge, activity • Kinds of engagement: civic, civil, political • Some surveys show considerable civic engagement, but most surveys report relatively low political engagement among young Americans. • Age, period, or generation?

5. The College Complication • Beside age and generational challenges, many college students are either not registered at all, or registered back home, often a distance too far to drive any day, let alone a school day. • Voting absentee may seem a minor task, but even minor obstacles to voting reduce the chance that inexperienced voters will register and vote.

6. Project 10: A Field Experiment • Phase 1: Pre-Test: Online survey of on-campus Stetson second year students (spring and summer 2010). • Phase 2: Treatment: Political education and GOTV campaign (late August to November 2, 2010). • Phase 3: Post-Test: Online survey of same Stetson student cohort (November-December 2010). • Limitations: No control group. Not investigating effects of particular organizing tactics.

7. Sample Survey Questions • Are you registered to vote? • Did you vote in the last general election on November 4, 2008? • Do you plan to vote in the general election on November 2 this year? • Generally, do you think the Republican Party/Democratic Party would like the government to provide fewer services in order to reduce spending, or provide more services even if it means an increase in spending? • Do you happen to know which party currently has the most members in the Florida State House of Representatives? • Who is the current mayor of DeLand?

8. Project 10: Testing Claims • Claim 1: Political disengagement among young Americans is reversible. • Claim 2: Peer-to-peer political organizing can help reverse student political disengagement. • Experiment’s vehicles: two fall 2010 courses: 1) “Political Analysis” to conduct post-survey. 2) “COSC” to conduct treatment.

9. “Community Organizing for Social Change” (COSC) • COSC offers students resume-building training in community organizing, a paying profession. • Half of course grade depends on students’ organizing efforts, documented in organizing portfolio. • Students have large role in shape and force of education and organizing campaign. • Some organizing keys: social networks, involving others, creative education, GOTV method

10. Questions for you! • Problems you see, or cautions you would raise as we proceed with Project 10? • Any specific suggestions for this fall’s organizing/COSC component of Project 10? • Scholars, professionals, activists, websites, videos, publications, or else you recommend? • Do you know of others doing similar campus student engagement experiments?