by Lingfeng Li

When I first started writing for The Gothic Guardian as a freshman, I was full of story ideas and eager to help define the modern young conservative. But, after three years of writing mostly about fiscal policies and economics, I must acknowledge the challenges of keeping up with both news and politics.

I am apparently not unique among young Americans, many of whom also wrestle with political and news media fatigue. In a Gallup poll from March 2010, only 20 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 were “very enthusiastic” about the fall midterm elections, compared with 44 percent in the age group who were “not enthusiastic.”¹ Young Americans are also more likely to be disinterested in the news, politics-related or not. In a study by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard titled “Young People and News,” researchers found that 45 percent of young adults (aged 18-30) more or less did not read newspapers or Internet-based news.²

Maybe the culprit is the disconnect between the scope of these issues and events and the young people themselves. It seems that students struggle when we are forced to consider these issues outside of the classroom, where we are able to write long essays about public policy and political science. In the real world, when I consider writing about the federal debt ceiling it is much easier to get frustrated because ultimately my voice is only one of the many.

But the thing is, though it can be difficult to change the debt ceiling (although anything is possible!) it is still entirely possible to make a difference. Even if our aim is always to make a bigger impact (as opposed to a smaller one) on the world, the key to doing so is usually to start at the local level. When Duke students help with tsunami relief efforts, for example, it is often by collecting donations locally. When we help campaign for politicians, we usually do it by raising awareness in our local area. Even college writers for a publication like The Gothic Guardian are encouraged to focus on campus and Durham issues and events, because it is in the local niche where we can add something new to the conversation. The best solution to fighting apathy on a national scale is to fight it in our local communities and at our universities.

Duke students, while not be able to run for office or lobby in Washington, D.C. yet, can still get involved in the policy decisions taking place around them. According to recent Duke Student Government survey results, 45.8 percent of Duke students had no opinion with regards to the statement “DSG effectively represents me.”³ According to The Chronicle, voter turnout in this year’s DSG executive election was 49.2 percent, which is a significant increase over turnout from past years, but nevertheless a number that can be further improved on.⁴ The data suggests that nearly half of Duke students are probably not sufficiently involved in student government or do not have enough information on DSG initiatives to form a constructive opinion of the organization.

This is a huge problem, because DSG represents the link between the students and the administrators and also functions as a primary way for students to make a difference at Duke. If we’re living up to Duke’s reputation for possessing dynamic students, then the percentage of students who simply don’t feel strongly about their student government needs to decline significantly.

Duke students are known for getting involved. Whether it’s with a political campus political group or Duke Partnership for Service or even Investment Club, there are numerous ways that students can learn more about the world around them and make a difference. Students have vast resources at their disposal to carry out their plans — they just have to take the time and have the initiative to actually make something happen.

The point is: there are no limitations on what young Americans can accomplish. When we get tired of writing political opinions, we can try our hand at community service or cultural group projects. If we feel dissatisfaction about our dining policies, we can run for DSG office. If we are uncomfortable with gender relations, we can go to talks and forums. And if we simply have too many midterms to worry about, we can at least vote in DSG elections every April.

References
1 Newport, Frank. “Dems Hold Slight Advantage in 2010 Election Preferences.” Gallup. 9 March 2010.
2 Report prepared by Patterson, Thomas. “Young People and News.” Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. 2007.
3 DSG Survey Commission. “DSG Survey Commission 2011 Final Report.” Duke Student Government. 30 March 2011.
4 Tanaka, Sanette. “Schork elected next DSG president.” The Chronicle. 7 April 2011.