(l-r) Sam Harley ’28, Cyre Collins Jackson ’28, and Elisha Carothers ’27 share information at a Constitution Day tabling event on the evolution of voting rights. The trio also encouraged students to register to vote.
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In advance of Pennsylvania's voter registration deadline on Oct. 19, Lycoming College made a public commitment to ensuring every eligible student registered to vote and cast an informed ballot. Lycoming College President Chip Edmonds signed ALL IN's Higher Education Presidents' Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation, joining more than 780 college presidents and chancellors nationwide in a pledge to build a campus culture that supports nonpartisan civic learning and full student voter participation.
“Voting is one of the most important responsibilities as a member of a democratic society,” said Lycoming College President Chip Edmonds. “By signing this commitment, we made clear that full student voter participation isn't a side conversation — it's central to what a liberal arts education stands for. We want every Lycoming student to leave here not only ready for their first job, but ready to be an engaged, informed citizen for life.”
"By signing this commitment, we made clear that full student voter participation isn't a side conversation — it's central to what a liberal arts education stands for. We want every Lycoming student to leave here not only ready for their first job, but ready to be an engaged, informed citizen for life.”
The commitment arrived at a pivotal moment, and students enrolled in Civic Engagement at Lycoming led the charge for full campus engagement. Led by Angela Kurtz, Ph.D., lecturer of sociology at Lycoming College, the class integrated academic coursework with embedded service learning, providing opportunities to examine community needs, the importance of civic engagement and the impact of social inequality on individuals, organizations, and institutions. The class conducted multiple voter registration drives in the lead-up to the mid-term election, registering 41 people to vote.
“The research is clear that a civically involved society has deep positive outcomes not just for the individuals involved in active participation but for societal cohesion and solidarity as a whole,” said Angela Kurtz, Ph.D., lecturer of sociology at Lycoming College. “The goal behind studying civic participation is to actually encourage participation; to help students see why they should get involved in their communities but also to empower them to know how they can get involved. The hope is that they continue to find meaningful ways to contribute to their communities once they leave Lycoming College."