TU honored as a Voter Friendly Campus
Towson University was recognized recently as one of 123 "Voter Friendly Campuses."
By Sean Welsh on March 10, 2019
Towson University is one of just 123 institutions of higher education to be recognized as a “voter friendly campus.”
The honor was bestowed to colleges and universities in 31 states by NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education — and Fair Election Center’s Campus Vote Project.
TU’s efforts in driving up voter engagement was recognized regularly during the 2018 election cycle.
Chris Jensen, director of the Office of Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility[BROKEN LINK], said his staff is honored to have been part of a select group to receive the “voter friendly” designation.
“Educating students, faculty, and staff about the process to vote continues to be one of the most important roles we strive to promote and enhance for our democracy,” Jensen said. “As we continue to seek new ways to increase voter registration and turnout, I’m proud that Towson University has dedicated resources to have a polling location, both for early voting and on Election Day.”
Towson University was joined by fellow University System of Maryland institutions Frostburg State, University of Baltimore and UMD-College Park on the list.
The campus was also an early voting site in both the primary and general elections in 2018.
The university was also the site of a local candidate forum for those individuals seeking office in District 42.
Both The Towerlight and WBAL-TV shared stories of TU’s voter engagement efforts.
Jensen credited Luis Sierra, TU’s assistant director for civic engagement, with providing a one-stop location for students seeking education around the voting process. The office also helped to host “poll parties” on election days in 2018, helping to book-end the civic engagement for students.
And just because one election cycle is over, doesn’t mean the work is done on campus.
“The Office of Civic Engagement & Social Responsibility will continue to engage students in the voting process, especially as we learn about the students’ experiences during the Midterm Elections, and start preparing for the election season in 2020,” Jensen said.
This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland.