Voting A Class Requirement For Some At Drew

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Voting A Class Requirement For Some At Drew

Posted by timothy on Sunday September 26, 2004 @06:09AM from the such-a-pretty-campus-too dept.

timrichardson writes "A Quaker literature professor at Drew University tried to make voting at the US Presidential elections a requirement for her English Lit class. NY Times has the story (free registration required)."

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This would be a good idea... by Pluvius · 2004-09-26 06:13 · Score: 2, Interesting

...if it was for a poli sci class, especially one focusing on America. I can't make any sense out of it being a requirement for English lit.

Rob
1. Re:This would be a good idea... by Nomihn0 · 2004-09-26 12:59 · Score: 1, Interesting
  
  It is not harassing, it is your responsibility as a citizen of the United States of America. The least these students could get is get a little kick in the rear to go and vote.
  If choosing your next president (or, as /.ers might comprehend, "[evil] overlord") is offensive to you, you ought to move to a fascist state in which your name is simply assigned to a predetermined vote.
  Illegal? Private universities can require whatever they please so long as it is not discriminatory (or against an explicit state or federal law). If there is any question as to the legality of an action, it's up to the student to appeal to a court.
  I challenge you to find a law that states that "In an optional educational environment, requirements of students must be germane to the topic being taught."
  If you're talking about "legality" within a campus setting, that's WHOLLY up to the university's administration.
2. Re:This would be a good idea... by autopr0n · 2004-09-26 13:37 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Illegal? Private universities can require whatever they please so long as it is not discriminatory (or against an explicit state or federal law). If there is any question as to the legality of an action, it's up to the student to appeal to a court.
  
  They can't require you to smoke weed, they can't require you to work for less then minimum wage, they can't require you to shoot cops, and they can't require you to vote. It's illegal to force or even reward anyone for voting.
  
  --
  autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
3. Re:This would be a good idea... by N3WBI3 · 2004-09-26 14:55 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  It is not harassing, it is your responsibility as a citizen of the United States of America. The least these students could get is get a little kick in the rear to go and vote.
  Its not this teachers job to 'kick them in the but', if the teacher makes a speech about why its important to vote, great I am all for the effort. I never miss an election but thats my right, it would also be my right to sit on my rear at home and not vote, its called freedom.
  Private universities can require whatever they please so long as it is not discriminatory (or against an explicit state or federal law). If there is any question as to the legality of an action, it's up to the student to appeal to a court.
  No they can not, a private university can not insist that studants go to s strip club no matter how legal it is.
  "In an optional educational environment, requirements of students must be germane to the topic being taught."
  If this school is ABET certified they have very tight guidelines to which they must adhere.
  
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Re:was he asking for trouble? by ctr2sprt · 2004-09-26 06:37 · Score: 3, Interesting

I can think of far more objectionable things to do, and I can think of a lot of classes where I've had to do them all. And you know, all those classes, if I'd had a legitimate problem with doing what I was asked to, I could've spoken with the prof and gotten out of it. There's not a doubt in my mind that this prof would be similarly understanding. I mean, if I can provide a reasoned, well-thought out explanation of why I decline to vote, doesn't that accomplish everything the prof hopes for here? In his place I'd be ecstatic, because I expect half the kids in the class can't tell GWB from JFK.
Note that I didn't RTFA. Maybe he makes a liar out of me by saying he will not, under any circumstances, excuse anyone. I really wish Slashdot wouldn't run NYT stories.
Re:So what if some students CANNOT vote? by Bishop · 2004-09-26 07:26 · Score: 2, Interesting

The only siliness here is your post.

Ofcourse the professor is going to use her discretion with students who can not vote. Obviously if you thought of this problem so did she.

For other students, it might be quite a morass to figure out if they can vote

I will give you the benefit of doubt and assume that you have not attended a university, or the one you did attend wasn't very good. A good university professor is always more interested in the methods used to achieve a goal then the actual goal itself. In other words: showing your work is more important then the correct answer. Now I know it is hard to find good professors. Indeed they are probably a minority. However this professor has shown that she thinks outside of her field and beyond the classroom. This is a pretty good indication that this professor is at least "decent." It is probable that if one of her students can not vote, and can explain why, then that student will recieve full marks.

I am disapointed by the negative attitude towards this professor. She should be congradulated for encouraging others to think about voteing.
Weird... by kjones692 · 2004-09-26 07:36 · Score: 2, Interesting

To me, this is the weirdest part of the article:

Professor Skaggs said the penalty for failing to enter the voting booth, which would be done on the honor system, would probably be "a failure to be generous" on her part when it comes time to issue grades and "an inclination to round fractions down."

So, if you don't complete this external activity, she'll have a slight bias against you for the rest of the year? The problem is that it's so subjective you have really no way of knowing how fair she's being in this.

Just weird.

--

Love the Third Amendment?
I have a religious objection to voting by Fished · 2004-09-26 07:55 · Score: 2, Interesting

I have a religious objection to voting, since I believe that I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God (who happens to live in the United States.) I pay taxes, I submit to the authorities of this country, and I will help it in any way my consciences allows - but I won't pretend it is my own. This is far from an unheard of point of view - many Quakers and Mennonites have held it for centuries.
If this were a political science class, she might have a case for this being a necessary requirement (although I would still feel strongly that students should be allowed to substitute an explanation for their decision NOT to vote for voting.) As it is, it presents a massive chilling effect on the religious freedom of withdrawal.

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"He who would learn astronomy, and other recondite arts, let him go elsewhere. " -- John Calvin, commenting on Genesis 1
"Presidential" elections? by JavaRob · 2004-09-26 08:53 · Score: 2, Interesting

...voting at the US Presidential elections

Ok, this rant is already in my sig, but I will expand a bit here since it's on topic. There are no "US Presidential elections", where you show up at the polls, vote for the president, and go home.

I don't know if this professor is presenting it this way to the students or not, but most U.S. citizens seem to see it this way. It's shamefully common for people to say "Eh, why vote? I'm in a swing state!"

There are plenty of more items on every ballot -- local and state representatives, and propositions that your local/state government wants your feedback on before they change the laws.

You are NOT just going to vote for the POTUS -- so if you don't show just because you're not in a swing state, all you're doing is saying "I don't care" to all of the local and state decisions that are going to be made until the next election... and trust me, you WILL care about some of them.

Back to the specific topic -- some people might have their specific reasons for NOT voting (it's a pretty dumb way to protest against the system, but there could be religious reasons, etc.), so I'd argue instead for an assignment where the student does everything to vote (including ensuring they are registered, and getting a mail-in ballot if necessary), and documents what they did -- then has the personal option to actually cast a vote or not.

Same idea (and a great assignment, I think), without the iffy aspects.