The Civic Engagement, Voter Education, and Advocacy (CEVEA) task force at the University of St. Thomas is spearheading a comprehensive civic engagement campaign this fall, aimed at fostering a culture of active citizenship across the campus community.
“Democracy only works with an informed and engaged citizenry,” said Dr. Rob Aspholm, the CEVEA faculty liaison and an associate professor in the School of Social Work in the Morrison Family College of Health. “At St. Thomas, CEVEA works to cultivate exactly that kind of democratic ethos among our students.”
Adopt-a-Voter Registration program
One of CEVEA’s key initiatives this semester is the Adopt-a-Voter Registration program, which encourages faculty and staff to actively engage students in voter registration efforts in order to raise voter awareness and participation. The program has allowed CEVEA to co-host over 50 voter registration stations throughout the University of St. Thomas campus for the fall semester. These stations are strategically located in high-traffic areas, such as the John P. Monahan Plaza outside Anderson Student Center, the O’Shaughnessy-Frey and Keffer Libraries, the View dining hall and Koch Commons to reach our residence halls, making it convenient for students to register to vote, as well as receive assistance in completing their registration forms.
For example, CEVEA has partnered with Residence Life to create educational bulletin boards throughout campus housing to inform students about voting registration and process.
Faculty and Student Voter Ambassadors
CEVEA has also continued with the Faculty Voter Ambassadors program, which was piloted during fall 2023. Over 25 faculty members from various departments have signed up to serve as ambassadors, integrating voter education into their curricula, sharing nonpartisan information about the voting process, and encouraging students to register to vote. For one, Dr. Renee Hepperlen has fully incorporated nonpartisan engagement into her Social Work 391 class. Hepperlen has a three-part assignment to encourage her students to become more involved, engage their communities and participate in voter registration, voter education and voter outreach.
Additionally, a diverse team of Student Voter Ambassadors engage their peers directly. Made possible through a community grant from the ALL IN Democracy Challenge and the Ask Every Student Project, this group of student leaders act as advocates for voter participation across the campus, organizing events and facilitating voter registration drives.
Partnerships with FYEX and create[space]
In collaboration with the First-Year Experience (FYEX) program, CEVEA collaborates with all FYEX instructors to encourage participation in the self-paced CEVEA: Voting 101 course on Canvas, which already boasts over 500 enrolled members.
In partnership with create[space], a campus hub for creativity and innovation, CEVEA is organizing a special event Totes and Votes on National Voter Registration Day, Sept. 17, and a continued celebration on Sept. 20 for Democra-Tee. These events will feature interactive activities, such as tote bag screen printing with voting-themed designs, to attract and engage students while emphasizing the significance of voter registration.
Reduce the Rancor: Encouraging Civil Discourse
CEVEA is cultivating a community that values civil discourse and understands the importance of engaging with different viewpoints.
This fall, St. Thomas’ Reduce the Rancor initiative continues its mission to encourage meaningful conversations across differences, focusing on building relationships and finding common ground, even amid disagreement. Through workshops such as Skills to Disagree Better and Depolarizing Ourselves, panel discussions such as the Mind Opener: Trustworthy Elections with Citizen League, and community dialogues, Reduce the Rancor provides a platform for students, faculty, and staff to practice active listening, empathy, and constructive engagement.
As President Rob Vischer reminded students during Welcome Days, “Our primary goal sometimes is not going to be to persuade others that we’re right, but simply to understand the perspective of those who might disagree with us on important issues. It doesn’t mean that we all want to be holding hands and singing ‘kumbaya’ and pretend that there aren’t deep disagreements on things that matter so much to our world; it does mean that we always recognize the importance of relationships and that agreement on contentious issues does not need to be a precondition for friendship.”
Looking ahead
“The University of St. Thomas, through the efforts of CEVEA, is setting a powerful example of how educational institutions can play a pivotal role in promoting civic engagement,” said Father Chris Collins, vice president for mission and a CEVEA Leadership member.
St. Thomas has also been recognized by ALL IN’s inaugural list of Top Campuses by 2022 Voter Turnout for four-year private institutions and has also earned a Platinum Seal from ALL IN based on its 2022 campus voting rate, as well as in 2021 based on 2020 voter information.
