Here at Tulane, it’s easy to become isolated from the issues outside our campus bubble. While we attend school in a city rich with culture, history, and diversity, we are mostly confined to our Uptown campus life. Additionally, although the administration and students alike have been taking strides towards bringing more diversity to campus, we remain a relatively homogenous crowd. Due to this truth, we can easily become desensitized to issues happening in the world around us. And while the upcoming November elections are an incredible opportunity for all of us to take some action towards affecting change, here are some other ways in which we can stay politically active throughout the year.
Staying informed about ongoing events is a necessary part of staying politically active and aware. In order to know what issues to take action against or who to support, it is our obligation to keep track of what is going on around us. In addition to it being our civic duty, taking the time to listen to a news broadcast or read an article or two will allow you keep up with any conversation and avoid being left out. To top it all off, Tulane offers all of its students a New York Times subscription, so none of us have an excuse to stay in the dark anymore.
Although Tulane has a plethora of political organizations on campus, we often don’t take advantage of utilizing them. From College Democrats/Republicans, to Women in Politics, to the various Arab-Israeli conflict organizations present on campus, we can all find an organization with a mission that we are passionate about. While you don’t need to dive into clubs to become more politically involved, I encourage you to check out organizations that interest you and use them to learn about and take action against current issues that you care about.
As for the local political scene, start by looking into organizations or politicians who are dealing with problems in the New Orleans area that you are passionate about. Contacting these organizations and asking how you can get involved on or off campus is an excellent way to become more conscientious and active regarding your political leanings.
This tip is pretty self-explanatory: if you missed the deadline for the November elections, make sure to register for the next one! For those of you who have registered, I hope to see you all cast your ballot. Voting is one of the most direct ways we can express our interests and materialize our vision for our society.
Staying politically active is one of the best ways to make your voice heard and remain aware of the world around us, which in this day and age, is rapidly changing all the time. As young people, we are often faced with older generations discrediting our lived experiences and our voices, as this ad demonstrates. Our apathy and lack of political participation only work against our desires to make our generation’s wishes for the future seen and heard. So, try and become more politically involved in the future!
COVER PHOTO: Time Magazine
About Ori Tsameret
A sophomore from Portland, Ori has triple citizenship and speaks fluent Hebrew. He enjoys getting involved with the New Orleans community with his political economics major.
A sophomore from Portland, Ori has triple citizenship and speaks fluent Hebrew. He enjoys getting involved with the New Orleans community with his political economics major.
