Let Your Voice Be Heard at UMass

In college, you are young and seemingly carefree. However, turning 18 means you are able to change what you want to see change. We do this by voting. As Election Day passes us, it’s important to remember that voting is a civic duty necessary in order to exercise our rights in a Democracy. I am fortunate to go to a university that heavily encourages this.

UMass and the surrounding town of Amherst make it extremely accessible for students to pursue our civic duty. Amherst Town Hall sets up polling stations in the Student Union for voting the week before and of November 6 for state and town-wide elections (if you are registered to vote in Amherst). On-campus organizations help students fill their voter registration if they aren’t already registered, and even help with absentee ballots if they are not registered to vote in the Amherst district. UMass recognizes the importance of voting so there are several resources to help you if needed.

Growing up, I was always told to voice my concerns. If I was unjustly treated, I was told to speak up about it. Living with this mentality, it was important that I chose a school that would allow me to do just that. If you face a problem on campus, UMass tells you to (peacefully) speak out against it. Far too often young people aren’t taken seriously when we speak out against pressing issues. It is unrightfully assumed that our age makes us less knowledgeable, which is far from true. Therefore, I consider myself extremely lucky to go to a school that allows us to exercise our intelligence and knowledge for issues we deem necessary. Even if you have a problem against the administration, the school still encourages you to voice your concerns!

In Amherst and surrounding towns, it is important you are heard, and is luckily very easy to get involved to do so. It is so vital, on any college campus, to know that the administration cares for and listens to its students. UMass does this admirably by not only allowing students to voice concerns but also by legitimately listening to those concerns, all in a continuous effort to better our campus.