Liu attempts to increase student political involvement

Liu is determined to help students navigate the voting process and nationwide politics. MIA FORTUNATO Photo Editor

Picture this: you’re walking around campus and see everyone wearing their political heart on their sleeve. There are thousands of candidate pins attached to jean jackets and water bottles, hundreds huddled around computer screens watching the State of the Union and dozens petitioning for a better future through democracy.

That may seem like a fantasy, but Chapman is slowly getting there. Yes, there is room for improvement in the political participation here on campus, and although politics may not be everyone’s favorite thing to discuss over the dinner table – or in general, sophomore Jelina Liu is attempting to change that.

Liu, a political science major with a minor in documentary filmmaking, has always been fascinated by politics, but slowly became more politically active during high school. She attended the March For Our Lives protest in 2018, avidly followed the news and learned about money’s role in politics.

“I realized all of the systematic problems in the US still exist,” Liu said. “Even though we have made a lot of progress as a country, there is still so far to go.”

Liu wanted to make a difference in her college community, so she began by approaching Chapman students with flyers in her hand and asking them a simple question: “Are you registered to vote?” She wants to help relieve some of the stress of getting involved in politics by taking students step by step through the process and helping them understand what is going on in the country.

“I feel like Chapman has a lot of political apathy,” said Liu. “If you ask most people here what the primary election is, most people don’t know.”

Liu believes there should be an increase of civics education on campus. Shishei Tsang from the Civic Engagement Initiative voter engagement team believes Chapman students are slowly growing more interested in politics compared to other campuses. Chapman experienced an increase in overall voting of 57.2 percent in 2016 and 44.2 percent in 2018 for the voting rate on campus, according to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) campus reports.

“As an administrator, I think I always want more students to show up,” Tsang said. “Nowadays politics is very personal for everyone, but I think it would be ideal for more students to be more active.”

Although Liu admits getting everyone involved in politics may seem like a never-ending goal, Liu said her belief in Senator Bernie Sanders helps her keep going. Liu said she thinks of all of the people involved in Sanders’ 2016 campaign, and seeing those who are sacrificing their jobs and lives for the hopes of a better future this election season has re-illuminated her political spirit. iii“I am a really big pessimist,” Liu said.

“But I am really hopeful for this campaign and positive about the future of this country.” IIiRegardless of the candidate, keeping people from becoming disillusioned about politics is one of Liu’s main goals. She has faith that Chapman will allow that change to start.

“Universities should be where social change starts,” Liu said. “No social movement would have succeeded without students.”