Q&A
Discussion on student involvement in CUNY-led civic engagement initiatives
1:30:04
·
70 sec
Council Member Dinowitz inquires about the students' involvement in CUNY-led civic engagement initiatives. Alexis Ramirez shares his experience as a BMCC ambassador for Help America Vote, describing his responsibilities and challenges faced in engaging students.
- Ramirez discusses his role in registering students to vote and educating them on their rights
- Highlights the issue of understaffing in civic engagement organizations
- Notes a lack of interest among some students in voting and civic participation
Eric Dinowitz
1:30:04
Have you anyone can answer this?
1:30:07
Have any of you been involved in any of the cooneyled initiatives for civic engagement, some of which we heard about from CUNY staff at today's hearing.
1:30:18
Yeah.
1:30:18
Go ahead.
Alexis Ramirez
1:30:20
I'm actually a BMCC ambassador for the organization to help America vote.
1:30:24
Which my responsibility my responsibilities basically entail, you know, going around campus with the clipboard, asking students to register to vote, and educating them on their rights, educating them on the process itself.
1:30:36
And that's mostly what I've been doing.
1:30:38
Again, that organization is unfortunately, understaffed and in need of more of more people.
1:30:44
But the problem that I, firsthand, that I have seen is that a lot of students aren't really aren't really willing to engage with us they kind of just maybe hear us out for the 2 minutes that we speak to them, and it kinda goes over their heads.
1:30:57
So we would have to, you know, insist on them filling out a form or encouraging them to to vote.
1:31:03
But I've seen that there's a lack of interest and, unfortunately, my peers and my generation for this willingness to vote that older generations have taken advantage of.