My name is Hunter; I grew up in Attleboro, was a good student in high school and applied to a number of fairly selective colleges and universities. I was accepted to Boston University, Northeastern and the University of Massachusetts as a transfer student from a community college, which I attended in part to save money. Even so, my expected family contribution at BU was $56,000 a year, $32,000 at Northeastern and $26,000 at UMass, and as I’m sure you know, my reality is not that unique.
Access to higher education in America has become increasingly limited by socio-economic status; consider that the price of getting a college degree has increased by over 1,120 percent in the past 30 years, outpacing next to everything, even gas.
But, like many of you, I’ve realized that my pursuit of education is what will define my options for the future and while most college students can relate to my reality, not many are able to see the way out. I was much the same way – that was until I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The only way we are going to change anything is by addressing those who make the decisions at a state and national levels, the politicians, because they are the ones who define our education system, who could slow that 1,120 percent progression, and the only way we can do that is by exercising our right to vote. To this end, I’ve been working with a coalition, UMass Votes, which is registering and encouraging students to vote, and yet when asking fellow students if they’re registered, I routinely hear replies like, “…Voting doesn’t matter … All politicians are the same … I don’t like anyone who’s running…”
Here’s the dead honest truth of the matter, the longer we all keep telling ourselves these excuses, and using them as reasons not to vote, the longer it’s going to be before we see someone who defies them. Every year we sit back and let the status quo remain unchanged, we let student debt skyrocket, and we let the people with the money to buy the biggest megaphone do our speaking for us.
I don’t care whom you vote for this election, as long as you vote. Your political affiliations are beside the point; all I care about is your voice, because right now we are very quiet. Every single day the cost of education in America is going up, every single day another student like you or me falls deeper and deeper into debt, and if you don’t vote, then you are not making your voice heard. It doesn’t matter what you think, because unlike your friends, politicians are not reading your Facebook feed. They don’t know how awful it is living with $80,000 in debt hovering over your head, they won’t know how terrible it is unless you come out and vote for the person who best represents your beliefs, and fights for your interests.
The louder you make your voice this year, the more people you’ll see next election catering to it, because they’ll have seen who controlled this election. You’ll see more people that represent your beliefs run for office, who will come out and actually listen to what you think, because next time around, they know that you’ll come out and vote them into office. If you don’t vote this election then there is isn’t an incentive for them to listen to you, no reason for them to cater to your voice, the only people they’ll listen to are those with the money to fund their next campaign. But on Nov. 6 it will be your voice that controls whether or not they get elected, and even if we don’t have money, it is we the people who have power.
Are you and your friends registered to vote? If not, there’s no more time for excuses. Take a minute to stop at the registration table in the Campus Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. most weekdays, or email [email protected]. In order to vote, you need to register to vote before Oct. 17 – which is just two days away. For those of you that have already registered, remember that Election Day is less than a month away – on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Hunter Parent-Wetmore is a Collegian contributor. He can be reached at [email protected].
