University Designated a Voter Friendly Campus

The University of Scranton civic and democratic engagement efforts are recognized by NASPA and Campus Vote Project.
University Designated a Voter Friendly Campus

On March 28, The University of Scranton was named a Voter Friendly Campus, one of 258 campuses in 38 states and the District of Columbia by Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. The initiative recognizes institutions that have planned and implemented practices that encourage their students to register and vote in the 2022 elections and in coming years. 

The mission of the 2023 Voter Friendly Campus designation is to bolster college and university efforts to help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process every year, not just during years featuring federal elections.
The University of Scranton was evaluated based on a written plan for:

  • how it aimed to register, educate and turn out student voters in 2022,
  • how it facilitated voter engagement efforts on campus, and
  • a final analysis of efforts. 

“Becoming a Voter Friendly Campus highlights the campus-wide efforts to ensure that The University of Scranton is a place where civic and democratic engagement will flourish. For our students, this is a critical time to lay the foundation for lifelong participation," said Carolyn M. Bonacci, Community and Civic Engagement Coordinator at the University.  

"Although major election years tend to garner most of the attention, we believe that it is essential for our students to focus on civic and democratic engagement continuously as a part of living out our Jesuit mission to be men and women for and with others.” 

As part of the efforts to be designated a Voter Friendly Campus, The University of Scranton worked to further develop its Voting Action Plan, building upon its efforts in the ALL IN Democracy Challenge. This past summer, University President Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J. signed the ALL IN Presidential Commitment to Full Participation. During the 2022 Midterm Election cycle, the University’s Royals Vote initiative – a campus-wide collaboration between various campus offices, centers, academic departments, and student organizations worked to raise awareness on campus, engage students to be ready and registered to vote, and created new campus events, including marches to the polls and a "Celebration of Voting" event on election day.

Participants on campus included: the Office of Community and Government Relations, the Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service, Student Government, the Political Science department, the Division of Mission and Ministry, among others.

More information about the Royals Vote initiative and campus efforts can be found at
www.scranton.edu/royalsvote.  

The University of Scranton has made a strong statement about its civic mission to prepare students to be engaged participants in the country's democracy. The University aims to continue engaging students through 2023, 2024, and beyond. 

For more information, please contact community@scranton.edu

 
 

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