October 14: Opt to Participate in Election Classroom Takeover on October 19

TO: Faculty
FROM: Cheryl McConnell, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
RE: Opt to Participate in Election Classroom Takeover
DATE: October 19, 2020 at 4:06 pm

With Election Day weeks away and registration and absentee ballot deadlines approaching, now is the time to talk with your students about the significance of the upcoming election and what it means to be an engaged citizen. Importantly, everyone on campus — faculty, staff, students — needs a proactive, well-thought voting plan. As a reminder, the University is open on Election Day (and it must be to accommodate the revised fall semester calendar), so all the more reason to have up-front, informative dialogue with students and be flexible in how you manage that day instructionally.

To help you facilitate these important election conversations in your classroom in advance, we will be hosting an Election Classroom Takeover on Monday, October 19, with Randall Miller, Ph.D., emeritus professor of history, and Nicole Stokes, Ph.D., associate provost for diversity, equity and inclusion and university professor of sociology.

This optional programming was developed by the University’s election working group and aims to help students demystify the voting process and feel confident and empowered to vote in the upcoming election. Topics covered will include the University’s commitment to engaged citizenship, a step-by-step guide to the voting process, information on voter turnout and why voting matters, details on what to expect on the ballot, and more. Questions to our presenters were facilitated by current Saint Joseph’s students.

A video link will be provided in advance of Monday’s takeover, along with a list of suggested discussion questions. The video is approximately 20 minutes long and can be used in place of, or in addition to, your lesson plan for Monday. If you are unable to incorporate the takeover into your scheduled programming, the video will be available for use after the 19th. Later this week, please expect to receive instructions from me on how to access the video and discussion guide materials.

I hope you will join us in sharing this content with your students and engaging in meaningful and respectful conversations with the next generation of voters.

Look for additional programming throughout the election season and thereafter.