Don’t Boo, Vote!

This upcoming Tuesday is a chance for us to exercise our civic duty as Americans: Election Day! I want to see you all at the polls tomorrow fighting the good fight for in the name of representation. Click here to find your nearest polling site. (If not, I hope you’ve handed in your absentee ballots by now – if you don’t know what an absentee ballot is, check out this link to find out more so your voice counts in the Election That Really REALLY Matters: The 2020 Presidential Election.)

Now historically, young people are the least likely to vote. I’ll be honest: I’ve missed elections in the past, and I get it. Elections always seem to fall on a Tuesday, which is super inconvenient if you work or go to college or basically do anything productive with your life. If you’re struggling with money, going all the way out to the polls to miss a day of payment, suffer through long lines, and wait in cold can seem less than appealing. But let’s say you do end up at the voting poll and get your ballot – who the hell are all these people, anyway? That’s right, voting requires you to take the time to educate yourself on politicians. If you’re smart enough to realize that researching all the candidates, even if they’re not in your party, is the best move – since blind partisanship can work against your interests and beliefs – you get rewarded with doing twice or three times as much work. As the cherry on top, knowing that you’re only a single vote out of a huge national population can make your efforts seem futile.

I know this sounds like a compelling argument to stay at home with your cats and a mug of steaming tea by the window, but it’s not.

You see, despite all these inconveniences, young people need to get out there and vote to take responsibility of the future. Older generations are voting, but they won’t be here as long as the youth will; that’s not morbid, that’s a fact. Young people will have to live the longest with the consequences of their actions or inaction regarding their government. (We certainly paid with Trump.) If that’s not enough to convince you, the combined youth vote forms almost half of the voting population, meaning that young people can actually be a formidable force in elections.

As a millennial, I humbly ask others of my age group to make the effort to have their vote heard. I know it’s hard to feel connected to politicians who lie and filibuster. I know might even be struggling to get up every morning. I know this is unrewarding, tiring, hungry work. I hear you. But the government won’t unless you vote.

You know what else is right around the corner, my Brooklyn College compatriots? Registration. To clarify:

• The shopping cart is now open on CUNYfirst
• Winter enrollment opens November 7th
• Spring enrollment begins November 12th

On to upcoming events:

• 11/5, 11/6: Black Solidarity Events | Students are excused from their classes to participate if they participate. Please wear black in solidarity. If you have signs or posters you want publicized, they must be approved before the event begins at the WEB Building – but they are certainly welcome!
• 11/6: “Domestic Workers’ Rights Between Gender, Class and National Identity,” Professor Sabrina Marchetti, University Ca’ Foscari, Venice, Italy | 2:15-3:30 pm, Library, Room 241. Professor Marchetti presents results from her research project “DomEQUAL: A Global Approach to Paid Domestic Work and Global Inequalities.” The countries involved in the study are Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, India, Taiwan, Philippines, Italy, Spain, and Germany. For more info about the project visit www.domequal.eu.
• 11/8 and every Thursday: Writer’s Circle | For students, by students. Join intern Nicole for her weekly commitment-free writing sessions! Flex that creativity muscle from 12:30-2pm at Boylan 2307.
• 11/8: The Nation Seminar on Student Success Strategies | Peer Mentoring will be hosting BC Jeopardy at 12:30pm at Boylan 4141. There will be free pizza and soda!
• 11/10: Metropolitan Museum of Art @ The Cloisters | 12-1pm or 2-3pm. Students meet Prof. Lauren Mancia in the Main Hall of the museum for an hour-long tour (with other members of the public) about medieval devotional art. Prof. Mancia will stay after each tour to chat with BC students who have attended the tour.  Let Prof. Mancia know you are coming in advance via email (laurenmancia@brooklyn.cuny.edu). Note that these tours are free with admission, and that admission is pay-as-you-wish for BC students who present their student ID card and for NY State residents who present an IDNYC card, NY library card, NYS ID card or NY driver’s license.

Looking for a workshop? The Magner Career Center has a couple:

• Navigating Global Careers Nov 8th
• So You Want to be a Writer? Nov 13th

Or maybe you want to see a BC Theater Production?

• Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov. November 9-17th.
• Lear by Young Jean Lee. December 7-12th.

For timings and locations, check out the theater department website here. Tickets are $18 ($15 for seniors and $12 for students with a CUNY ID).

And last but not least, cool opportunities/jobs/internships!

Fellowships/Jobs Abroad in Canada

• Professeur/e en sociologie de l’éducation ou études critiques en éducation at Université de Montréal
• Professor in the Sociology of education or critical studies in education at University of Montreal
• Sustainable Energy Engineering: Lecturer, Writing, Ethics and Economics at Simon Fraser University Faculty of Applied Sciences

Mental Health First Aid Training 
Mental Health First Aid Trainings provide proven practices that will help you recognize the early signs and symptoms of mental illness and substance misuse. You will learn how to listen without judgement, and respond to and help someone in distress until they can get the professional care they may need. The free eight-hour training is available for all New Yorkers as part of the City’s ThriveNYC Initiative.

Keep your head up, folks. Never stop fighting through the pick.

-Monica