“This is a day of celebration”: GVSU community participates in Election Day

Students, faculty and staff took part in various Election Day activities on Nov. 3, culminating in an Election Day Celebration held in the Kirkhof Center lobby. 

Leading up to and on Election Day, the GVSU Votes! initiative encouraged civic engagement from the campus community by creating opportunities to register and vote on campus, providing transportation for students to and from several polling locations throughout the day and more. 

Ongoing Democracy 101 programming provides an educational opportunity for students to better understand various aspects of the voting process.

“This is a day of celebration,” President Philomena V. Mantella said following a performance from the Laker Marching Band. “It's the day that we get to celebrate the rights we have in this country, to lift our voices, express our point of view and make a difference.” 

Mantella drew attention to GVSU’s high voter participation. During the last election, GVSU student voter participation increased 11 percentage points from the previous election, while nationwide voter participation decreased by 8.5 percent.

“It's easy to say, ‘I'm just one of a million, of 50 million, of 100 million.’ But without the 'one-ofs,' we never get to really have our opinion expressed and have it become action.” 

Grand Valley is also a participant in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge’s Presidential Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation .

Student Senate president Lukas Hartley and representatives from Grand Valley’s National Pan-Hellenic Council also made remarks.

“I am a full-time nursing student, I work and I still find myself having to think twice about buying groceries, filling up my gas tank or even driving somewhere just to clear my head,” said Jordan Douglas, vice president of GVSU’s Zeta Phi Beta chapter. “These aren't just political talking points. These are real-life situations that affect our everyday lives.

“We cannot keep saying that we want change while ignoring the power we have to participate in creating it. We are not too young to care, too young to speak or too young to make a difference. We are living in this reality right now. And our voices deserve to be heard.”