Golden Key Registers 800 Voters for Election 2000
University Communications
University Reporter
By Erika McCarthy
The Golden Key International Honor Society joined the flurry of campus activity surrounding the presidential debate by signing up more than 800 voters to increase voter turnout at the upcoming presidential election polls.
"Golden Key members took to heart the statistics that the Chancellor gave out, that the18-24 year old age group is the least likely to vote," explained Anita Miller, UMass Golden Key chapter advisor. "That's us, that's college students."
The voter drive registration began on September 4, the day before classes started, and continued through Friday, October 13. The Golden Key Honor Society encouraged students, faculty, and staff to register to vote by answering questions, providing registration forms, and mailing them from convenient campus registration tables.
Golden Key, a non-profit, international academic honors organization that provides academic recognition leadership opportunities, career networking, community service, and scholarships, organized the voter registration drive in recognition of our civic responsibility to vote. Golden Key has also recently supported the Walk for Lupus and the Pine Street Inn. Made up of junior and seniors with a GPA of 3.8 or above from all over the world, Golden Key is a group of "smart people doing good things," said Miller.
Successful campaigns like the voter registration drive may be one of
the reasons the UMass Boston chapter of the Golden Key Honor Society was
recently awarded the Most Improved Chapter Award at the August 2000 Golden
Key International Convention, "Setting the Stage," in Los Angeles,
CA. The Most Improved Chapter Award is presented to chapters that have
been active for more than one full school year and have most dramatically
improved their leadership and involvement in Golden Key.
Golden Key has 300 chapters across the United States, Puerto Rico, the
Virgin Islands, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Membership in the society is by invitation only to the top 15 percent
of juniors and seniors in all fields of study.
"The debate really gave an opportunity for people who might normally
never have the chance to work together to do so," said Annemarie
Lewis Kerwin, assistant vice chancellor for university communications
and debate coordinator. "I think we have already seen this sense
of cooperation and appreciation surrounding the debate continue into the
day-to-day life of the campus."
This is not to say the debate did not have surprises. Delays in the allotment of tickets postponed the student lottery to the afternoon of the debate. But even at that late point, volunteers from different departments hurriedly worked together to contact each selected student to ensure he or she had the opportunity to witness this event of a lifetime.
Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, attempting to enter the debate with
what is believed to have been a false ticket, was turned away without
major incident.
Recognizing early on that very few tickets would probably be available
to students or the public, debate planners developed creative ways of
involving the campus and the community.
Several convocation events adopted an election perspective. The campus
Web site hosted opportunities for people to voice opinions or connect
with other election-oriented Web sites. Including on-campus events and
forums at the JFK Library, there were two dozen public programs surrounding
the debate.
The return on all this effort likely will be seen over many years. Prior
debate hosts have seen double-digit enrollment increases, better ability
to attract grant and other funding, and an increased sense of school spirit
among students, faculty, and staff.
Two days after the debate, in a crowded meeting with faculty, University President William Bulger opened with "I know that what you all really want to know is, Who won the debate?" The audience laughed at the icebreaker from the former state senator. "The University of Massachusetts did," he concluded, to the applause of those gathered.