To the Editor:

I’d like to begin with a message: “Civic duty is not optional, but an inherent duty. Wherever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” These words come from Thomas Jefferson right before the adoption of the Constitution. Although they come from a time when the Republic looked vastly different than present-day, the essence of the message remains as true as ever. The survival of a thriving democracy depends on an informed and educated constituency.

We understand that the diversity of our college is endless. College of DuPage is home to individuals from all different age groups, races, genders, backgrounds, locations, income levels and citizenship statuses. This means that if students want to ensure that the education they pay for at this institution is the best it can be, it’s imperative that they stay connected to the campus, advocate for themselves and their peers, bring new issues to light and help forge solutions today for the problems of tomorrow. This process often starts with exercising one’s right to vote.

This is where we, the Student Leadership Council, come in play. Our mission is to facilitate values-based opportunities for leadership development to enhance citizenship at our college and in our communities. The annual student election is right around the corner, with online voting days set to be Wednesday, March 12 through Thursday, March 13 on cod.presence.io/. It’s a great opportunity for students to actively participate in civic engagement and set themselves up to continue the work long after they graduate.

We hope to further our engagement with the student body and build a sustainable connection that will set
beyond us. These elections help the future teams grasp what the students are concerned about to prepare them for their incoming year as officers. Especially with our continuous political state, becoming engaged and learning how to voice out a vote is more important than ever. The decisions that take place now will undoubtably shape how students pursue higher education for decades to come. As our officer terms come to an end this semester, we hope to create a tradition that will continue to serve students long after we are gone.

Sincerely,

Shahid Khatib

Officer, Student Leadership Council