It is becoming increasingly clear that the University made a drastic mistake in its decision to refuse to allow students a day off on Election Day. The University is right that for students registered locally, there is enough time in a day to vote. Even more important, however, the University was dead wrong in focusing on voting when deciding to reject the day off proposal.
At the University we are being trained not just to be professionals, but citizens. Part of being a good citizen is protecting perhaps the most important element of American freedom: the vote. This Election Day, thousands of law students from across the country will be taking part in efforts to ensure both that all eligible voters can vote, and that improper votes are kept out. Thousands more college students will participate in Get-Out-The-Vote efforts, helping those normally unable to vote to get their chance.
The opportunity for large swaths of U.Va. students to participate in these activities is not something that the University’s administration should have ignored. Beyond strengthening the education of many of its students, we could have used Election Day, and its corps of Election Day volunteers, to spread the word about our University and how much we care about this country. The benefits could have been great for both students and the University alike.
Instead, the University could not get its mind outside of the classroom, and closed off a wonderful real-world learning experience. This decision will discourage many from participating in Election Day activities, and those that it doesn’t will be forced to pay an unnecessary price in missed work. It is too late, I am sure, for the administration to change its mind this year, but I hope that when 2012 comes along, the administration remembers the opportunity it missed in 2008.
Sam Leven
Law II
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