A Political Science class helps bring awareness about elections at Hood

By Braden Weinel//

With the 2022 midterm elections right around the corner, are Hood students ready to vote?

Associate Professor of Political Science Carin Robinson is working with students to educate the Hood community about local and national politics and encourage other students, faculty, and staff to vote.

Robinson’s Campaigns and Elections class printed out and distributed flyers around campus that contained information on the candidates running for office.

They also created “Vote” signs that were posted on doors and walls to spread awareness about the election.

Finally, the class put together a survey to find out “how politically knowledgeable Hood students were,” Robinson said.

Robinson also made efforts to equip her Intro to U.S. Politics class with the proper information.

The campaign managers for the two County Executive candidates, Democrat Jessica Fitzwater and Republican Michael Hough were invited to come in as guest speakers and offer their viewpoints on working for an election campaign.

Robinson said that both campaign managers were relatively young, which was beneficial to the students. “I think a peer’s voice is more influential than a professor,” she said.

In the class, the students focused their learning on local policy, rather than nationwide politics.

On Monday, Nov. 7, the Department of Political Science and Global Studies and the Office of Diversity and Community Inclusion will be hosting a trivia night. There will be two trivia contests about general political knowledge and about how well individuals think Hood students know the upcoming election. There will also be a crystal ball contest, which allows students to predict the election results.

The event will take place in the Whitaker Campus Commons at 4 p.m. Refreshments are provided and gift cards will be given out as prizes.

“I hope it builds a more politically aware community at Hood,” Robinson said.

Robinson also encourages students who are interested in or passionate about politics to consider joining one of three political clubs at Hood.

The Maryland Student Legislature simulates the Congressional process of creating legislation.

The Model UN focuses on putting students in charge of international affairs for real issues in a faux United Nations meeting.

The Politics Club at Hood was formerly two separate partisan clubs, one for Republicans and one for Democrats. This year, however, the students expressed interest in forming a combined group where civil political dialogue is encouraged.

Robinson said she believes voting is important but knowing what you’re voting for is more important. She encourages students to find time to get to the polls on Tuesday.

“Politics is really the means by which we solve collective actions,” Robinson said.

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