New Terrier Turnout committee hosts events to increase student voter participation

Kiyoung Haavisto • October 17, 2024

Boston University Student Government Department of City Affairs and BU Votes collaborated to form a new committee called Terrier Turnout, which aims to foster civic engagement on campus.

A representative from the Howard Thurman Center informs students about upcoming voting-related events at the BU Votes Civic Engagement Fair on Oct. 15. Boston University Student Government Department of City of Affairs and BU Votes collaborated to create Terrier Turnout, a committee designed to foster civic engagement on campus. RACHEL FEINSTEIN/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

The new committee oversees Terrier Turnout Week, which includes activities from Oct. 15 to 20 that encourage student voter turnout. The committee also fosters partnerships among various youth-focused groups on campus.

BU Votes is an organization run by students and faculty to facilitate voter registration and encourage political participation, according to its website.

Orpheo Speer, director of the BU Community Service Center, which oversees BU Votes and assists the committee with administrative tasks, said the University was trying to figure out how it can broaden its outreach to increase voter education and turnout.

Working with StuGov, the Terrier Turnout committee outlined goals that emphasized both civic engagement and inclusivity.

“We’ve been collaborating with a number of departments too, so some of them have been instrumental in making this all happen,” said Speer.

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Some of the departments that the committee collaborated with include the Howard Thurman Center, Student Wellbeing and the Newbury Center.

The committee’s efforts extend beyond the presidential election year. Senior Brittany Silverman, a member of BU Votes, wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press the committee’s goal is to “grow participation during non-election years.”

Junior Tony Wu, chief of staff for the StuGov Vice President, said that the goal is to get students interested in voting.

The committee advertised the week of events through social media, newsletters and emails from StuGov President Akwazi Antwi.

Several students found value in the activities offered during the week. Freshman Christina Tran attended Mindfulness Yoga and Smiskis, a de-stress yoga session hosted by FitRec, which also provided election resources from BU Votes.

“They’re bringing a lot of awareness to voting, and around this time of year, people tend to shy away from the topic of voting because they haven’t registered,” Tran said. “I think these are cool events.”