Ghost Writing and the College Student

In a recent article for The Atlantic, Richard Gunderman, a professor at Indiana University, writes about the increasing popularity of "ghost written" student essays. Professional writers, including professors, will sometimes charge large sums of money to students, who will then pay for them to write a perfect essay, one that can easily escape plagiarism detection software. But how deep does the problem go? I sat down with Charlene Pate, director of the Writer's Studio at Point Loma Nazarene University, to talk about the issue.

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College voter impact on the election

Romney or Obama? 7/11 is asking college students and
other visitors to take partisan sides in their drink choices. 

            With the deadline for registering to vote fast approaching, the role of the college-age youth vote in the election process is coming under increased scrutiny.

            During the 2008 presidential election, the youth came out to vote, driven by Barack Obama’s powerful social media campaigns and the influence of youth-oriented organizations such as Rock the Vote. Despite this, young voters still only made up about 19 percent of the electorate.

             And, according to a recent Pew Center study on voter enthusiasm, this year, the amount of voters age 18-29 who say they’re “more interested in the election than four years ago” has dropped 17 points, and those who are “following the election very closely” have dropped 12 points from 2008. Now, facing a stagnant job market and a surplus of student loans, many young people seem to be turned off by politics altogether.

College students who regularly read the news are more well-informed,
and thus more likely to vote, than their non-news savvy peers. 

           According to Lindsey Lupo, Point Loma Nazarene University professor of political science, although the youth vote increased in 2008, voter turnout among college-age students has consistently been low.

            “Since 1972 and the passage of the 26^th Amendment, there has been an average 17-point gap between 18-24-year-olds and those 25 years and older,” Lupo said.

            But, Lupo added, voter turnout is not the only criterion with which to measure political participation.

            “Youth are highly engaged in direct action, protests and volunteerism, for example,” she said. “To measure political participation by voting along is not a full picture of the election process. The college question is important; young people with college experience are twice as likely to vote than those without.” 

College across the nation are trying to get the word out
about the importance of voting.