Political passion grows on campus

Students cite the environment and the economy as important election issues

With the “green” fad enveloping our campus and “Zero Waste” events becoming more and more common, it comes as no surprise that students are putting the environment at the top of their list regarding issues in the upcoming election.

“I think how the government handles [environmental policies] is going to be a really big issue for our generation,” said Dani Thompson, a freshman pre-journalism major.

Students surveyed in the past week have listed drilling for oil and alternative energy as important issues that they will focus on when making a choice between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama this November.

Matt Collegeman, a sophomore engineering major, said he believes that the drilling controversy is fairly simple.

“We shouldn’t drill in Alaska. We need to start caring about where we live and what we’re doing to this planet,” Collegeman said.

The environment seemed to be an issue students weren’t going to overlook in the upcoming election, but it was not always the most passion-inducing topic.

Eric Benzel, a junior applied mathematics and education major, listed the environment as an important matter but also included education and economy as issues important to him.

“If we can improve our education system we can raise the lowest common denominator in our country and improve other issues like healthcare and welfare,” Benzel said.

Tom Jackson, a freshman business major, also listed the environment as an important election topic, but included the war in Iraq and homeland security as matters he will consider in the ballot box.

“I want our soldiers home, I want us to be safe and I want the environment to be healthy,” Jackson said.

While the environment seemed to be the most popular issue amongst the students, there were some who dismissed it in listing the election matters most important to them, such as Caitlin Murphy, a freshman pre-journalism major. She cited economics and social equality as the most important issues to her.

Murphy defined important as “basically anything but [policies about] babies and guns.”

“I care about stuff that is important to everybody, everyday,” Murphy said.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Emma Castleberry at emma.castleberry@colorado.edu.