Nov. 1, 2004

The Morningside College experience cultivates a passion for life-long learning and a dedication to ethical leadership and civic responsibility.

--The Morningside College mission statement

 

Civic responsibility thrives under MCU leadership

The Morningside Civic Union (MCU), an official student organization at Morningside College, registered more than 440 students to vote this fall, in an effort dubbed the Morningside Democracy Project.  MCU led the way in registering young voters in the state of Iowa on small college campuses.

The project, undertaken by MCU in collaboration with the New Voters Project (www.newvotersproject.org), began in September and involved 45 to 50 Morningside student-volunteers. MCU students registered voters by manning tables near the cafeteria at meal times; visiting each freshman seminar class; visiting with athletic teams; attending meetings of student organizations, such as the Iowa Educators Association student chapter; and talking to their friends and neighbors in the residence halls.

MCU students also volunteered to work the polls for the satellite voting that took place on campus in the Olsen Student Center on Thursday, Oct. 21.  More than 415 persons voted that day--a record for satellite voting at college campuses in the area.

Left: student voters. Right: community members came out for the satellite voting on Oct. 21.

MCU encourages non-partisan student participation in civic matters on the local, state, and national level.  Other politically active organizations on campus include the Morningside College Republicans and the Morningside College Democrats.

Dr. Patrick McKinlay is faculty advisor for MCU, and junior Jonathan Fisk is president.