On Tuesday, September 17th, SUNY Chancellor John B. King held a panel regarding voting registration. The panel included: Dr. Emilye Crosby, Dr. Joseph Anthony, and Dr. Bekeh Ukelina.
About the Panelists
Dr. Emilye Crosby, Dr. Emilye Crosby, a faculty member at SUNY Geneseo since 1995, concentrates on African American studies and the modern Civil Rights movement. Dr. Crosby was previously the Black Studies/Africana program coordinator from fall 2002 through Spring 2018. As well as authored the book, “A Little Taste of Freedom: The Black Freedom Struggle in Claiborne County, Mississippi”, Crosby described as, “a community study of the Civil Rights Movement in Claiborne County, where I grew up. I focus on the everyday people who made the Movement and how it changed the community over time.”
Dr. Joseph Anthony, an assistant professor at SUNY Cortland, concentrates on political science and teaches courses in American politics. Dr. Anthony has seven published research articles and chapters on the American voting system and voter IDs.
Dr. Bekeh Ukelina, Professor of history and Africana studies and Director of the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies, concentrates on African development, global migrations, displacements, and African cultural heritage. Dr. Ukelina has more than a dozen publications and almost a decade’s worth of research blogs.
ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
The primary goal of ALL IN is to promote the institutionalization of democratic engagement activities to increase student voting engagement. Published on the ALL IN website, they describe their “vision” as “The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement.”
During the panel, Chancellor King noted that out of the 64 SUNY Campuses, 39 are partaking in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. Along with 23 new grants that will support non-partisan voter outreach on campus. In Chancellor King’s 2024 State of the University address, he states, “The mission of public higher education has always been and must always be the preparation of citizens and securing the future health of our democracy.”
With the mini-grant, SUNY Cortland will fund the “development, promotion, and evaluation of voter-education events and activities,” which include but are not limited to, watch parties, projects, and discussions. All will be used to encourage as well as practice critical thinking and civic discourse skills.
SUNY Votes
Registered college student voters, in New York State, are eligible to vote using their college address or home address. SUNY Votes gives specific instructions and details on all things voting-related, including out-of-state students, unregistered students, as well as students who wish to get involved.
Your vote matters, head out to a polling station on November 5th, and make your voice heard!