RIT designated ‘Voter Friendly Campus’

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Rochester Institute of Technology has been named a “Voter Friendly Campus” for its ROAR the Vote effort to encourage students to register and vote in the 2016 general election and in coming years.

The designation was given by the national nonpartisan organizations Campus Vote Project and Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, which selected 83 campuses in 23 states to bolster efforts that help students overcome barriers to participate in the political process.

One of RIT’s initiatives included the ROAR the Vote website, with students and administrators talking about the importance of voting.

“This designation as a voter-friendly campus is the culmination of almost two years of work by people across campus to make ROAR the Vote a reality,” said Kerry Foxx, director of RIT’s Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement. “And it comes at an important time for the university—a time when we have said clearly that part of our work as a global university must be graduating students fully capable of joining the global community as citizens who understand their rights and take seriously their responsibilities.”

The organizations say they were proud to work with RIT “as you set goals in your statement of interest, formed a committee, drafted an action plan, executed that plan and evaluated your efforts and set new goals for the future.

“Your institution’s efforts to break down barriers and empower students with the information and tools they need to participate in the political process take the idea of the civic mission of higher education to prepare students to participate in our democracy and turn it into action.”