October 10, 2019
Oakland University student Ethan Bradley was recently named a Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP) Fellow for the fall 2019 semester.
“We are delighted that Ethan has been chosen as a CEEP fellow for the fall 2019 term,” said Dr. David Dulio, a professor of political science and director of the Center for Civic Engagement at OU. “It speaks to his dedication to civic and democratic engagement efforts.”
The CEEP is a national non-partisan project that helps America’s colleges and universities get as many of their students as possible to register, volunteer in campaigns, educate themselves, and turn out at the polls.
“As a CEEP Fellow, I will be responsible for promoting political engagement at Oakland,” Bradley said. “This is in many ways an extension of my current position as the legislative affairs director for the OU Student Congress. For both roles, I will spend a lot of time registering voters on campus and encouraging students to vote.”
This semester, Bradley has been busy registering voters outside Vandenburg Dining Hall on Tuesdays and the Oakland Center on Wednesdays. He plans to do the same next semester, as well.
“Engaging in politics is important for students because it has a direct impact on our lives every day,” Bradley said. “If you experience slow traffic and tons of potholes every time you drive, you should care about the City Council that decides when to update the roads.
“If you struggle to pay for school, you should care about your state representative, your state senator, your governor, the president and his secretary of education, your member of Congress and your U.S. senator, all of whom play a role in deciding how much funding your school receives,” he added. “There is hardly any part of your life that isn’t impacted by the people in your government, and you have the ability to influence the decisions they make in your favor.”
In addition to his role as a CEEP Fellow, Bradley is continuing a project from the previous year’s legislative affairs director, in which students fill out a postcard that states why they think it’s important to vote.
“I also have a lecture and workshop planned for Oct. 19,” he said. “I have invited Shannon Garrett, a civic engagement expert, to give a talk on the impact students will feel as a result of 2018’s Ballot Proposal 3, and later that day she will lead a workshop on the workings and importance of local governments.”
Bradley also plans to host watch parties for the Democratic primary debates, and for the Republican primary debates, as well.
“In the winter semester, I will be partnering with Professor Dulio at Oakland’s Center for Civic Engagement to host a mock caucus, modeled on how Iowa performs their primary elections, as a way of generating interest for the primary election on March 10, and educating students on the policies of the candidates.”
Dulio said he’s looking forward to seeing how Bradley engages students on the OU campus ahead of the 2019-20 elections.
“I have been working with Ethan since he took over as the legislative affairs director for the OU Student Congress in the spring,” he said. “He has great ideas for events, activities and opportunities that will engage OU students in new and exciting ways.”