David Kanter | Closing the door on political activism

For far too long college students have avoided the political process, neglecting their right to vote. This theme is old and tired, but true. In 2004, only a bit more than 40 percent of 18-to-24-year olds voted in the presidential election.

Nevertheless, as statistics start to roll in from yesterday's primaries in Texas and Ohio, the national media will remind us once more this election season that young Americans are finally voting.

The theme of widespread youth involvement is indeed a refreshing one. And as Pennsylvania's primary on April 22 draws nearer, we should expect the University to promote Penn's own involvement in this rising tide of civic engagement.

College junior and president of Penn Leads the Vote Stephanie Simon explained to me, "The University takes it as a mission to emphasize civic responsibility."

Although Simon outlined numerous ways in which the University has aided her organization, recent events indicate that perhaps we can't be so optimistic.

This past week, College freshman Nathaniel Miller, a member of Penn Students for Barack Obama, knocked on the door of my friend's room in Riepe College House. The student who knocked identified himself and his organization and informed us that although his organization was associated with a particular candidate, he solely wanted to get fellow students registered to vote. He then distributed registration forms to everyone in the room.

This simple interaction between students represented everything that is right with the present moment in American politics - one was willing to go door-to-door throughout an entire dormitory for the sake of getting others involved in the political process, regardless of their partisan leanings.

This old-fashioned, door-to-door grassroots registration drive seems to embody the University's core ideal of "civic engagement."

It came as a surprise then when I learned from the student who was distributing registration forms that Frank Pellicone, dean of Harrison College House, told Penn Students for Barack Obama to stop going door-to-door in his building.

Pellicone told me that he considers a door-to-door registration drive "solicitation," which the Penn residential handbook prohibits. He said that in an effort to be consistent, he couldn't allow Penn Students for Barack Obama to go door-to-door in his building. Otherwise, he contends, he would have to let other organizations do the same.

If Pellicone is simply enforcing the rules, the residential handbook requires immediate revision.

For starters, on what grounds can the University prohibit "solicitation?"

The only people who can access the living spaces in Penn residences are PennCard holders. So any religious proselytizers and salesmen without a PennCard are out of the mix.

And if fellow PennCard-wielding students want to convert you to their religious sect or sell you their wares, the University has no right to stop them. I guess we should just start preventing girl scouts from going door-to-door in our neighborhoods back home. I don't think I can deal with their "solicitation."

Anyone who has ever lived in a Penn residence is already used to a steady stream of solicitation, regardless of what the rules say. During rush week alone I must have dealt with 50 acts of "solicitation."

If Penn frat brothers can come "solicit" me to drink beers with them and ogle at the strippers they've hired, I think Penn Students for Obama is completely within its rights when it comes and asks me to register to vote.

The central irony then is that a group of well-intentioned Penn students are attempting to fulfill one of the University's central missions, and yet there are formal impediments put in place by Penn preventing them from doing so.

Allowing the organization to just have a table on Locust Walk during daylight hours isn't enough. Everyone is so sick of being flagged down on Locust that very few people stop to register anyway.

If the University is serious about civic engagement and responsibility it not only will allow a non-partisan door-to-door registration drive, but it will encourage it.

And even if political organizations want to campaign door-to-door in a partisan manner, the University has no right to stop them.

Penn needs to make political activism and free speech the norm, rather than the exception, in our College Houses.

David Kanter is a College freshman from East Falmouth, Mass. His e-mail is kanter@dailypennsylvanian.com. David Versus Goliath appears on Wednesdays.

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