The Daily Bulletin

The Bengals Vote Coalition (BVC) would like to send a big thank-you to all who co-sponsored and supported our last two events on October 24 and November 5 this fall and invite your to our next event, a Post-Election Town Hall on Thursday, November 21, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 151.

The Voting Empowerment Rally on October 24 from noon to 1:30 p.m. successfully drew over 170 student participants to the “Pit” in the Campbell Student Union. We handed out free T-shirts from our “Don’t Throw Shade. VOTE!” campaign, and the League of Women Voters of Buffalo Niagara (LWV) handed out free swag as well. We celebrated Buffalo State’s being awarded a polling location on campus with pizza and cupcakes, accompanied by inspiring speeches from Interim President Bonita Durand; Associate Professor Peter Yacobucci; student and BVC co-chair Rachelle Clark; Erie County Election Commissioner Jeremy Zellner; Election Commissioner Ralph Mohr’s chief of staff, Jessica Smith-Overholt; Young Gens vote creator Jaime Lechner; and LWV’s Nile Blass. This dynamic lineup educated our students, faculty, and staff on the importance of voting!

The Election Day Watch Party, led by the Political Science, Public Administration, and Planning Department, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on November 5 in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall was also a great event! The official head count was 145 students in attendance! BVC co-chair Rachelle Clark co-hosted, along with department faculty members Dr. Yacobucci and Dr. Adamu Shauku, who educated the group on what and who are part of the Electoral College, how they affect our democracy, and why the electoral college is likely here to stay. This fascinating dialogue helped inform participants about why our individual vote is so critical, and aimed to keep students voting in future elections. We had a fun Kahoot trivia game, hosted by librarian Justin Crossfox, and some raffle prizes and giveaways. We enjoyed lots of pizza, wings, salad, cookies, little sandwiches, chips, and punch, all generously donated by our co-sponsors. Thank you to everyone who helped make the event feel like home-away-from-home for our students. It was a safe environment thanks to UPD’s presence and the messages from the Dean of Students Office and the Weigel Health and Counseling Center to include supportive statements and resources to anyone feeling stress or pressures from the election results. 

We will continue the conversation at the Post-Election Town Hall on November 21, and we remind you that there are many ways to engage in the democratic process, no matter who you are or where you came from. Be on the lookout for more fun and inspiring events coming soon on the CCE Bengal Connect page.