The United States midterm elections take place on November 8. Regardless of political ideology or identity, many students, faculty, and staff in the UO community experience stress related to political polarization. Some faculty also may be experiencing additional vulnerability in this historical moment because of their course content and/or because they hold identities that are targeted in racist, homophobic, and antisemitic public discourse and action.
“Universities play an important role in creating spaces for and modeling civic duty and respectful deliberation, especially during election seasons. Faculty, who are on the front lines of producing and conveying knowledge must be supported in setting high expectations for loving, authentic, respectful and empathetic spaces where faculty and students alike test out new ideas and engage in respectful debate about the future of our democracy and its leadership,” said Yvette Alex-Assensoh, UO Vice President for Equity and Inclusion.
The TEP Teaching and the Election resource identifies practical strategies that you can draw on in the days and weeks to come. You’ll find self-care resources and ideas to support students and help them engage productively in learning around the election.
UO faculty leaders are working toward wide-ranging supports needed in this broader national context. “I think issues of academic freedom are at stake in this politically polarized climate. Public institutions of higher ed have become targeted by elected officials, political organizations, and individuals in ways that have made instructors unsure what is permissible to discuss in the classroom, or worse made to feel physically unsafe by outside threats,” said Joe Lowndes, professor of political science. Lowndes and Pedro García-Caro, associate professor of Spanish, are Provost Fellows working on academic freedom.
“We are forming a long-term working group on the heels of a successful conference two weeks ago to come up with proposals to both defend and advance the principles and practices of academic freedom at UO. We encourage any interested faculty member to contact us (vpaa@uoregon.edu). We will soon make available a list of critical readings on the issue,” Lowndes added.
Voter Turnout: The Oregon Student Association runs the nonpartisan historic Vote OR Vote campaign that is focused on driving higher participation and turnout among student voters. They will be reaching out to instructors to visit their classrooms and give a short class rap to educate students about voting. Use this form to schedule a time for OSA to visit.