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Every four years, college campuses across the country become charged with an atmosphere of political debate, discourse and engagement, and Notre Dame is no exception. In anticipation of the upcoming 2024 presidential election, there have been a number of campus events and initiatives to increase civic engagements as students — many of them first-time voters — gear up to cast their ballots. 20 years ago, however, Notre Dame’s student body was not as politically active as it is today.

Scholastic’s Oct. 28, 2004 issue addressed the problem of apathy toward politics, particularly among young people. Scholastic staff described the Notre Dame student body’s reputation for being politically apathetic as “a serious claim that demands equally serious attention.” The issue featured professor, student and Scholastic staff perspectives on the importance of young voter turnout and civic engagement.

Assistant managing editor, Jim Ryan, broke down Bush and Kerry’s respective stances on the big issues every student should know, including abortion, the draft, federal aid for students, health care, jobs and social security. In a Scholastic-sponsored mock election held in LaFortune Student Center, Bush won by a small margin of four votes (out of 570 undergraduate and graduate voters). The issue also featured a section highlighting the accomplishments of politically active students who organized voter registration drives, canvassed for local campaigns and even interned at the White House during their time at Notre Dame.

Dr. Louis Ayala, an assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Program in American Democracy, addresses the pressing question, “Why should the average 18- to 24-year-old citizen vote?” in a persuasive and thought-provoking essay. Editor Mike Healy also appeals to apathetic students in his humor article, “Beating Around the Bush.” Healy outlines why following politics is not a “waste of valuable time that could be better spent drinking or roller-skating (or both!).”

The ND student body has made great progress since 2004 — “apathetic” is certainly not a word anyone would use to describe the current student body’s attitude toward the upcoming election. Many active political clubs on campus are passionate about increasing voter turnout, educating students on the issues and sparking productive discourse