On September 22nd, some students came to just ask questions others were determined to register. Whatever their reason was for coming, Felician University students on the Lodi Campus, walked away with at least some free candy and some info or perhaps they even became freshly registered voters. And that was the point of National Voter Registration Day, says Patty Infantino of the League of Women Voters of Ridgewood, “It’s important for young people to vote because they’re citizens and they are exercising their right.” Citizenship was on the minds of several students we spoke to. A freshman named Justin said that voting “gives us the power to voice our opinion and speak out on stuff that needs to be changed in our community.” Another freshman student, Alexis said, “this is the first time I can vote, it’s a new experience, I believe it’s important to have a say in our government.”

The on campus event was organized by Felician University Libraries, Alison Cole is the librarian in charge of Scholarly Communications and Outreach, “this is a big election year, and since today is Voter Registration Day, we thought it would be a great day to have the League of Women Voters come down and help our students get registered and get their voices heard.” Joan Burns, another representative of the League of Women Voters said, “there are so many issues that young people care about; college tuition, healthcare, women’s health…voting gets to be a habit, it’s a habit and its contagious.” Jodi Shelly, Director of University Libraries said, “Voting is a responsibility and all members of the Felician community, especially our recent 18-yr olds, need to take this responsibility seriously and register to be heard.”

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About Felician University

Felician University engages over 2,300 undergraduate, graduate, and adult students through programs in Arts & Sciences, Business, Nursing, and Education. Universal Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. Felician University’s education is ranked 3rd best return on investment for private colleges in New Jersey 2018 by the PayScale.com College ROI Report and is ranked #1 safest college campus in the state by niche.com in 2018.