By
Alistair Ramsay
The
results of the student poll show a consensus that students at Monmouth College
think President Obama’s views on social issues, student loans, and women’s rights will
benefit them the most in the future. The poll was taken by
352 students just prior too the election. More than half of them voted for Barack Obama.
·
Barack
Obama: 191 (54%)
·
Mitt
Romney: 78 (22%)
·
Other:
14 (4%)
·
No
Affiliation: 83 (23.4%)
·
No
Answer 4 (1.1%)
Going to
college is costing students more and more each year, even with the amount of
financial assistance Monmouth College gives out. Students believe that loans
are an extremely relevant issue that affects them and determines their
candidate of choice. The poll results show the importance of student loans
because of the answer to this question: Would you be more likely to vote and
participate in the political process if elected officials planned to reduce or
eliminate the amount of student loans available to college students:
·
More
likely: 244(68.9%)
·
No
difference: 83 (23.4%)
·
Don’t
know: 26: (7.3%)
·
No
answer: 1 (.3%)
The
results give an insight to why there was such a giant gap between the votes for
Obama and votes for Romney. Students at Monmouth College believe that Obama has
the right ideas on the issue of student loans. “Seeing the loans disappear is a
terrifying thought, said senior Tessa Ginn. She thinks deciding a president
that will help out students is very important. She also thinks that we have
power to decide the next leader of this country. “You need to get out there and
vote,” shouted Ginn. This poll showed students support Obama, but both
candidates have opposing plans to help students handle debt.
Obama’s
plan to handle student’s loans is to reduce monthly payments on loans to 10%
based of income and will completely eliminate student debt after 20 years. He
also plans on doubling the funding for Pell Grants aiding students to pay for
college. Romney however has a different idea on handling student loans, he
intends to highly reduce Pell Grants and focus the money towards programs
surrounding skill training. Romney’s plan will also dramatically decrease the
eligibility of students to apply for Pell Grants. Obama was the clear choice
for Monmouth College because his plan is help limit the cost of loans, an issue
that is very important to students as the poll a showed. The president also
proved to be quit the ladies man.
The
social issues facing young women, especially in college, have become a forefront
of controversial topics in the election. In the poll, a vast majority of women
voted for Obama opposed to Romney:
·
105
Females- Barack Obama (68.3%)
·
18
Females- Mitt Romney (11.8%)
·
6
Females- Other (3.9%)
·
23
Females- Undecided (15%)
·
1
Female- No answer (.7%)
The
social issue surrounding women and the right to choose what they want to do
with their bodies has played a big role in this election, especially the
decision over abortion. Obama holds a more open view while Romney does not. “Women
are adults capable of making their own decision,” said Trudi Peterson, Head
Professor of Women’s Studies at Monmouth College. She was surprised at the
results of the poll that women would even vote for Romney. “I see more young
women coming to college misinformed about their bodies,” said Peterson who
believes if women knew more about themselves, they would be more likely to
disagree with Romney. Though, abortion may not have played such a bog role at
Monmouth.
According
to the results, students were divided over the question: Would you more likely
to vote and participate in the political process if elected officials planned
to prohibit or greatly restrict abortions:
·
More
Likely: 159 (44.9%)
·
No
Difference: 143 (40.4%)
·
Don’t
Know: 48 (13.6%)
·
No
Answer: 4 (1.1%)
The
results could determine that abortion is not a huge factor in deciding the next
president at Monmouth College. Students are focusing more on the issue of
women’s inequality of pay in the work force or the funding of Planned Parent
Hood. On the other hand, it could mean that there is a big difference over the
opinion of men and women on the importance of abortion.
Romney
does not support abortions and wants to cut all funding to Planned Parent Hood
Clinics. This will reduce the access to birth control for women and other free
medical treatments. It also brings up the controversial topic of rape, Romney
supports Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock, who believes
that pregnancy’s caused by rape are “something God intended to happen.” The
comment has caused some issues for Romney’s campaign and potentially hurt his
chances of receiving the female vote in United States as well as the support of
Monmouth College women.
Obama
disagrees with Romney by supporting abortions, and at the beginning of his
presidency, signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The act helps women
receive equal pay rights in the workforce compared to men. Paul Ryan, Romney’s
running mate and potential Vice President, voted against the law when it was
passed. Obama won 68.3% of the female vote, showing that his policies are what
the women at Monmouth agree with. Whether it is the issue over abortion, fair
pay, or plan parenthood clinics, Monmouth College women want Obama as their
next president.
The
poll showed a huge divide between
supporters of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Both candidates offer different
views on the social issues that matter to Monmouth College students. The
results show that more students agree with Obama on the issues such as student
loans and women’s rights.
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