"In American politics, this could be called the year of the youth, a sign of a generation rising."  

The upcoming Presidential Election on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, brings a great opportunity to incite political interest and involvement among individuals on the Northwestern campus. NU Decides presents a nonpartisan effort to capture the essence and excitement of such a period, through a comprehensive initiative that unites ASG, various student groups, and academic departments in a cohesive effort for heightened civic interest and engagement among students and faculty.  Our vision is to see these groups coalesce to develop various activities and resources centered around the presidential election. Ultimately, we hope to not only educate students about the political candidates and election process, but also how the election interacts with current domestic and global issues.

NU Decides consists of three weeks of intensive student voter registration, followed by four "themed" weeks. These weeks include, but are not limited to the following:
1) Our World Today Abroad and at Home: National Security and Foreign Policy
2) Money in Whose Pocket? Economic Policy and How it Affects Us
3) Now Paging the Government: Health Care and Education
4) The Convenient Truth: Energy and the Environment

Throughout these weeks, student organizations, their leaders, faculty members, and guest speakers will provide valuable information through the mediums of lecture series, faculty panels, student debates, in order to educate the student body at Northwestern. Also, students can submit their contributions on political proceedings at the NU Decides blog, located at http://nudecides08.blogspot.com. NU Decides will also organize several interactive activities throughout the quarter, such as a Presidential Election Watch Party, and a two-day Rock the Vote Rally at the Northwestern Rock.

We encourage all individuals on campus and in the Chicago area to get involved with this year's election. To get involved specifically with NU Decides, please email any of the following chairs that corresponds to your area of interest.
Allie Morales: Voter Registration, Rock the Vote Rally
Dulce Acosta-Licea, Jilian Lopez: Fundraising and Outreach
Lillian Cheng, Samir Pendse: Programming

NU Decides would provide a way to unite the campus early in the year towards a common purpose that is both educational and exciting. The upcoming presidential election will be greatly influenced by the youth of America, and this initiative provides a structured, collaborative fashion for Northwestern University to engage in the current politics of the nation.