UC Davis’ CALPIRG, Students Demand Action and the Environmental Club advocate for their respective causes, promote student participation in the upcoming election
By GRACIELA TIU — features@theaggie.org
With less than a month until the presidential election, UC Davis students have been preparing to vote — some even for the first time. Various on-campus political and advocacy organizations have been planning different ways to help students get ready for November. Among these groups are the UC Davis chapters of California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), Students Demand Action and the Environmental Club, all of whom will continue to host events, activities and projects to further advocate for their respective causes, especially during this election season.
UC Davis’ chapter of CALPIRG prides itself on supporting students in driving social and political change.
“CALPIRG students is a statewide student organization that started here at the UCs in the ’70s to make social change,” Samantha Fabila, a fourth-year political science major and the New Voters Project coordinator, said. “Our mission is to get students to have the power to shape the future we will inherit. Our chapter provides the training, professional support and resources necessary for students to tackle climate change, protect public health, strengthen our democracy, feed the hungry and more.”
Through CALPIRG at UC Davis, students have had the opportunity to participate directly in civic engagement, most recently marked by a win in September with the passing of SB 1053, a statewide ban on plastic grocery bags, after mobilizing support and lobbying in Sacramento. Their advocacy has continued into the election season, with them posting on social media for National Voter Registration Day, tabling on campus and working on the statewide campaign the New Voters Project.
“The CALPIRG New Voters Project has helped register young people to vote since 1984, and it is completely nonpartisan,” Fabila said. “Since then, we’ve helped register more than two million young people to vote and made more than three million personalized Getting Out to Vote contacts. The New Voters Project focuses on the magnitude of young people losing their voice by not voting. This may be due to students either lacking the knowledge of how to vote or just not fully comprehending the significant impact that voting can have.”
With all of their political and civil work in mind, Fabila explained how the students of CALPIRG value public participation.
“When young people don’t vote, it means policies are often ignored on issues that matter to them the most, like climate change and education,” Fabila said. “Plus, if they don’t engage, they might feel even less connected with politics, creating a cycle of apathy. By aiming for an 86% youth turnout, we’re not only striving for high engagement but also working to create a future where young voices are recognized and valued.”
Another organization on campus, Students Demand Action at UC Davis, has also been actively working to get students involved and further their mission.
“Our main goal is just to work towards gun violence prevention and ending gun violence throughout America,” Samya Rizvi-Syed, a second-year political science and managerial economics double major and co-president of the organization, said. “In terms of the election, we believe in electing gun-sense candidates, especially up and down the ballot regarding all levels of government.”
With voting being one of the most direct ways to work toward gun violence prevention, the organization has been hosting events and spreading awareness about voting and the upcoming election.
“As a club, we’re hosting election-related activities like phone banking, where we usually call registered voters to inform them about the candidate that’s running and encourage them to show up and vote, canvassing, where we go door to door, talk to people and inform them about the current election, and voter registration workshops,” Rizvi-Syed said.
Students Demand Action at UC Davis has particularly noticed the importance of mobilizing the vote for candidates that align with their goals of gun violence prevention.
“Our goal is to not only just bring awareness to the election but also make people aware of who we’re electing and make sure we’re electing gun-sense candidates because guns are the leading cause of death in our generation,” Rizvi-Syed said.
Yet another campus group working in advocacy and election preparation, the Environmental Club at UC Davis has continued to work toward their goals of sustainability and nature appreciation.
“The Environment Club’s mission is to promote and encourage UC Davis students to make cleaner choices, as well as find their passions and enjoy nature,” Vanshika Kanodia, a third-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major and president of the club, said. “We do multiple activities such as recycling, upcycling, career panels, helping community gardens, peaceful protests, hikes and beach cleanups.”
The club also encourages its members and the wider community to vote in the upcoming election, mentioning plans to incorporate the topic into their general meetings in preparation for November.
Kanodia describes the significance of voting and voter engagement, especially regarding the environment.
“Voting is really important because of the impact elections will have on a lot of environmental decisions,” Kanodia said. “The U.S. is one of the largest contributors of carbon emissions, so we want to do something about it. UC Davis is doing a lot about it, but we as students also need to do so. This ties back to our club, because we want to make sure that not only are we spreading the impact [of preventing climate change] in California and [at] Davis, but if we have proactive behavior in the U.S. for climate change and the environment, that will encourage people to get out in nature more often.”
Because of groups like CALPIRG, Students Demand Action and the Environmental Club, students at UC Davis have countless opportunities to get civically educated and engaged in our country’s democratic process. For more resources regarding voting and the upcoming election, visit Aggies Vote.
Written by: Graciela Tiu — features@theaggie.org
