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Show 1973. The United States government did not need to use war propaganda at first. Our successes in World War II caused almost every citizen to support the war at first. The threat of communism had many afraid. It wasnt long Rights Continued from Page 1 r s i ' f t elsewhere, Carr said. As a result, the war was deescalated, allowing for a lesser need to draft young Americans. Additionally, those who were going to be eligible to be drafted learned that they could enlist and chose where they served. When Carr was eligible for the draft in 1972, his lottery position of 90 was not high enough to draft him. In the previous year, the numbers reached well above 200. Though Carr wasnt drafted, 1972 was a big year for him and all other 18 year olds. I was excited about being given the privilege to vote, said Carr. I felt able to control my own destiny like I had a direct effect. Gretchen Siegler, a Westminster social science professor, thinks that the attitudes of students are very different today than they were in the 1970s. Because of the draft, students in the 1970s were more directly affected by the war, and therefore were more inclined to fight for what they believed. They wanted to make a difference, Siegler said. History professor Susan Cottier said, I remember in 1970 when I was graduating from college, and there were all of these forums about the war and education. One forum in particular stands out in her mind. It took place in, a beautiful building, similar to Westminsters called the Ira Allen ChapeL It was packed to the gills, she said. People were hanging off the rafters. I remember this like it was yesterday. I stood up and said, The most curious thing to me is that at 18 we arent old enough to vote but we are old enough to die. Cottier has been involved in politics since a young age. She first worked for Robert Kennedys presidential campaign in 1968, and registered voters for President Clinton. She always found it odd that she could campaign for a presidential candidate, in the case of Kennedy, yet she was not eligible to vote for the candidate in question, she said. Cottier describes the historical turning point for her to be the assassination of Robert Kennedy. Watching television the night it happened, Cottier rushed to wake her mother after learning of the assassination. She was surprised at her mothers first reaction, which was to say, Poor Rose. Rose Kennedy had already dealt with the Nun-emak- er, death of her other two sons, Joseph in 1944 and John in 1963. Cottier, however, was more concerned about the direction that the nation was taking after the tragic assas- - t f ' I though, until the anti-w- ar F movement began. Ham 0 Professor Siegler said that students then had a social conscience, that they believed they could effect change. The country was also in the mist of the Civil Rights movement, and people had found a leader in Martin Luther A King, Jr. The protests began peacefully before escalating to the more violent campus protests. Siegler says it was because of these protests, and other pressures applied by students, that President Nixon lowered the voting age to 18. h r v- :f y J - . w,- ni'-iH- Compare that attitude to the attitudes of college students today. I had a student who went to said He War Carr. told me he was the an Iraq protest, youngest person there. Very rarely do you see a rally for the war in Iraq, be it for or against it, he said. People today dont believe they can make a difference. Carr believes young people need to be socially aware as they are growing up and learning about themselves and the world around them. You need to be socially active -its the time, said Carr. It becomes a piece of your life. What would it take to motivate students to get involved? To some extent it would take something radical, political science professor Mike Zarkin said. I believe there would need to be something different that affects students lives. Carr takes it one step further and names a possibility, Right now theres no outrage, no questions, said Carr. If a draft was instated students would care. It would seem many more students are beginning to care, though. I have a bunch of friends who are really into this election, said student Brad GreenwelL I think kids are starting to wake up and realize whats going on around them. I feel a sense of responsibility and I just hope other kids are starting to feel the same way. Fred Fogo, a communication professor, agrees with Carr. If there was a draft, we would not have been in Iraq for more than a year, he said. He also believes that students 40 years ago did receive more education in civics and government than students today do. Senior Ben Hughes feels the same way. Issues need to be made applicable to students, said Hughes. Most of us dont see any immediate threat. I think something drastic like a draft would shock lots of people out of their -l- UJi I 1 t 5 ; i - O ! , i 11 u Oft QftFi Q r LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: STUDENTS AND POLITICS u ti ri tJ A") n i '-- A) 48-year-- old LT 1 TTS ft.?.. Li f 5 f $ L Tim Carr's 1 972-7- 3 Weber State College ID unteer army. This change in the military essentially made the very reason for the age change irrelevant. Then, over time, the desire to vote, to be politically active, became passe, said Cottier. Historians are very conflicted in their ideas about why young people suddenly became inactive, Cottier said. Its not just the current generation, either. Its generations X, Y and the Millenials. Well, lets first give the Millenials a chance to show themselves first, but the others were constantly being extorted by their elders, admonished by their elders for their apathy, and thats a fact. Student Jenny Stokes said, A lot of people in our generation dont care about politics because they dont understand what happened with Vietnam. Vietnam was over 30 years ago, and as a result its not fresh in most anyones mind. We students are so occupied jumping through societal hoops, said Hughes. Its almost like we cant focus on what really matters, like voting and politics. Its attitudes like these which have I i ( I. |