When it comes to voting, I’ve found over the course of my life so far, that people tend to have a special relationship with voting. They think it’s important enough to encourage people to do it and yet when it comes to voting themselves most people don’t want to be bothered with it. One UMass Dartmouth student and business major Harrison DoAmaral best summed this feeling up when he said, “I don’t care about voting because the decisions are going to be made by other people regardless of what I do.”

Now I’ll freely admit that Harrison has every right to feel disenfranchised, with national elections the electorate is much bigger and therefore individuals are more likely to feel their views are unimportant compared to the masses. This is especially true if you’re a Republican or share conservative views and you live in a state like Massachusetts, which is a staunchly Democrat state. Though when it comes to midterms and local elections, it’s puzzling to me why people seem less likely to participate.

In a statewide or local election, the electorate is smaller and so the individual should have more of a say or at least they should think that they do. You don’t have to be a political scientist to come to that sort of conclusion anyway, but the logic of it is just one part of a bigger whole.

“I’m going to do it because I feel it’s my civic duty,” another UMass Dartmouth student, Kevin Palmer said upon being asked why he plans to vote in the upcoming election. And indeed the more people I asked this week about voting, the more I found who after saying that they’d vote claimed it was due to a civil duty.

When I voted for the first time I also did so both because I felt that it was my civic obligation to do so, but also because I was curious about the process itself. As I entered my elementary school’s cafeteria/auditorium I felt very nervous, a sense of anxiousness that continued as I filled out the slip. Everything had to be perfect, or so I felt. And afterwards when I handed the sheet into the people responsible for collection, I felt so exhilarated. I don’t know if it was because my anxiety over the ballot being filled out perfectly had disappeared, or whether it was the sense of accomplishment that comes with any “first”, but I had truly enjoyed voting.

Another reason that people don’t vote, which I hadn’t really considered involves knowledge. UMass Dartmouth student Andrew McCarthy pointed out in a brief interview that, “I don’t know anything about the people who are running or the issues….I just don’t have time to look into it either.”

I have to admit that’s a good reason not to vote. If you aren’t well informed and don’t have the opportunity to learn about the issues, it’s somewhat admirable that someone like Andrew would rather not vote than make a misinformed vote. Although, I would still recommend people do whatever they can to inform themselves about the issues and candidates so that they can vote “correctly.”

One thing that uninformed voters should consider is voting by party. Candidates of the same party typically hold similar stances on political issues, so looking at the stances that the various political parties have on the issues is potentially a better and quicker way of helping to decide who to vote for. You simply pick the party that aligns closest to your views and select all members of that party on the ballot. Information on the Massachusetts Democratic Party can be found here and information on the state Republican Party can be found here.

And the reasons to vote in this election cycle are many. Firstly there are various local races, and a gubernatorial election that in recent weeks has become much more competitive with Republican candidate Charlie Baker edging out a small lead in the polls. Then there are the various ballot initiatives, one of which would repeal automatic indexing on the gas tax and another that would expand the Bottle Bill. Whether or not you vote in this election, we will all have to live with its effects for the foreseeable future, and for me at least having some say in that is enough reason to go to the polls on November 4th.

War Games is a five piece rock band from Southern Massachusetts that strives to demonstrate their continuous ability to uplift and inspire their listeners. These South Coast natives have been writing music for years, and are glad to see what they’ve created turn into something greater than themselves. Consisting of Kyle Therrien (Singer), Ian Provost (Guitarist), Andy Calheta (Bassist), Josh Zeolla (Drummer), and Matt Dilecce (Guitarist), these guys have been making a name for themselves in the music industry as they spread their music all over the world.

Formally known as Another Option, the band’s debut EP ‘Mountains” produced by Ace Enders of The Early November, laid the foundations for the band’s sound and established a strong fan base.

With their indie sound and their lyrical talents, their music has touched listeners in a new way. I had the chance to ask Kyle about his experiences in the band and the world tours he’s been on.

“Touring has been a huge part of my life both growing up and now at 26 years old. As soon as I got my license at age 16 we hit the road. We followed a band from New Hampshire all over the United States squeezing our half an hour worth of songs between other bands sets everywhere we could,” he said. As he was telling me about some stories about his early runs through the states, he said, “It was from our first touring experiences that we decided that traveling and playing music was what we were made for! Shortly after that we saved up money and bought our first van and trailer.

Three vans, five warped tours, two United Kingdom tours, and countless US tours later here we are, gearing up to put out our first full length album as War Games and hit the road in The United Kingdom for a third time.”

Though the members of War Games had been rigorously playing shows in U.S. and the U.K. under their former name, the band’s first official tour as War Games was during the 2012 Vans Warped Tour on the ourstage.com stage. Since then, the band has done countless runs as their new band, continuing to write music since their most recent Acoustic EP and finishing up their first full length as a band. The full length, entitled “Holding Patterns” is set to be released in early 2015, followed by a full U.K. tour in March.

“Touring the world, meeting different people, trouble shooting, the good times, the bad times, it’s shaped my character. It’s made us who we are. We all love life, and wouldn’t change anything about how we’ve spent the last decade!” He said with great enthusiasm. As an Indie rock band from the South Coast, War Games is the epitome that making it the music industry isn’t easy, but with hard work and dedication, you’re music will take you somewhere and have others come with you along the way.

Their music can be found on their Facebook page and they hope that their music will inspire you as it has inspired many before.

LearnYourOptions is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating women and couples regarding their available options when facing an unplanned/unwanted pregnancy. According to Massachusetts General Law, when a woman is seeking an abortion, a physician is to provide her with a detailed form covering the following information: the developmental stages of the unborn baby, what an abortive surgery actually entails, the complications that could arise from the surgery, alternatives to abortion, and other legalities regarding the woman signing and handing the form back to the physician. This form covers a lot of information. Therefore, LearnYourOptions seeks to spend time informing and educating women who are trying to understand all of the choices available to them and all of the possible side effects of the choice they will make.

The trained counselors working in this organization are highly sensitive to the fear, confusion, or anger women often feel when learning of an unplanned pregnancy. They know that it can be incredibly difficult for women to voice these fears and concerns to even family members or close friends. The counselors strive to make all women feel safe and comfortable discussing the issues they may not be ready to discuss with any other individual at that point. They are dedicated to walking with each woman through her journey, helping her to make a fully informed decision about her child.

Often women feel that their only choice for an unplanned pregnancy and an unwanted baby is to have an abortion, even when they are not sure they want one. This is because many women are unaware of the help they would receive when choosing to keep their baby. If a woman does not have a support system, LearnYourOptions will help them find one through other organizations they partner with. One of these organizations, Safe Families Programs, helps women throughout even the first year of the baby’s life.

LearnYourOptions is not an abortion clinic and does not perform abortive procedures. All of the services they provide are completely free, which includes: pregnancy testing, obstetrical ultrasounds, and options counseling. Depending on the individual need of each woman who decides to continue her pregnancy, LearnYourOptions provides material assistance, parenting classes (while the mother is pregnant), infant classes (after the mother gives birth), housing and insurance referrals, and other means of aid in getting the mother stabilized throughout the challenge she is facing.

If a woman is positive she wants an abortion, the counselors discuss the procedure, along with the physical, emotional, and spiritual effects the surgery could have on her. LearnYourOptions also offers post abortion counseling for women who seek healing. The counselors are aware that no matter what choice a woman makes, their lives will be changed and there will be effects within that woman’s life that will always stay with her. Parenting can be difficult, adoption can be emotional, and abortion can be scarring. But LearnYourOptions offers help and hope to women facing these challenges.

For more information visit www.LearnYourOptions.org.

~ LearnYourOptions operates at three centers ~
South Coast: 25 North Main Street, Fall River, MA 02720 (508) 646-2665
Boston: 97 Broad Way, Revere, MA 02151 (781) 284-8747
Cape Cod: 48 Camp Street, Hyannis, MA 02601 (508) 790-0584

LearnYourOptions is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating women and couples regarding their available options when facing an unplanned/unwanted pregnancy. According to Massachusetts General Law, when a woman is seeking an abortion, a physician is to provide her with a detailed form covering the following information: the developmental stages of the unborn baby, what an abortive surgery actually entails, the complications that could arise from the surgery, alternatives to abortion, and other legalities regarding the woman signing and handing the form back to the physician. This form covers a lot of information. Therefore, LearnYourOptions seeks to spend time informing and educating women who are trying to understand all of the choices available to them and all of the possible side effects of the choice they will make.

The trained counselors working in this organization are highly sensitive to the fear, confusion, or anger women often feel when learning of an unplanned pregnancy. They know that it can be incredibly difficult for women to voice these fears and concerns to even family members or close friends. The counselors strive to make all women feel safe and comfortable discussing the issues they may not be ready to discuss with any other individual at that point. They are dedicated to walking with each woman through her journey, helping her to make a fully informed decision about her child.

Often women feel that their only choice for an unplanned pregnancy and an unwanted baby is to have an abortion, even when they are not sure they want one. This is because many women are unaware of the help they would receive when choosing to keep their baby. If a woman does not have a support system, LearnYourOptions will help them find one through other organizations they partner with. One of these organizations, Safe Families Programs, helps women throughout even the first year of the baby’s life.
LearnYourOptions is not an abortion clinic and does not perform abortive procedures. All of the services they provide are completely free, which includes: pregnancy testing, obstetrical ultrasounds, and options counseling. Depending on the individual need of each woman who decides to continue her pregnancy, LearnYourOptions provides material assistance, parenting classes (while the mother is pregnant), infant classes (after the mother gives birth), housing and insurance referrals, and other means of aid in getting the mother stabilized throughout the challenge she is facing.

If a woman is positive she wants an abortion, the counselors discuss the procedure, along with the physical, emotional, and spiritual effects the surgery could have on her. LearnYourOptions also offers post abortion counseling for women who seek healing. The counselors are aware that no matter what choice a woman makes, their lives will be changed and there will be effects within that woman’s life that will always stay with her. Parenting can be difficult, adoption can be emotional, and abortion can be scarring. But LearnYourOptions offers help and hope to women facing these challenges.

For more information visit www.LearnYourOptions.org.

~ LearnYourOptions operates at three centers ~
South Coast: 25 North Main Street, Fall River, MA 02720 (508) 646-2665
Boston: 97 Broad Way, Revere, MA 02151 (781) 284-8747
Cape Cod: 48 Camp Street, Hyannis, MA 02601 (508) 790-0584

This week I attended the October 17th gubernatorial debate between Martha Coakley and Charlie Baker, held in the UMass Dartmouth auditorium. Hosted by the SouthCoast Alliance, a group of various media organizations, chambers of commerce, and universities in the southeastern Massachusetts area, this debate was a final chance for the candidates to make their case before votes are to be cast. In this article I will attempt as objectively as possible to present the candidates’ viewpoints, as well as the “feel” of their debate performance in order to help you the voter make an informed decision.

But to be clear: I am not endorsing either candidate. Much like the moderator of this debate I have sworn myself to complete and unmoving neutrality.

Speaking of the moderator, Political Science Chairperson Professor Shannon Jenkins had the honor of serving in that role. As a researcher of public policy, specifically focusing on state governments and politics, and a seasoned debate moderator, Professor Jenkins was well suited for the task.

I met with Professor Jenkins just a day earlier to discuss the debate, and though she couldn’t tell me much because of her own neutrality, she did tell me this about the importance of the debate, “In elections it’s important for candidates to get their names out there so voters know who they are and what they stand for, and debates are one way of doing that. And it’s a chance for voters of the south coast to hear where the candidates stand on issues that are important down here.”

And indeed we did as the candidates battled one another over issues including transportation, energy, income inequality, healthcare reform, and who was fit to be governor.

As the debate started that day almost all the seats in the auditorium were filled, and the air was full of anticipation over what the candidates were going to say. However, if like me, you had previously researched some of the candidates’ stances, then there were no real surprises.

In the first round the candidates dueled over the SouthCoast rail project. Coakley made it clear that she supports automatic indexing of a gas tax, (meaning the tax automatically increases according to the current rate of inflation), as one way of paying for it and other much needed projects, such as repairing an aging infrastructure in severe disrepair and rated among the worst in the nation. She also attempted to make it clear a few times in the debate that in past campaigns, Charlie Baker was not as staunch a supporter of the project as he now claims he is.

“One of the reasons it has taken a while to get here, unfortunately, has been financing on the Big Dig, that my Republican opponent was engaged in,” Coakley claimed, and indeed this claim would continue throughout the debate as a part of Coakley’s argument. The Big Dig was a major construction project in Boston that sought to relieve the overly congested traffic issues and crumbling infrastructure the city had. However the project took 8 years longer than estimated and ended up costing approximately 15 billion dollars, far more than the planners had originally expected.

Meanwhile Baker, pledged support to the ballot referendum that would repeal indexing the gas tax because he believes state legislators must vote on raising the tax and thus be held accountable to the voters. Even if the indexing is repealed, he maintained that the gas tax would remain in place and still bring in a sizable amount of money to the state’s budget. Referring to Coakley’s criticism of Baker’s role with the Big Dig, Baker said, “I worked on a bipartisan basis with the Clinton administration and with the Democratic legislature to come up with a financing plan to pay for that shortfall, which added up to 1.5 billion and it worked.”

He then elaborated on that by telling the audience how his financing plan allowed Governor Patrick to go ahead with his accelerated bridge reconstruction program. “The notion that the Big Dig is the reason that we can’t pay for projects in Massachusetts is simply not true,” Baker stated.

During the debate it was easy to see Baker as very personable, who at points even had the crowd practically eating out of his hands. “I’m looking forward to seeing the New Bedford Marine Terminal move forward,” he said. “You can clap on that one,” he encouraged the crowd, and a small somewhat quiet, gentle wave of applause erupted out immediately. Of course Coakley was not to let Baker get the better of her, and so while he adopted the role of a charming salesman, Coakley donned the persona of a determined boxer, getting as many jabs in on Baker as possible whenever she had the opportunity.

When she accused Baker of using “fuzzy math” to account for how he’d fund important projects while simultaneously lowering taxes and offering tax breaks to big corporations, he brushed off the hit and said with a smile, “I sometimes wonder if the attorney general has read my economic development plan.”

All in all this debate was an even handed fight fought by two opponents desperate to get an edge over the other before November 4th. If you’d like to see it firsthand, a recording of the debate is posted on the UMass Dartmouth website here: http://www.umassd.edu/debate/.

Although, for how long this will remain active I cannot be certain, so if you are interested please check it out immediately (skip to 20:00, that’s when the debate actually starts).

Additionally you can find information for both the Baker and Coakley campaigns here: http://www.marthacoakley.com/ and here: https://www.charliebaker2014.com/. I encourage any and all readers of this article to educate themselves on the issues in order to make a better an informed choice, and of course I encourage everyone able to vote to go out and do so.

Marriage is not a “’till death do us part” contract as half end in divorce.

We live in an area where the traditional household is composed of single parents or mixed families. This shouldn’t come as a shock for you to hear that the odds are against two people who only have shared children together to live happily ever after.

It’s a sad reality that many relationships do not last and even if children are involved they do not act as a staple to keep two people together. Marriage is not a “’till death do us part” contract as half end in divorce. Around 70% end in divorce when it’s the third or fourth marriage.

When we take those numbers and weigh them against a long term committed relationship that mimics marriage we know that it’s a pretty comparable failure rate. Regardless as to how the break-up happened, children in most cases become a casualty of a broken home.

A single parent has an uphill climb in the world. Whether they share in the responsibility of custodianship or have full custody. Children add to household expenses, take away from free time and make it more difficult to move on into a new relationship. The dynamics of being a single parent is much more complicated than being a single adult – even if your child does not live with you.

There is heartache in being a loving parent who is treated as a visitor in their child’s life. This is to those who can only see their child every so often and in many cases it’s the father. Although there are cases where a mother does not have full custody, I’m speaking of the real fathers who are attentive and loving. Those who are providers and truly desire to be a part of their child’s world and influence onto how they are brought up.

We know there is an opposite male out there as there is an opposite female who are merely DNA contributors that brought their children into existence and who could never move beyond a selfish nature to devote themselves into parenthood. We could all give many cases of those people who single-handedly devastate those who love them.

To the real parents who are unable to be a constant in their child’s world, there is not only heartache but anger. To distance yourself from an anger where as someone personally hurt you. They broke your heart and now uses something that is just as much yours as it is theirs, against you. But this isn’t something, it’s a child.

If you are in this situation my heart breaks for you. We all should have love in our lives and it would be a beautiful thing if it was so simple. When a relationship ends we’d rather not witness our former love moving on. When you share a child with someone you will see this. You have to teach yourself to separate your feelings towards your child’s other parent and the feelings you have for your child. They don’t want a complicated life.

Your goal is to make it as less complicated as you can. Single parents tend to move on. Everyone wants love and the burden is too difficult for many in living alone for the rest of their lives. Both emotionally and financially.

There is a balance that can be found and has been found over and over again for single parents. Ideally children should have the love and support of their parents. Do not visit your own pain or anger onto them. As simple as it is to agree that you shouldn’t do that, every time you use that child as a tie that binds you to their other parent or a pawn in game of hate and anger… You chip away at their chance for happiness and at their essence of childhood. They shouldn’t have to grow up too soon and know that the world isn’t such a happy place. History is doomed to repeat itself. Teach your children to be happy, show them how. They are not your allies in war, your friend whose shoulder you cry on or who to share your negative thoughts with. Protect them from the drama, that if you think clearly enough about, you wouldn’t want them to deal with.

Eighteen years our children are dependent upon us. This is a blink of time in their overall life. Maybe for ten of those years you will be their world, but they’ll start spreading their wings and wanting to be more away from you then near you as they grow up. Time is precious. We have an obligation to society to bring up a caring and responsible adult. But we have the honor of parents to be a part of something absolutely wonderful, raising a child.

Our children don’t have to live with us, they don’t even have to be part of genetic material. If we’re a mom or dad, then we are accountable for who they are and what they feel as they grow up. Give your child the gift of feeling secure in your love. It is more important to be surrounded by people who love you growing up than you can ever imagine. It’s hard to give them this security if it’s clouded with so much animosity with THEIR mom or dad.

No matter how you feel, you can’t make the other loving and stable parent just disappear from their lives.

Back in the day, the South Coast thrived with the rise of the hardcore scene (who can forget how upset everyone was when Have Heart broke up?), but today, the post hardcore scene is making its revival.

Covering a fan base from Providence to Wareham to Boston, a group of Westport natives are creating a name for themselves in the music scene. Riverview, a four piece post hardcore band, consists of Dalton Winters (guitar), Ross Ketschke (Bass), Eric Canto (drums and vocals), and Lucas Murphy (vocals).

Originally a trio named Sally, this band went through a transition of sound and members since their start in 2011. Going from a trio, to a quarter/quintet (with yours truly on guitar, then on vocals when a quintet), and now sticking to four members, they finally found a sound that they want to stick with and continue on their new path.

As I sat down with Dalton, he had this to say, “The band started out as just a little talent show routine, and after that, Eric, Ross and I decided to try and make this joke into a reality. The name comes from the street I live on, which is funny because when promoters mail us tickets, they always have a comment about how they’re mailing them to Riverview on Riverview Drive.”

As we talked about how he likes the new sound in comparison to what it used to be, he added, “We used to just do covers, as most bands start out doing. It wasn’t until Eric and I sat down and tried to write some songs that we found ourselves in a genre.” He went into detail about their new sound as he said, “Most people used to categorize us with A Day to Remember as they were an influence on our band at one point.

We had that similar sound of clean vocals mixed with screams and the occasional breakdown to get the crowd rowdy. It wasn’t until about a year after we released our first EP that we decided we wanted to be heavier and have more of a raw sound. We released a few singles to give our audience a taste of our new direction and with the release of our last EP back in last October, our new sound suites us a lot better. It’s heavier, it’s raw, and it really shows our potential as a band.”

In December, Riverview is hoping to play out in new areas and give us New Englanders a taste of what post hardcore is these days. “We’ve written a few songs lately, and actually just finished recording one last week, and we hope to release it soon!” he said. Their music and merch can be found on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/riverviewmusic, and they ask that you take a listen and let them know what you think!

Backseat Boys – Riverview (unreleased b-side song)

Goodbye, Blue Monday – Riverview (b-side unreleased song) [ft. former vocalist Zachery Taylor]

The economy, education and transportation were the main highlights on Friday, as Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Charlie Barkers had their public debate at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. The debate took place at 4 p.m. inside of the UMass Main Auditorium, which was sponsored by the South Coast Alliance of media, business, and education organizations. The debate was moderated by UMass Dartmouth Professor, Shannon Jenkins, Political Science Chairperson. Students, faculty, and the public were all welcomed to this event to get a glimpse into each candidate’s plan of action.

Chelsea Gallant, a student at UMass Dartmouth explained, “I think having the debate here on campus was beneficial not only to our campus, but our community as a whole, it is another way our campus allows others a chance to visit and get a feel for UMass Dartmouth.”

UMass Dartmouth has one of the biggest College auditoriums around locally. The main auditorium holds 800 people making a successful space for a debate.

Professor at UMass Dartmouth Caitlin O’Neil explained, “Issues that matter have an impact on the community, and it employs people locally. It gives students the opportunity to see up close.” Caitlin also added, that the debate speaks to student issues who are graduating into a tough community.

MASSPIRG is also supporting UMass Dartmouth students in hopes of trying to improve the ballot box this year. MASSPIRG facilitates voter registration while trying to get students to be more involved with voting because student’s voices can also make a difference. MASSPIRG tries motivating students to vote and become more involved with politics, and having a debate on campus gives students an up close an personal way to get informed with the issues they can potentially improve.

“Debates on College campus brings awareness to the students who maybe don’t know enough about each candidate or where the candidates stand. It’s beneficial.” Explains Eric Jones, senior at the UMass Dartmouth.

With the election coming up on November 4th, the debate was a way each candidate could discuss their difference in opinion in hopes to have a broad impact on the people of Massachusetts. Both candidates fostered an understanding, and no matter what someone’s political preference is, this debate was a good way to be informed about the candidates and where they stand.

This week I was able to sit down with a couple of my fellow students here at Umass Dartmouth and interview them about a documentary they’re making, specifically focusing on the university’s Star Store and in more broad sense its effects on the city of New Bedford.

For those unfamiliar with the Star Store, basically it’s a satellite campus for Umass Dartmouth’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. For the city of New Bedford however, it’s far more than just a place for students to learn and display their works. According to Brooke Lyons, one of the students working on the project, “It’s bringing in graduate students from all over the country and all around the world, and they end up staying in New Bedford…and with that it also boosts economic growth.”

The other students working on this project alongside Brooke are Ross Gelmete and Nikhila “Nikki” Vijaybhaskar. Interestingly, instead of specifying in one area of the production the trio shares responsibilities for all of their duties such as editing and writing. The one area these documentary makers aren’t involved in is the actual filming, which is being provided as a public service by the Dartmouth Cable TV (DCTV) public access channel and its cameraman, Michael Fernandes (a current UMass Dartmouth MBA student).

In addition to promoting further cultural and artistic diversity, as well as the already established economic benefits, the Star Store also promotes community outreach programs. With all the benefits the city is reaping from this arrangement I couldn’t help but wonder what the city offered that was so special.

Apparently though, New Bedford is one of the most artistic cities in the United States, and according to the documentary makers it provides a niche that may not exist in other bigger cities where these institutions may be more plentiful, a clear place where one can start their career.

Additionally it also provides plenty of room for the store to grow. This symbiotic relationship between the Star Store and New Bedford will be the primary focus of the documentary, according to the team.

Making this documentary has been a real challenge, right from the very beginning when the trio was forced to decide between multiple topics such as the Zeiterion theatre. In the end they chose the Star Store because of its connection to the university, not just a safe topic but one they felt especially passionate about working on. They also had to decide on what they would do with the Star Store topic and formulate a script without the benefit of interviews, meaning that as they now do these interviews there’s a process of evaluation and adjusting in order to make sure everything fits a cohesive narrative. The interviews they’ve done so far are expansive, ranging from students to local citizens, and even the Mayor of New Bedford himself.

The documentary will be finished sometime in late November or early December at the latest, and when it’s finally done there will be several screenings both on the university campus and off. It will also air on the DCTV public access channel. As to why you should tune in, according to Ross Gelmete, “You’re sometimes not aware of the things going on in your community….Something like this offers you an in-depth look at the full picture rather than what an article in a newspaper or magazine can provide you.”

This project is a positive look at the city of New Bedford, and a chance for us to learn about something we may have no knowledge of. Knowledge of the Star Store and what it offers can open a wide range of opportunities, and art is something important that connects people in their enjoyment of it.

So when the screenings for this documentary begin I’ll be more than happy to attend and even if you aren’t able to do the same I recommend you watch it on the DCTV public access channel. It’s a solid, interesting topic that these three filmmakers are working very hard to realize, and for these reasons and many more it deserves your recognition. Unfortunately a precise date has not been decided for screenings as of yet, but when it is I can imagine it will be posted on the DCTV Facebook page here.

This week I sat down with my fellow Political Science and English double major student Jacob Miller, and talked with him about a book he’s writing tentatively titled: A Field Guide to Volunteerism and Political Engagement.

The book is about getting involved in political advocacy and how in the long run it’s a more effective way to have a voice in what government does. According to him, “Millennials are more disengaged with government and feel that government is a nasty, corrupt organization, and they feel that by volunteering they’re getting more out of it, it’s less judgmental, and they have more of a connection to helping people.” By combining this sentiment of getting involved and advocating for the issues that one believes the government should be responsible for, he argues that a person can be far more effective and efficient in what they accomplish.

In the book Mr. Miller plans to propose ways, or at the very least a framework that individuals can use to effect change in their governments through their advocacy, including everything from the smallest local government up to the federal government itself. And though the book’s focus will be on millennials, (anyone born between around 1982-2000 approx.), Mr. Miller claims that the book will be written in such a way that it can apply to anyone regardless of age.

His overall goal is to complete the book within the next year as a part of his Honor’s Thesis, and according to Mr. Miller he’s already well on his way. With many of the interviews for the book finished and the literature supporting his argument assembled and reviewed he has all the building blocks and all that’s left is to assemble it into a flowing narrative. His biggest obstacle at this point is the great equalizer, time. Not just in making sure the book is done on time, but also making sure that he doesn’t waste what little time he has.

Though, Jacob Miller is not without a powerful advantage in the form of his level of experience and personal knowledge of the field of volunteerism and political engagement. Jacob has been involved as the Student Coordinator for SouthCoast Serves, a partnership of community organizations that meets at least once a month and discusses ways of becoming more involved in the area.

Not to mention that as an intern he assisted state senator Mark Montigny with passing a bill that protected students across the state from being kicked off of MassHealth. As Mr. Miller himself said, “By connecting both my volunteerism work, hearing about the issue in the field, talking to different people, and my ability to engage in politics I was able to see change happen, so I want to propose a way for others to do the same thing.”

“Government is everywhere, you can’t escape it…and I think that if you know how to engage a government correctly, if you know what the issues are and you know what you want to advocate for, you can create a very positive change and that’ll affect every part of your life.” Jacob Miller is a serious student, composing what sounds to be a seriously interesting book, which could potentially impact a person’s life in a positive way. And isn’t that the goal of all good art, to effect change, to affect people in a positive way?

To me at least it is, and I know that when Mr. Miller’s book is finally complete, I’m going to find a copy and read it.

“You never truly know someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” I must have heard that saying a hundred times in my life before now, but I don’t think I actually understood that statement quite as much as I do now.

It started earlier this week after I’d published my most recent article about MassPIRG, the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, as I couldn’t help but feel an itch at the back of my mind like I’d forgotten something important, and surely enough I had. Upon reviewing the article I realized that while I had talked about the organization, its past and current projects, there was one crucial point that I was missing. The advocate’s point of view, and so this week I endeavored to “write” this wrong by writing about what MassPIRG is like through the eyes of the students who serve it here on campus. After all according to campus organizer Tess Geyer from my previous interview with her, that is one of the major missions of MassPIRG, to get students involved in advocacy.

Last  week MassPIRG was tabling and stopping all passersby at Umass Dartmouth in an effort to register more people to vote, and so naturally I went not only to talk to them and gain a bit of their perspective, but to walk a mile in their shoes and see for myself what it was like. Most of the MassPIRG volunteers I talked to seemed genuinely excited about the prospect of registering people to vote, citing reasons such as liking to help and wanting to get involved and make a difference. According to them the experience could be chaotic sometimes, and of course they would come across people who didn’t want to talk to them, but as one student put it, “You just gotta accept rejection and move on you know?”

Whether they were doing it for credit or just for the heck of it, many of the MassPIRG volunteers I talked to seemed happy about their choice and all of them said that they’d do it again in a heartbeat. For these students it’s a way to advocate for something bigger than themselves. It’s something that they truly believe is important, it’s a way to get involved and make friends at the same time, and it’s a way to build confidence and other important social skills.

My experience with MassPIRG didn’t end with just talking to the volunteers however, for at 4 o’clock PM I reported for duty myself as a volunteer. Instantly I was handed a clipboard and instructed on what needed to be filled out and what the best ways for approaching people were. I was then sent off like a little worker drone to collect as many voter registrations as I could. To make a long story short, it was a lot tougher than I’d imagined.

It’s easy not to think about ignoring these sorts of people when you’re the one doing the ignoring, but suddenly when you’re on the other side it feels completely different. With each passerby who says a polite, “No, thanks” or “I’m already registered” or just ignores you entirely, your heart sinks a little lower or at least mine did. Perhaps it was that I wanted so badly to do a good job, or maybe it was because I had expectations that it would be easier from witnessing the chaotic bustle of earlier in the day, but either way with every person that passed me by I felt a little more disappointed and eventually numb to the rejection.

Then, after God only knows how long, somebody finally stopped and agreed to register with me. I felt such elation as he completed the form. This is what it was all about, this was what all the minutes of rejection had been leading to, and he ended up filling the form out incorrectly. My heart sank again, I was supposed to be the one to help him fill out the form but I couldn’t even do that correctly. Luckily the young man agreed to fill out the form again, and once that was completed I went back to being rejected by the passersby.

That moment had changed me though, because afterwards I no longer believed it was impossible to get someone to stop and even though I didn’t end up getting another voter registered I never lost hope that it would happen. And knowing what I do now about the experience, it amazes me how many completed forms they were able to get, over 300 and that was just the first day. If the entire organization is as dedicated as the people I met, I have no doubt they’ll easily surpass 11,000 statewide.

This was an enlightening experience to say the least, and I clearly had far more fun than I realized because in no time at all my time with the advocates was up. All in all I would be glad to do it again, and I’ll never look at these volunteers the same way again. As I’ve said in my previous article if you’re interested in getting more involved there are paid positions, internships, and of course they always accept volunteers. You can check out the general website here: http://www.masspirg.org/ or if you happen to be a student here: http://masspirgstudents.org/