The crimson pride at Harvard University will feature some orange and blue this weekend.
Two UF students, Frances Chapman and Katy Burnett, were selected by the Bob Graham Center for Public Service to attend the “Bipartisan Advocacy: Finding Common Ground” conference held by the Harvard Institute of Politics.
This Saturday and Sunday, the students will participate in the conference focusing on campus political engagement, career development in public service and civic education.
“When I found out I was chosen, I was working on the Charlie Crist campaign in St. Petersburg,” said Frances Chapman, a UF political science and Arabic junior. “I was excited to be able to bring what I was doing over the summer to the conference and my university.”
Chapman, 19, and Burnett, 31, will work together to discuss student voting rights and accessibility. They will collaborate with other universities to make a plan catered to UF.
“This is not a regular panel where we just sit and listen,” said Burnett, a UF political science and history senior. “This conference is about action.”
UF is a part of the institute’s “National Campaign for Political and Civic Engagement,” a group of 25 universities around the country hoping to improve communities through politics and public service.
About 50 other national campaign school students will attend the conference.
Shelby Taylor, communications director for the Graham Center, said after the two students return, they will replicate it for UF students through a Florida-focused policy conference.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for politically motivated students at UF to meet with other engaged students across the country and share tips with one another,” Taylor said. “The point is to gain knowledge and be able to implement it.”
Attendees will create action plans, write blogs and share success stories based on issues proposed at the conference.
“There are phenomenal restrictions on registering people to vote,” Chapman said. “Being able to discuss and finally address this is very satisfying.”
One of the ideas Chapman and Burnett plan on proposing at the conference is an entirely online voter-registration platform.
“We’re working on the mechanical issues of voting because these are easy fixes,” Burnett said. “Getting students to the polls is harder, but if we make it easier to register, I believe we can have a huge turnout.”
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 9/22/2014 under the headline "UF students to attend Harvard conference"]
