Michigan Students’ Civic Engagement Declaration

"We, as Michigan college students and citizens of this state and nation, feel it necessary for ourselves and our peers to assume our civic responsibility through civic engagement.

Our generation, though we participate in more community service then those before us, continues to remain disinterested and detached from traditional political activism. As future leaders of Michigan it is critical that we inform, empower, and advocate for ourselves by connecting our civic responsibilities as citizens to the political process.


Our Grievances

Our major grievances address issues of the political agenda and process, public education’s priorities, our own civic unfamiliarity, and society’s perception of our generation.

Political leaders are not effectively addressing issues that affect our generation. Often, our political leaders address concerns of healthcare, welfare, and social security. Issues of our generation, such as higher education funding, receive substantially less attention. It is apparent that political activities are less focused on the current needs of the younger generation, in part due to our lack of political engagement. We feel unheard, invisible, and separated from the political process, and therefore are less inclined than older generations to follow the government’s work on civic issues.

We value education and the knowledge required to become informed citizens; however, our higher education institutions do not provide adequate information about how to address civic issues and knowledge about civic responsibilities. Service-learning and political activism are downplayed in educational goals at colleges and universities. Higher education institutions’ primary focus is to develop professionals, when instead they should be creating an engaged and informed citizenry.

Our generation’s perception of “politics” brings to mind words such as greed, money, power, and control. This perception of the political process has led to a decline in voter turnout which makes it appear that our generation is disengaged and disinterested in our civic responsibilities.

The political process has discouraged our generation. As a result, we have developed a lack of belief and a disinterest in civic engagement. Society views our generation as self serving, even though we have become active in participating in social and service work that addresses public issues. Although we are volunteering in our communities in large numbers, the importance of our actions as students continues to be overlooked.


Our Responsibilities

We declare it is our responsibility to encourage our generation to become civically engaged. We request support from our political leaders, educational institutions, and our society to assist us in our goals.

We applaud our legislators for setting an example for us as active, engaged citizens in our communities. We ask that they take our commitment to civic engagement seriously and use the benefits of our support as actively engaged citizens.

We urge our colleges and universities to prioritize and implement civic education in the classroom through research and service to the community. The mission of our state’s higher education institutions should be to advance the values of a democratic society by educating young taxpayers about their civic responsibilities.

We, as a young generation, must take advantage of our limited civic education to practice our responsibilities and privileges. We must determine how to effectively link our commitment to service with politics in order to mobilize our generation for action.


Our Conclusion

We anticipate that the leaders of this state, educational institutions, and society as a whole will fulfill their responsibilities by assisting our efforts in mobilizing our generation. Our political leaders should promote a culture of civic responsibility by supporting resolutions and bills that utilize our generation’s voices and commitment to education. In turn, these actions will raise consciousness among our generation and create responsiveness to issues significant to us, and help to restore the importance of civic engagement.

Addressing our generation’s political apathy will create positive social change on our campuses, in our communities, and in the future of Michigan."


Tiffany King – Adrian College
Jennifer Lindimore – Adrian College
Dan Jahncke – Central Michigan University
Danielle Tate – Central Michigan University
Marlena Taylor – Central Michigan University
Alena Frey – Eastern Michigan University
Angelina Hamilton – Eastern Michigan University
Travis Compton – Ferris State University
Leslie Harrison – Ferris State University
Maria Knirk – Ferris State University
Ken Bragg – Kirtland Community College
Jason Jones – Marygrove College
Mary Look – Michigan State University
Mark Liston – Saginaw Valley State University
Christy Willis – Saginaw Valley State University
Danica Willis – Saginaw Valley State University