2 RAPS SHEET n DECEMBER 2022 CO-PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Voter turnout effort holds lessons for RAPS I AM SURE that I am not alone when I say I am glad the election is over. But voting is a hallmark of our democracy, and it is notable that voter turnout was strong again this election, particularly among young people ages 18 to 29 (according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University). While there are many reasons for this strong voter participation, a significant reason is the deliberate efforts to encourage voter registration and participation. A number of groups work to facilitate voter participation (e.g., The Civics Center, Voters of Tomorrow) through organized campaigns that involve one-onone outreach to prospective voters, but we should not underemphasize the power of individual initiatives. Efforts like those of my niece, Jamie. Jamie is a stone carver, and in preparation for the election, she applied her considerable skills to wood and carved the word “VOTE” into end of pencils. After highlighting the carvings with either red or blue paint, she visited the campuses of the University of Missouri-Kansas City and her local community college. She randomly offered people she encountered a pencil. She let them select one highlighted in either a blue or red asking that, if they took a pencil, they agreed to vote. Jamie spent hours carving and distributing her pencils, and she will never know the extent to which her considerable efforts made a difference. But she took the initiative to act upon her commitment to our democracy. You may be wondering what voter turnout and my niece have to do with RAPS. Well, I think RAPS might benefit from taking a page out of the encouraging-voter-participation handbook. There are two important messages: 1. The impact of one-on-one interaction to move people to action, and 2. The power of individual initiative. RAPS has been, and continues to be, a strong organization. Since its establishment, it has played a significant role at PSU through its support of the university. RAPS also provides significant benefits to its members by connecting them to the university and their colleagues as well as providing an array of excellent programs. A testament to the strength of RAPS is how it continued to flourish under the restrictions imposed by the COVID pandemic. Increasing RAPS membership will only strengthen our organization. I suspect that there are many people eligible for membership who may not be fully aware of the benefits RAPS continues to offer its members. I encourage each of us to contact friends and colleagues personally to make them aware of the benefits of RAPS. Ask these prospective members to join RAPS. The membership applications is available on the RAPS website at psu-raps.org/projects or through our office manager, Eben Yemoh, at or 503-725-3447. —Janine Allen Upcoming RAPS events. JANUARY Thursday, January 19 William Comer, professor of Russian and director of PSU’s Russian Flagship Program, speaking on “Ground War: 10 Maps for Understanding Russia’s War in Ukraine.” In-person or Zoom to be determined. FEBRUARY Thursday, February 16 Jett Koda, recipient of the 2021-22 RAPS Robert Vogelsang Scholarship, now working as a medical social worker at Care Partners Hospice & Palliative Care, speaking on creating a forum for discussing death as a means of appreciating life. In-person or Zoom to be determined. ‘I think RAPS might benefit from taking a page out of the encouraging-voter- participation handbook.’
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