Ball State University students aren't known to be particularly energized voters. In our most recent student government elections, fewer than 18 percent of Ball State students voted, down 12 percent from the year prior.
Even when political involvement by students affects state-and national-level elections, it's rare to see students involve themselves in Muncie politics. "We're just students," goes the popular refrain. "In a few years we'll get our diplomas and kiss Muncie goodbye forever."
One Indiana State University student, however, is taking steps toward changing that apathetic attitude. 21-year-old Phillip H. Peckinpaugh has announced his intent to run for Muncie mayor.
His civic goals include pushing for development on the city's south side and improving relations between the city of Muncie and the 20,000 Ball State students who call the city home.
"I know I'm a huge underdog," Peckinpaugh told the Star Press. "But some of our greatest leaders in history have been first-timers, and it's usually the first-timers who make history."
Though he's unlikely to make any real headway in his goal to become Muncie's mayor in his first political race, Peckinpaugh's temerity is refreshing.
Although many students have political aspirations, few act on them at a young age. Even fewer dare to dive into the deep end as he has, putting themselves on public display in what many would call a hopeless endeavor, all for the benefit of experience.
If more Ball State students were willing to put themselves out on a limb politically, perhaps we'd be known more for activism than apathy, regardless of where our party affiliations lie. Instead we sully our image when a prominent speaker comes to campus, choosing to protest his appearance through the throwing of pies rather than through legitimate debate.
We put forth inordinate efforts to stop hate through a campus-wide campaign, though no one bothered to either define hate or how one would propose to stop it.
But we don't get involved beyond the minimal, and we certainly don't bother ourselves with the trifle of engaged political participation.
I'm sure many will mock Peckinpaugh's political move, suggesting he's merely out for a few moments of fame, or at best participating in a quixotic drive toward a goal he cannot reach.
Dale Carnegie once put it best: "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."
What if instead of mocking, we took this as an opportunity to show the Muncie community that we can stand for something? There are 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at Ball State, but the Muncie citizenry at large knows of our apathy and fails to take us seriously as productive members of the community.
Peckinpaugh is giving us a chance to turn those attitudes in a new direction. Whether or not one supports his drive to become Muncie mayor, we all can take on the challenge he's putting forth. We all have goals we'd like to achieve in life.
Discover your dreams and the inspiration to succeed and the passion Peckinpaugh exudes won't go to waste.
Write to Jonathon atjonathansanders@justice.com
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