Boston College students might not vote in the upcoming presidential election because they are apathetic or unsure of how to vote by mail, Mariame Diop, student senator and MCAS ’27, said at the first UGBC Senate meeting of the 2024–25 academic year on Tuesday night.
“I feel like people can get into a bubble when it comes to what’s happening in the real world,” Diop said. “I want to spread awareness about the election that’s coming up.”
To combat this, Diop said she aims to leverage UGBC’s resources to educate students on the importance of voting and how they can register to vote in their respective states.
“I feel like—as government, as UGBC—it’s our job to spread awareness,” Diop said.
Colleen Dallavalle, associate vice president for student engagement and formation, was present at the meeting and highlighted the University’s partnership with TurboVote, a free, not-for-profit website that helps users register to vote, find their polling place, and vote by mail, according to its website.
Also during the meeting, Cameron Kulbieda, academic affairs committee chair and LSEHD ’26, shared that plans are tentatively in place for the University to pilot funding transportation to required clinicals and practicum placements for some students.
“If everything goes according to plan, the pilot program … will take place in the spring,” Kulbieda said.
The Senate first raised the issue of funding transportation costs for low-income students to clinicals and practicums—experiences that are required for all Connell School of Nursing students and most Lynch School of Education students—last semester, and student senators on the academic affairs committee began meeting with administrators to discuss potential sources of funding.
During the summer, Kulbieda met with Joseph Du Pont, associate vice president of career services, and Shawna Cooper Whitehead, vice president for student affairs, to advance the initiative, she said.
“I’ve been working closely with Joe DuPont and Dr. Cooper Whitehead and everything’s looking good,” Kulbieda said.
The subsidy program is still subject to final approval, and the number of students who would be included in the pilot has not yet been determined, Kulbieda added.
Later in the meeting, student senators discussed purchasing one or two printers for residence halls on Lower Campus so residents in the area could print documents without having to walk to O’Neill Library.
“I think students would like easier access to printing, and that’s low-hanging fruit that UGBC should do,” said Meghan Heckelman, UGBC president and LSEHD ’25.
The Senate also voted to confirm Katherine McCaffrey, MCAS ’25, as a student senator, leaving just one seat vacant—a student senator for the class of 2026.
