‘Our participation matters’
Camels vote, volunteer at the 2nd Congressional District debate and launch new campus club for civic discourse
In the lead up to Election Day 2026, the Connecticut College community was abuzz with activity, as students learned about and participated in various forms of civic engagement.
Students in two campus clubs, Camels Vote and CC Civic Forum, have led the charge. Camels Vote is a student-run, non-partisan civic engagement initiative to encourage students to exercise their right to vote. The group helps students make a plan to vote, register to vote, request absentee ballots and find answers to their voting questions. In 2024, Conn won the Pledge to Vote Challenge, with the highest percentage of college students pledged to vote in the U.S.
“Voting is one of our most fundamental rights and I am committed to making sure every member of our community has the resources and support necessary to exercise that right,” said Erin Lawrence ’27, a Camels Vote ambassador, government and psychology major, and Holleran Center scholar. “Civic engagement is the foundation of a healthy democracy. Fostering active engagement with the electoral process and civic discourse can have a lasting impact that extends far beyond our campus.”
CC Civic Forum is a new, non-partisan club founded by Talha Aziz ’29, Kaitlyn Lubega ’29 and Feven Gebrehiwot ’29 to foster socio-political conversation and dialogue across campus.
“CC Civic Forum is about creating a stronger culture of discourse on campus. Conn has so many thoughtful people, and important discussions are already happening in classrooms, over meals and among friends. We wanted to create a space where students could come together, exchange perspectives, build community and have conversations about the issues that matter and are shaping the world we’re living in today,” said Aziz, a quantitative economics and international relations double major.
Both groups were instrumental in helping Conn host the 2nd Congressional District debate between candidates U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney and George Austin in the College’s Blaustein Humanities Center on Oct. 26. Camels Vote Ambassador Eliza Macaluso ’27 served as a panelist alongside moderator Gregory Stroud, editor in chief of CT Examiner, and Rebecca McCue, director of community engagement and Holleran Center operations at Connecticut College. Other students from the two clubs served as campaign liaisons and helped with timekeeping and check-ins.
“The debate was a unique chance for our students to witness the democratic process up close,” President Andrea E. Chapdelaine said. “I am so proud of our Camels who are actively engaged in the election, providing many opportunities on campus to learn more about the process, the candidates and the importance of every vote.”
Lubega, a sociology and Africana studies double major, Davis UWC Scholar, and Media, Rhetoric and Communication Pathway scholar, said volunteering and participating in the debate “was honestly such a cool experience.”
“It felt like a privilege to be at the forefront of politics in our own community, hearing directly from the candidates about their policies, positions and visions for the district they hope to represent,” she said. “It was also inspiring to meet them personally and hear about their journeys, hardships and what motivated them to enter public service. Regardless of political affiliation, there’s something encouraging about meeting people who are tangibly working to make change in the political world, however big or small.”
