Although it is too late to register to vote, student organizations are continuing to educate students on campus about the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI.
Black Caucuses around campus are educating students about the MCRI through discussions and events. The Black Caucus in Hubbard Hall worked to register students to vote all the way up until the day of the deadline, Oct. 10.
"Even though it's too late (now) to register, it's not too late to advocate and to state the facts and talk to people that you run across every day," said Corie Peterson, vice president of Black Caucus in Hubbard Hall and prenursing sophomore.
Sunday night, Hubbard Hall's Black Caucus talked to 35 students sharing facts about the initiative, describing affirmative action and what it does for minorities, Peterson said.
"These changes (that the MCRI will cause) are important to, of course, Black Caucus because it's a mostly black organization," she said.
"Most of the people that come to our meetings are African American, and most of these changes will definitely affect us as a whole. Not only will it affect African Americans, it will affect white women as well. It will affect minorities as well."
The Multi-Racial Unity Living Experience, or MRULE, has worked to train both residence hall mentors and aides in the Office of Racial Ethnic Student Affairs, or ORESA, about the MCRI and how to discuss it with those they serve.
"Mentors are obligated to get their students active in the community, and that involves voting," said Tim Hillman, an MRULE student leader and education senior.
"There have been conflicts on campus between students of different ethnic groups, men and women and some white students, saying to students of color, 'You're only here because of affirmative action.'"
Some student groups tried to educate students on a variety of election issues. Instead of focusing solely on the MCRI, the Alliance of Lesbian, Bi, Gay, Transgender, and Straight Ally Students will be bringing speakers in to inform its members about the elections in general, said Megan Gallagher, chairperson of the alliance and political science senior.
The alliance is a group of lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender and straight students who work out of the Union. The organization has discussed the MCRI in addition to other election topics.
"It's a topic of conversation in general, and a lot of people have learned about it through other groups," she said. "It's a big deal because it affects a lot of people in the community."
At 7 p.m. Sunday, a speaker from the Lansing Association for Human Rights will come to the alliance meeting in room 441B of the Union to discuss the elections and the proposals that will be on the ballot. Although the alliance has not specifically focused on the MCRI, it has been encouraging members to vote no, Gallagher said.
"It's kind of like, as a group of people, the LGBT community is oppressed and we stand in solidarity with others who face things like oppression," she said. "It's important to stand together."
