Campus Opinion: Boston College

BOSTON—Boston College seniors find themselves in a distinctive situation: For many, this marks the first presidential election they will vote in. They will graduate during some of the worst economic times since the Great Depression, and they will undoubtedly be feeling the pinch of paying back student loans.

But the Class of 2009 has also had the unique privilege of having both presidential candidates on campus at BC's academic convocation activities, with Barack Obama addressing them as freshman in 2005, and John McCain speaking to them as sophomores in 2006. For the many students who were able to meet and ask questions of these would-be presidential candidates, Obama's and McCain's answers and insights left indelible impressions.

Students on campus will cast their vote based on a number of different issues, not the least of which will include the economy, the war in Iraq, and health care. But what sets BC apart from the mainstream college demographic is the campus's awareness of social justice and morality. BC's student body, while certainly not all Catholic or even religious, seems to be guided by a moral compass in discerning a candidate's stance on certain issues.

Spiritual and ethical valuations underwrite many planks to the candidates' platforms, and many BC students zeroed in on those stances. Many contemplate such issues as the sanctity of life, preservation of human rights, and the access to basic commodities -- all complex elements that appear in some respect in the candidates' proposals. The weight that BC students give to these ethical intangibles adds nuance to their vote.

Boston.com solicited the opinions of six local college newspaper editors on the mood of their campus as the election nears.