Campus opinions- Boston University

BOSTON—The odd thing about the political climate on the BU campus is that even in an election as heated as this one, students seem more distrustful of government than ever. The Free Press conducted an unscientific poll of students and found that half of students questioned thought the nation is stuck with worse leaders than it was 20 years ago.

This distrust comes despite the fact that the campus is filled with campaign posters, political demonstrations and voter registration drives. A Barack Obama rally here in April drew more than 5,000 supporters. Students invited friends to watch October’s presidential debates and discussed them in class the next day.

Boston University earned a reputation for radicalism during the ’70s thanks to a wide range of student agendas, but more students seem excited about politics in 2008 than at any time in recent memory. They may just be more cynical than they used to be.

Regardless of their political persuasions, students rank environmental issues high on the list of problems worrying them this election year. Undergraduates have grown up hearing about the risks posed by looming resource shortages and rising sea levels due to global warming. It is only natural for students to agitate for less waste, more sustainable consumer goods and a sound energy policy, because they will inherit these dilemmas.

And even if we were not staring into the depths of a seemingly bottomless economic freefall, students would still care intensely about the economy. Most Americans lose sleep over their job security, their home mortgages or their ability to pay for education, but students worry about everything at once: tuition keeps skyrocketing, entry-level jobs seem increasingly scarce after graduation, and jobless parents threaten some students' ability to continue attending college. Students feel squeezed on all sides. Any political proposal to help reduce tuition or provide more financial aid is a no-brainer: Students will support it.

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