As the dust settles from the 2024 presidential election, students at Point Loma Nazarene University continue to navigate a climate of conflicting opinions. Yet, amid this, a significant portion of the student body may be tuning out of political engagement and discourse altogether.
“I guess I just know that by voting, I’m taking a side, and I don’t want to offend people on either side. I hate politics.”
A third-year student at PLNU who asked to remain anonymous made this candid remark the day after the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
This sense of political hesitation is certainly not unique to this student or the attitudes surrounding the presidential election. Rather, it may reflect a broader trend toward political disengagement among college-aged students and at PLNU. A trend that, while not unique to campus, seems particularly prolific here.
Disillusioned by the crossfire of today’s hyperpolarized political climate, many students may be opting out of political participation altogether — not because they lack opinions, but because they feel overwhelmed and alienated by the vitriol that defines political discourse in the age of social media.
Some students contend that this lack of engagement is a result of coming from more affluent backgrounds that do not prompt political participation.
“Many PLNU students have a lot of privilege, so politics is not something that they care about because it doesn’t directly affect them,” first year biology-chemistry major Ruby Hong said.
Others point to a polarized campus environment as a reason for disengagement. First year theology, justice, and peace major Lauren Hemberry said, “It’s so polarized, so this campus has not felt like a safe space for political discussion. There are very, very few people I feel I can have those [political conversations] with.”
This sense of division reflects broader trends in American Society. “Political polarization and ‘tribalism’ has grown more pronounced in the country in recent years. In just the last 5 to 10 years, the number of people who say that the other party is immoral, dishonest, unintelligent, close-minded, or lazy has gone up by 10 to 20 points. This leads people to surround themselves with people who think like them and where conversations feel safe,” Lindsey Lupo, a professor of political science at PLNU, said.
Efforts to Foster Political Dialogue
Recognizing the need to create a space for healthy political conversation, PLNU’s Office of Student Life and Formation and the Associated Student Body (ASB) launched an initiative aimed at fostering respectful political discourse on campus. The initiative, which partnered with Olive Branch Solutions, included a series of three “Branch-Out” chapels intended to train students in navigating contentious political issues through respectful conversations.
The first of these chapels, held on Sept. 20, attracted fewer than 40 students. The subsequent chapels, held weeks later, still did not draw a significant portion of the student body. These “Branch-Out” chapels culminated in a post-election dialogue on Nov. 11, where attendance dwindled even further. The 12 students in attendance may have illustrated the apathy and disengagement that many students feel toward political conversations.
Apathy or Alienation?
Lack of interest in these conversations raises questions about if students at PLNU, many of whom are active participants in other areas of campus life, are simply afraid of furthering division in their social circles. For some, it may be easier to tune out than to risk alienating friends, peers or even family members by taking a stand in a polarized climate.
“I’m scared that when I participate in those conversations with friends it will negatively taint my perception of them,” first year international studies major Nina Thompson said.
Ben Cater, a PLNU history professor, reflected on the way in which polarization might affect PLNU students’ capacity to engage in political conversations.
“It’s almost as if you cannot have a principled, thoughtful conversation in which you come to slightly different conclusions without risking your relationships. Why? We assign eternal significance to these issues,” Cater said.
A Path Forward
The challenge, then, is identifying how communities, both on campuses like PLNU and nationwide, can re-engage with politics in spite of often justified negative perceptions of the government. PLNU President Kerry Fulcher recommends that students begin by focusing on tangible community-based concerns that can begin to rebuild trust in the political system and its potential for positive change.
“Engagement with what’s happening locally is the most important first step,” Fulcher said, advocating for involvement that addresses community concerns. This may look like participation in one of PLNU’s many homeless, children and youth or visiting community ministries.
As students at PLNU seek ways to navigate political divides, many are looking for a way forward that blends their faith and interaction with politics. For Cater, this means consistently orienting himself toward faith.
“I’m turning to Christ as my hope, and then in a more political way, I’m becoming more engaged at the local level … There are two responses that I make, grassroots democracy and Christ in the church,” Cater said.
Focusing on local action and community engagement can rekindle a sense of political connection, proving that even in an era of division, meaningful change starts right where we are.
Noah Shaw