Tunnel spreads political oppression awareness

In the middle of a campus swarmed with political propaganda, one organization brought together PVC pipes, plastic sheets and politically savvy speakers to increase awareness of what they considered the unjust underbelly of the electoral system.

They combined to form the Tunnel of Political Oppression"" which the Cobb Community brought to the Pit on Wednesday.

The six-room tunnel was designed to inform participants of the hurdles a variety of groups face when running for office or voting.

Community Director Tom Hamilton said he participated in a similar but broader program at UNC-Wilmington.

He said the Cobb Community chose to focus on politics to encourage involvement in the upcoming election.

Five rooms in the tunnel were each devoted to a specific issue that can prevent equality in elections — race, gender, religion, political party and the media.

Every room had a speaker who led participants in a discussion on the problems related to its topic.

In the Women in Politics"" room"" Pam Lach of the Carolina Women's Center explained to students the lack of female government officials compared with the number of female voters.

The ""Other Parties"" room gave students information on three other parties with a candidate in the current presidential race: the Libertarian Party" the Constitution Party and the Green Party.

The speaker junior Sarah MacDonald" also told students that about 22 additional recognized political parties have put forth candidates in recent elections. Among these were the Marijuana Party and the Boston Tea Party.

""I encourage you all if you feel you don't fit in with any party" to start your own party" MacDonald said.

The Tar Heel Party.""

The ""Religion in Politics"" room discussion brought up good points about the role of religion in voters' determination of political legitimacy"" sophomore Anise Simon said.

And the tunnel's sixth room was dedicated to a quiz that showed students the financial and cultural hurdles they would have to overcome in order to have a good chance at running for the presidency.

The qualifications included being a Christian male older than 49 and having the resources to raise $20 million in about a month.

""The last one was a good summation of the entire tunnel"" said sophomore Ruchie Singh.

MacDonald, a resident adviser in the Cobb Community, said she hoped the tunnel would give students a better understanding of the impediments in our political system.

I'm hoping they'll become more aware of the barriers people face" she said.

And Hamilton said he hoped the tunnel would help students challenge the status quo.

Some people only vote for people because of race or gender" he said. I hope students will learn to not make snap judgments on people.""

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.