Editor's note: An earlier version of this story inaccurately said The Progressive Student Alliance was the only student campaign group on campus. The story has been updated.
Although Bernie Sanders isn't leading in the presidential polls, he remains a popular candidate among college-age students.
The Progressive Student Alliance, formerly known as College Students for Bernie at BSU, is a branch of the Muncie for Bernie Sanders Group, which is run by former political science major Michael Mahoney.
“Being a political science major, I think politics are important to focus on every single day," Mahoney said. "If we ignore politicians until election season, who knows what they’re gonna do? We have to keep an eye on what’s going on and pay attention.”
Mahoney said being informed even when it is not an election year is something important for everyone to do.
He contacted Jacob Cail, a junior telecommunications major, over the summer about forming a group on campus. Cail ended up founding The Progressive Student Alliance and is the vice president, although Mahoney still serves as the unofficial adviser to the group.
“We were both politically active and saw what Bernie Sanders is talking about, so we decided to try to get something going,” Cail said.
Cail said Sanders is representative of what the American people want and shares progressive values. Sanders’ viewpoint on issues such as income inequality and minimum wage are in alignment with what the majority of Americans agree with, he said.
Sanders, a current senator from Vermont, wants to raise minimum wage to $15 per hour, make public college tuition free and supports the Iran nuclear deal.
As of print time, Sanders is about 20 percentage points behind Hillary Clinton in the candidate popularity polls, according to Real Clear Politics. However, he is ahead of Clinton in New Hampshire by 10 percentage points and is even with her in Iowa, which are the first states to hold primary elections.
Freshman public relations major Sarah Foster is another supporter of Sanders and can’t wait to see him “Bern” the other candidates, she said.
Foster first found out who Sanders was through a test taken in government class that told her she was most likely to vote for him in 2016.
“I didn’t know who he was but I found out we have the same views," Foster said. "All of a sudden, he started appearing on Twitter and Facebook. It’s really interesting that he’s on social media almost 24/7 and creating this underground cult even though news media doesn’t talk much about him."
Foster said she appreciates how Sanders has stood by his values for issues like social justice since the beginning and does not sway to get votes. While other candidates seem to be all talk and no plan, Sanders actually forms a plan to put his goals into action, she said.
“I appreciate how he’s stood on his values for social justice since the beginning," she said. "He hasn’t swayed one way to get votes."
While Sanders’ name is generating buzz, political science professor Sean Hildebrand isn’t sure it will draw more people to the polls.
“It’s honestly too early to tell whether Sanders or anyone will have an impact on turnout in the primaries or if having so many candidates will get people to vote in an effort to get their favorite candidate through the fog,” he said.
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