In one of the most heated and decisive elections in U.S history, young people aged 18-24 are one of the biggest demographics?and therefore one of the most influential in deciding the outcome of the election.
President Bush seems to have struck a negative chord in the minds and hearts of some Bowdoin students, but John Kerry has not completely won over some students either, including Eddie Kim '07.
"To be honest," said Kim, who is from Korea, but lives in Turkey, "I support a lot of Bush's economic policy because it seems clearer and more defined than Kerry's. Also, Bush has been very decisive and that is one thing Kerry lacks for sure. But when it comes down to it, I'm ultimately a Kerry supporter. He's not perfect, but certainly better than Bush."
Other students are less doubtful of Kerry's abilities. Lauren Johnson '07 from Washington, D.C. said that Bush has acted irresponsibly and is upset that the President has used his faith and morals to guide some of his decisions, such as proposing a constitutional ban on gay marriage.
"I really want a candidate that has a legitimate plan for dealing with this Iraq War mess," she said. "And most importantly, I don't want a President that lets his faith guide his decisions."
But despite Bowdoin's label as being liberal, there are conservatives among the student population. Even the idea of Bowdoin as a "hotbed" of liberalism is contested among students whose conception of the school's political climate ranges from "moderate" to "superliberal."
"Bowdoin isn't really liberal, but more moderate," said Sarah Burns '07, an Ohio native. "But generally, people really respect people here with different opinions. People have asked me to talk about my perspective so that they can understand more."
Kiersa Benson '06 of Colorado said that Bowdoin is liberal, but not extremely so and that she gets this moderately liberal impression just from the issues students talk about, such as the environment and women's rights.
Kim takes a less nuanced stance. "We're definitely liberal, but conservatives have a strong voice as well and they are very organized. But when you consider that we are young students and live in New England, its almost inevitable that we're mostly liberal," he said.
Yet others feel that Bowdoin is almost too liberal. So liberal, in fact, that some students blindly accept liberal attitudes without really understanding why or backing up their ideas with constructive arguments.
"It's so overwhelming that sometimes I want to speak out for Bush," said Bari Robinson '06 of Massachusetts. "A lot of people just follow the crowd here and it's really frustrating...and I'm a liberal."
Yet one first year finds Bowdoin less liberal than what he is used to. "Being at Bowdoin has given me some perspectives different than what I was used to. It seems easier to be conservative here than where I was from," said Ken Akiha '08 of California.
"I still feel that I get sort of taken aback when I come across a conservative here, and so do a lot of other students here, too," he added. "And sometimes we make a lot of conceptions of conservatives?sometimes those conceptions are unfair."
For most students interviewed, important issues in this election revolve around national security, education, the environment, and the economy. Being in college has shown the importance of education reform for some students. Ethical issues, such as stem cell research, gay marriage, and abortion rights are also important to these students.
Tim Dooley '06 of Nevada is particularly concerned about the issue of insurance caps, "most importantly on medical malpractice insurance," he said. "With aspirations to go into medicine, and family members in the field, I feel strongly about it."
Some issues important to Bowdoin students have been ignored by either or both candidates on the campaign trail and in debates, accoding to some students. "Kerry avoided talking about social issues...Bush hasn't talked about the reality of Iraq," Kim said.
Johnson thinks that neither candidate has talked about the environmental at all. "They've been treating controversial issues with kid gloves. They don't want to offend people, but they want to seem like they have a clear position on the issue as well. It doesn't work though," she said.
Dooley felt that, for the most part, all issues were covered by the candidates in public appearances, but that women's issues could have been discussed more.
Other students, such as Robinson, feel that the media is more at fault if people feel that candidates have avoided talking about certain issues. It becomes a cycle, he said, in which the candidates focus on what is being said in the media, which happens to be about the war in Iraq and terrorism.
Yet some students find themselves tiring of the discussion revolving around terrorism and Iraq. Johnson said she is becoming insensitive to the issue of terrorism because "its' been beaten into our heads so much." Similarly, Akiha said that he feels so annoyed that the war on Iraq has been so overplayed that he's almost turned off from hearing about the war anymore.
The importance of young people in this election has been pivotal, with both candidates vying to get the young electorate to turn out and vote for them. While voter registration among young people has risen dramatically this year, the question still remains how many of these people will actually turn up to vote on November 2.
"I think students have traditionally been apathetic. But young people have become more interested especially because its [the election] going to be so close this year," Burns said.
"There is no reason for students not to vote," Akiha said. "With the internet, all it takes is an hour at most to learn about the issues that are important. The argument that our vote doesn't count just doesn't hold up any more."
Ultimately, students agree that until young people start voting, students can't expect candidates to discuss issues important to them. As Dooley said, "If we want candidates to discuss our issues, we must show that they will get something in return. That something in return is our vote."