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Political Engagement of College Students Spring 2016 1 INTRODUCTION “Every great political campaign rewrites the rules; devising a new way to win is what gives campaigns a comparative advantage against their foes” (Podhoretz). Political campaigns are a tactical battle to gain any advantage over their opponents. Presidential candidates fight for every vote and gaining the support politically active young voters has become the comparative advantage necessary to win the presidency. The purpose of this research is to explore the voting demographics of college students, specifically at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College. As well as seeking to find which political issues are most important to these students as well as their stances. By observing these different stances, the various ways students obtain skewed information from social media will be determined and will encourage students to become more educated from reliable sources. This is an important topic to explore at any time, but especially pertinent now as Presidential campaigns are underway and a presidential election is looming this upcoming November. Ever since the passage of the 26th Amendment, allowing citizens who are 18 years old to vote, understanding what young people desire from politicians has been a key to winning elections. As with any demographic, time changes views, and knowing what the current views of students are and how to please them is necessary to win a federal election. This report will cover a general political stance of students at universities similar to Behrend regarding specific current political issues. This report will not be extensive enough to address every political issue currently being debated or address specifically every current presidential candidate, but will attempt to examine such topics as the appeal of Bernie Sanders, the variation of college students’ political views, and the impact of social media. The findings and determinations resulting from this project all stem from research conducted using sources from reliable databases as well as interviews from Penn State Behrend groups and political experts. This research is believed to accurately convey several key points related to college students as a collective group and their political views. It is understood that everyone has different and wide-ranging opinions on many topics and there is no attempt to offend. These findings do not reflect personal opinions but are solely the results of this research.

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Page 1: Political Engagement of College Students

Political Engagement of College Students Spring 2016

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INTRODUCTION “Every great political campaign rewrites the rules; devising a new way to win is what gives campaigns a comparative advantage against their foes” (Podhoretz). Political campaigns are a tactical battle to gain any advantage over their opponents. Presidential candidates fight for every vote and gaining the support politically active young voters has become the comparative advantage necessary to win the presidency. The purpose of this research is to explore the voting demographics of college students, specifically at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College. As well as seeking to find which political issues are most important to these students as well as their stances. By observing these different stances, the various ways students obtain skewed information from social media will be determined and will encourage students to become more educated from reliable sources. This is an important topic to explore at any time, but especially pertinent now as Presidential campaigns are underway and a presidential election is looming this upcoming November. Ever since the passage of the 26th Amendment, allowing citizens who are 18 years old to vote, understanding what young people desire from politicians has been a key to winning elections. As with any demographic, time changes views, and knowing what the current views of students are and how to please them is necessary to win a federal election. This report will cover a general political stance of students at universities similar to Behrend regarding specific current political issues. This report will not be extensive enough to address every political issue currently being debated or address specifically every current presidential candidate, but will attempt to examine such topics as the appeal of Bernie Sanders, the variation of college students’ political views, and the impact of social media. The findings and determinations resulting from this project all stem from research conducted using sources from reliable databases as well as interviews from Penn State Behrend groups and political experts. This research is believed to accurately convey several key points related to college students as a collective group and their political views. It is understood that everyone has different and wide-ranging opinions on many topics and there is no attempt to offend. These findings do not reflect personal opinions but are solely the results of this research.

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PROJECT FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS Liberal Leanings As voters, college students have unique, often liberal, stances on political issues. The information regarding the most important issues among this demographic are often obtained through unreliable means such as social media, and should be collected through more credible sources. When discussing politics, it is important to understand that age as well as education plays an important role in how people vote, and what issues are more important to a specific person. College students will have different perspectives than older citizens. College students are said to be more liberal, than those who do not attend college. According to the CIRP Freshman Survey conducted by UCLA in 2015, a greater proportion of students identify themselves as “liberal” or “far left” (33.9%), which increased by around 4 percent since 2012 (Eagan 14). Based on the survey, more than 55% of students supports the legalization of marijuana, more than 60% of students believe that abortion should be legal, and the number increases every year (Eagan 24). Liberals views are mostly democratic views. Neil Gross, with the New York Times, conducted a survey of over 1,400 college professors and found that about 50% identified as liberal. Only one in five, or twenty percent, of American citizens would identify themselves as liberal (Gross). These numbers show that more professors are liberal than those who are not professors. Dr. John Gamble, a distinguished professor of political science at Penn State Behrend, discussed how a college education can change a student’s political views by stating, “there’s pretty clear evidence, you tend to become more liberal and open, but you don’t go off to the left in a huge way.” Being that students go to college to learn, they may be influenced by their peers and professors, learning liberal views on politics without even knowing it. There is evidence from “the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement analysis of the 2010 National U.S. House Exit Polls that indicate college students hold substantially different policy views than non-college students” (Ardoin, Bell, and Ragozzino 6). This could be due to increase in political knowledge or the influence of the professors, students, and groups at the university. The following table shows statistics from college students regarding some liberal issues.

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Fig. 1.Examining Students’ Political Views. Eagan et al., The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2015, Los Angeles. 2016. Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA. Print Sanders and Clinton As discussed above, college students generally side with a liberal viewpoint. It is important to look at the two main candidates advocating this point of view. “Sanders is now drawing support from many factions of his party. But his strength is also rooted in astronomical support from a single group: the millennial generation. Both in Iowa and New Hampshire, Sanders carried over 80 percent of voters younger than 30, a head-spinning result” (Brownstein). It is obviously clear that a large portion of Sanders’ constituents are young voters, comparing to Hillary Clinton’s voters, but why? Sanders has been able to create a movement to change politics at a fundamental level, acting as a progressive candidate who takes on the important issues that most young people care about. His campaign promises and platform stems from an idea of inclusiveness and collective action (Brownstein). A major draw of Sanders comes from his willingness to listen and discuss with everyone. While interviewing the Behrend College Democrat president, Domonic Matthews, he also noted that college students tend to be more liberal. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are the two primary candidates currently campaigning for the democratic nomination. In this interview, he noted many of the students who participate in his group are Bernie Sanders supporters, and few are Hillary Clinton supporters. Dr. Gamble believes Sanders strongly embodies the desires of college students. The reason for much of his attraction comes from his sincerity and honesty. As seen in the media, Sanders is also appealing to many college students since he is in favor of instituting free college tuition, and he also is in favor of raising the minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour (“Pragmatic Capitalism”). Nora Caplan-Bricker states in her article, “Sanders, like most left-wing students, is antiwar, anti-money-in-politics--and anti-student-loan-debt, which he has proposed to curtail by making college free”. These issues are very important to college students and is further proof as to why college students tend to side with Sanders. The inflation of college tuition in recent years has made it nearly impossible to get an education without putting one in a great amount of debt. Also, many students work part time jobs that typically pay around minimum wage. These two proposed policies will clearly benefit college students, and is why many of the students in the Behrend College Democrats organization support Sanders. Although Clinton is winning more votes for the democratic nomination from the general public, Sanders is the democratic candidate that appeals more to college students as he wins the majority of youth votes.

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Ian Richards, the Behrend College Republican President, agrees with Matthews on the sources of political information and also the typical party affiliation of the average college student, but disagrees on the most important political issues in the upcoming debate. During the interview, Richards stated, “with students and their professors having a tendency towards a liberal bias, I think students are focusing more on obtaining free college, legalizing marijuana, LGBT rights, or for some students, they’re focused on building a wall even if it’s not feasible”. When comparing this information to the Behrend College Democrat president, it is apparent that they agree on the general tendencies and views of college students. Richards has also stated that Bernie Sanders appeals to most college students because of his focus on free education, however, he disagrees because of the economic issues that it would cause. Influence of Media Domonic Matthews also stated that social media has a great effect on college students in both positive and negative ways. He states that social media makes it very convenient and quick for students to find information about politics and candidates. “Being that most college students do not read newspapers and rarely watch news channels, social media is one of the main ways students learn news about politics” (Matthews). However, he states that this is a problem because “I often see internet memes from both democrats and republicans that state flat-out lies, which can lead to someone’s political views to being very misconstrued” (Matthews). A student’s political views can be completely based off of false information that they see on the internet. Also, a student who only finds political news on social media will learn more about an outspoken candidate such as Donald Trump than a candidate such as Bernie Sanders. Matthews and Richards also agree that social media is the main source of political information among college students. This is alarming because often times social media is not a valid or credible source of information. With invalid information, students could be led astray and vote for people or issues they do not believe in. In regards to sources of information, Trump has been all over social media platforms and the news. There has been both positive and negative media about Trump, but all of the media seems to be helping him in the polls with the amount of exposure the media provided. It has been very public that there have been many people protesting Trump. However, Trump is still getting more voters from these actions. As long as someone like Trump is getting the attention of the news, even if it is negative attention, they will still attract more voters simply because they are more well-known than a candidate such as Bernie Sanders or other republican candidates.

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Students’ View on Issues Although these two club presidents agree on some ideas, there were major differences in the issues they believed to be most important. Matthews believes “minimum wage, foreign policy, and trade policy are the main topics that should be covered by candidates” whereas Richards believes that the “rise of ISIS, the backing of the second amendment, and repealing Obamacare are the most important issues during the upcoming election”. The issues that each president feels to be most important are completely different. The issues that are most important to college students will depend on the beliefs and values of said college student. Those who follow democratic values would most likely focus on domestic issues and topics regarding free education or legalization of medical and recreational marijuana whereas those who follow republican values would most likely focus on wider issues such as ISIS and illegal immigration (Matthews). Change of Views When examining the political views of college students and what they believe to be the most important issues, it is essential to know where they get their views. During the interview with Dr. Gamble, he states that he believes there is a pretty good chance that students will start out with the same or similar views as that of their parents or guardians. “Most students or people at some point start to look at their parent’s views and ask if they’re the appropriate ones for them and will entertain change.” This idea is not necessarily as prevalent as it used to be, primarily because it is not as clear as it used to be. Dr. Gamble talked about how party platforms are not as clear as they used to be and it is harder to know what they stand for. He was has also stated, “It’s better to look at the individual issue and the candidates and decide for yourself” (Gamble). CONCLUSIONS College students are a unique demographic with their own set of opinions and stances on political issues, including the right set of characteristics held by the next President of the United States. Their liberal tendencies stem from socializing factors they grew up with and a constant flow of information coming from social media. The issues that are most important to college students will depend on the beliefs and values of said college student. To summarize, it is extremely difficult to generalize college students into one collective body, especially while addressing the polarizing topic of politics. 1. College students tend to lean to the left on the political spectrum and have stronger liberal views. 2. Although social media can provide wholesome information, it can also harbor biased and inaccurate information causing the views of its primary users, young people, to be skewed through misinterpretation.

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3. Although college students are generally liberal regarding political issues, it is difficult to say what the most important political issues are or will be because the opinion will vary from person to person. 4. Trump has been able to gain much popularity among college students from his bold personality and through his use of social media. 5. College students’ political views generally stem from their parents, but has become less common because of the increased amount of influence from friends and social media. RECOMMENDATIONS College students are an important and powerful demographic, therefore their opinions should be derived from reliable sources. This increase in accurate knowledge will allow them to vote for candidates that truly represent the views they hold. Below is a list of what we believe to be a viable number of options to become well informed and active in politics. 1. Students should rely less on social media because often times the information given is unreliable or skewed. 2. One of the best ways to get involved is to interact with different political groups or even attend political science classes. 3. After a student feels well educated on their political views, they should get involved with the voting process. 4. Try to broaden the political issues you follow because even though it does not affect you, which does not mean it is not important. 5. Have an open mind about different political issues. 6. Do not be afraid to ask any questions you have about politics because it is one of the best ways to obtain information.

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APPENDIX A: Dr. John Gamble Interview Transcript Interviewee: Dr. John Gamble, Professor of Political Science and International Law Date of Interview: March 24, 2016 Interviewers: Ian Griffith, Zixun Lin Griffith: How did you get involved in political science? Gamble: As an undergraduate I had the blessing, or the curse, or both, of being about equally a good in a whole range of math or political science to English to foreign language. You know you can do those tests of aptitude in various areas and its supposed to be some things are high. I had a straight line cross. And as I say I fell into it, I admit it after all these years but I will it’s the easiest way for me to progress. I continued to study it until I got my PhD. Lin: Tell me about some of the research that you’ve done. Gamble: I’ve done a lot of differnet types of research over the years. Most conspicuous is treaties and international laws, my specialty; I’ve published a fair amount. Griffith: Where do you stand politically? Who would you support in this upcoming primary? Gamble: I think I’m in the middle politically. What I want from candidates are people who understand issues are complicated and explain how they believe they’re complicated which excludes a few candidates who don’t meet these criterion, among them Trump, who oversimplifies. I think from the people who are left, I think there are 4 or 5 depending on how you count. I would not vote for Trump under any circumstance. Kasich has some good ideas, but I don’t think he’s as much in the middle. I think Clinton is in the middle in a lot of ways. Cruz is a doctrinaire, far too conservative. It’s fine to be conservative, but you’ve got to think it through. I could vote for Clinton or Sanders, I like some of the things he says but doesn’t have a way to accomplish a lot of the things he’s talking about. Trump and Cruz scare the hell out of me. Lin: What do you see as the most important issues in this upcoming election? Gamble: There are a couple. The most general one is it’s important the ways certain areas of government can work together and cooperate. Things within the congress ought to be a discussion in the middle not left and right arguing with each other so that they go off to all extremes. Beyond that I think that we need to deal with the fact that we have too much money in politics and our campaigns go on too long. We’re the only country in the civilized world, democratic world; every other country has seen the light. There’s too much money flowing into elections, and the easiest way to accomplish this is to limit the length. Whole campaigns are limited to a month or two in Canada, Britain, and other campaigns.

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Griffith: Working with students everyday, what issues are most important to them? Gamble: They of course are interested that it costs too damn much to go to college and Penn State wastes too much money. It costs too much to go here. They should be concerned about getting good jobs that they can keep. All issues are complicated. Trump doesn’t understand that they are complicated issues. The toughest thing for my students is trying to get them involved even though it’s complicated. It’s important for the United States to have active citizens. Lin: Do you think social media and the increasing use of technology has an impact on the political views of students? What other factors play a role? Gamble: When I was your age, as an undergraduate, there was a lot of discussion about the mass media. There are people who claim both liberal and conservative biases. Fast forward to today, it's clear to me there is there is a bias that the media today print media and television and it isn't generally right or left, it’s sensational which makes it a lot harder to understand what's going on. Griffith: How do you think that impacts college students’ views, if in any way? Gamble: It can make it harder for students to be willing to spend the time to understand the issues. Healthcare is a classic example. U.S. has a messed up system of healthcare. It's complicated, there a lot of the villains in the health-care story and it takes time to understand it and get a grasp on what's going on. It’s easy to look at it and say, “Oh that's terrible.” It is in many ways. Lin: So what factors are characteristics do you think create politically active students? Gamble: Generally, it's the reaction to a certain kind of event like tuition to the fact harder it’s to get a job and keep a good job. In my era was the war in Vietnam. We have a different kind of issue today. Campaigns and elections, it's not fair in a lot of ways. Citizens united where they said freedom of speech is a right in the Constitution and that should extend to the right contribute money to political campaigns. I think that decision was wrong. All of the rights in the Constitution have conditions. You can’t have absolute rights in any society. You could argue you can are you can you can discuss the rights in the Second Amendment, but I don't think they're absolute. That makes some of my student angry but some students think there should be absolute right to carry a gun. Griffith: Which presidential candidate do you think would be most favorable among college students? What characteristics do you think would a candidate have that students’ desire? Gamble: Well I'm pretty sure my students here, it is Sanders. I know enough of my students well and they come and ask me any question. And I think I understand that, he has a clear message, a lot of the aspects of the message are what the students want to

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hear. He doesn't seem like he's talking down, he seems sincere. He answers questions when he’s asked, even if the audience doesn’t agree. So I really see the appeal of him. I don't think he's as likely to be able to get elected and to get elected as Clinton could. So if I had to vote in the Democratic primary, which I can't do in Pennsylvania because I'm an independently registered, I don’t know for whom I’d vote. Lin: How do you think a college education could change a student’s political views? Gamble: Can or should? Lin: Can it? And if it does, how? Gamble: The way it should, and it doesn’t occur all the time, if they take a range of courses and it opens them up to different ideas and points of view, if they get to the point where they can look at their own ideas and adjust and move them around, that’s the way it should be. I’m saying that they should be able to understand and think about the views they have and why. I think a lot of those do that. The group that doesn’t do that is engineers. They are very bright, but their opinion is they have to focus on their courses. Political science doesn’t affect me and doesn’t have the same clear-cut answers as engineering. I think that is dangerous. A lot of them end up coming around. Everything is interlinked and that’s what you should understand. Griffith: How do you think students political views differ from those who do not attend college? Gamble: There’s pretty clear evidence, you tend to become more liberal and open. You don’t go off to the left in a huge way. You’re far more likely to vote. The best predictors of whether you’ll vote are the level of education you have and ethnicity. Lin: Do you think the majority of college students follow the political views of their parents? Gamble: That’s a wonderful question. There’s a pretty good chance that you’ll start out that way. Most students or people at some point start to look at their parents views and ask if they’re the appropriate ones for them and will entertain change. I was brought up in a staunch Republican household. It was a strong preference from virtually everyone. The first time I voted for President I decided the best candidate was not Republican. I knew the candidates I was going to vote for, they were almost all Democratic. When I went to pull the lever, it was almost as if my family was trying to move my hand off the lever. Of course the point here is that there’s strong pressure to adopt the political party of your family. I don’t think there’s of much of that as there used to be. Griffith: Why do you think it is not as prevalent now as it used to be? Gamble: It’s not as clear as it used to be. If you look at Trump it’s not exactly clear if it’s a conservative or liberal message. It’s harder to know what the parties stand for. A lot of

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younger people say, “I don’t want to be a Republican or a Democrat.” It’s better to look at the individual issue and candidates and decide for yourself, which is good in many ways.

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APPENDIX B: Domonic Matthews Interview Transcript Interviewee: Domonic Matthews, Behrend College Democratic President Date of Interview: March 24, 2016 Interviewer: Kevin Zabelsky Zabelsky: How did you get involved with your club? Tell us about some things your group is involved in. Matthews: I got involved after club showcase my freshman year. I’ve always had an interest in politics even though it’s not a part of what I’m studying here at Behrend. I figured joining a club would be the best way to still be involved in politics. Zabelsky: Who would the majority of students in your club support in the upcoming primary? Why? Matthews: Most of our members are feeling the Bern, however there are a few Hillary supporters. Zabelsky: What do you see as the most important issues during this upcoming presidential election? Matthews: This is a tough question to answer. Some candidates focus on completely different issues than others. Clinton and Sanders have been mostly focused on domestic issues such as the growing heroin problem, legalizing medical/rec. marijuana and the ever increasing cost of colleges. Candidates on the Republican side have been more focused on international issues such as ISIS and illegal immigration. The top priority issues I would say (that every candidate will address) are what to do with the minimum wage, foreign policy, and trade policy. Zabelsky: What political issues does your group focus on primarily? Matthews: Behrend College Dems is more about enabling information about candidates and issues to reach students rather than focusing on a specific issue themselves. I think it’s up to the individual to decide what issues are important and vote that way. College Dems just tries to keep students informed about how and what issues candidates support through watching debates, offering internships with campaigns and sharing recent information about what is going on in politics. Zabelsky: Do you think social media and the increasing use of technology is the greatest factor when it comes to political views among college students? What other factors do you think play an important part? Matthews: I think the increasing use of technology definitely plays a huge role in political views. However, this is a double edged sword. While there is now information that’s shared extremely quickly, accuracy of information and sourcing has plummeted. I often

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see internet memes from both democrats and republicans that state flat-out lies which can lead to someone’s political views to being very misconstrued. The news media also plays a huge role in views as well. Unfortunately, nowadays only a few people control almost all the news media in America, and this leads to certain ideologies being pushed on the news rather than just facts like it should be. From the left sided media we have seen Bernie get barely any attention while Hillary gets a good bit. And on the right, Fox news has been so off the tracks recently that some studies even go to say only about half the information they report is correct and/or not taken out of context. I think if you want the most accurate information in order to decide your political views, you should follow well-established centrist news such as NPR. Zabelsky: In your opinion, what percentage of college students do you think participate in politics? Matthews: I think this depends on where you are and what most students are studying at that school. While our political clubs are small because most people here are studying engineering, Mercyhurst has very well-established political clubs. Zabelsky: Which presidential candidate do you think would be the most favorable among college students? Why? Matthews: Once again, this depends on where you are. Conservative schools might support Cruz or Rubio, whereas I feel most liberal schools will support Sanders. Zabelsky: Do you think a college education can change a student’s political views? How? Matthews: Most definitely. The more you are informed and the more you learn, the more open-minded to new and different ideas you become. Many studies have shown that college education tends to make people more liberal, but I’ve met plenty of people that have become more conservative throughout college. Zabelsky: Do you believe the majority of college students follow the political views of their parents? Matthews: I think that most students coming as freshman do, but I’m sure as students spend more time at college, their views grow and change.

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APPENDIX C: Ian Richards Interview Transcript Interviewee: Ian Richards, Behrend College Republican President Date of Interview: March 30, 2016 Interviewer: Gregory Wasicki Wasicki: How did you get involved in with your group? Richards: I got involved sophomore year when my roommate kept urging me to join because he knew I was a republican and he was the Vice President of the Club. Wasicki: What is your party affiliation? Who would you support in the upcoming primary and why? Richards: I am a republican. I personally support John Kasich, the club has not made an official endorsement. Wasicki: What do you see as the most important issues during this upcoming presidential election? Richards: I personally see the rise of ISIS, the backing of the 2nd Amendment, and repealing Obamacare as the most important issues during this upcoming presidential election. Wasicki: Can you tell what political issues students focus on primarily? How does it differ from your most important issues? Richards: With students and their professors having a tendency towards a liberal bias, I think students are focusing more on obtaining free college, legalizing marijuana, LGBT rights, or for some students they’re focused on building a wall even if it’s not feasible. I personally think free college is an awful idea since you are investing in your future by going to school, I am indifferent to the legalization of marijuana, and I am against building a wall along the southern border. Wasicki: Do you think social media and the increasing use of technology is the greatest factor when it comes to political views among college students? If not, what other factors do you think play an important part? Richards: Yes, I think students are heavily influenced by what they see on Facebook and other social media sites, even when a significant amount of the information has not been fact checked and in some instances is not true. Wasicki: In your opinion, what majority of college students vote or participate in politics? What factors do you think affect this?

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Richards: I think we will see a lot of new college students this election with the frustrated republican students coming out to support Donald Trump and a lot of college students who will come out to support Bernie simply because they want free education. Wasicki: Which presidential candidate do you think would be the most favorable among college students? Why? Richards: I think college students who have not taken any economics classes love Bernie Sanders because of his promise of free education. Wasicki: Do you think education can change a student’s political views? How? Richards: Yes, our secretary has been converted from a democrat to a republican after learning that her views have changed from freshman year to senior year. She thought she was a democrat but we showed her what a republican truly stood for and she found that she aligned with republican values more. Wasicki: Do college students’ political views differ from those who do not attend college? How? Richards: I think attending college affects your views in comparison to entering the workforce or enlisting in the military. College students want free education for nothing in return while there are classmates from high school who serve in the military first to earn a free education through the G.I. Bill. Wasicki: Do you think the majority of college students follow the political views of their parents? Richards: Both of my parents are republicans so while I can’t speak for the majority of college students it would not shock me if they tend to do so. Political views are not something you decide on in my opinion, they are ingrained from a young age in the values you are raised upon.

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APPENDIX D: THANK YOU EMAILS TO INTERVIEWEES TO: John King Gamble [email protected] FROM: Ian Paul Griffith [email protected] SUBJECT: English 202D Interview DATE: Monday, April 4, 2016 Dr. Gamble, Thank you very much for allowing me to interview you for our english project. I enjoyed talking with you and you were very helpful. My whole group is thankful for your participation. Regards, Ian Griffith TO: Domonic Matthews [email protected] FROM: Kevin James Zabelsky [email protected] SUBJECT: English 202D Interview DATE: Monday, April 6, 2016 Dear Domonic, We would like to thank you for taking the time to help us learn about your organization. The information you provided us with helped greatly in our research project. Regards, Kevin Zabelsky

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APPENDIX E: COORDINATOR PROGRESS REPORTS

ENGLISH 202D – BUSINESS WRITING

TEAM #5, 2:30 – 3:20 P.M.

TO: Dr. Gallagher FROM: Ian Griffith, Assignment Coordinator DATE: Friday, February 19, 2016 SUBJECT: Progress Report for Library Research Memo, Annotated Bibs, and Interviews Team Contribution Breakdown: The entirety of team #5 contributed to the composition and editing of the Library Research Memo, Annotated Bibs, and Interview questions. The Library Research Memo was completely reviewed and posted to our team’s Google Doc through noon on February 19. The individual annotated bibs were created, posted to Yammer, reviewed and edited for content and formatting before compiling the sources onto one document. The interview questions were brainstormed and edited through our Google doc until we created 10 satisfactory questions. Each member suggested and emailed a possible interviewee. During the week of March 21 to March 25 the interviews were conducted and transcribed. The transcripts were uploaded to Yammer in accordance with Online Assignment #9. Individual Contributions: Ian Griffith: Completed all assignments required for the position of first assignment coordinator. Composed the assignment description of the library research memo. Made revisions to the first draft of the full document. Found four unique sources for the annotated bibliography. Reviewed and edited teammate’s bibliographies. Created and edited possible interview questions. Emailed Dr. John Gamble as a possible interviewee. Conducted Gamble interview and created transcript. Zixun Lin: Composed the research already conducted section of the library research memo. Made revisions to the first draft of the full document. Found four unique sources for the annotated bibliography. Reviewed and edited teammate’s bibliographies. Created

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and edited possible interview questions. Emailed Dr. Robert Speel as a possible interviewee. Conducted Gamble interview. Greg Wasicki: Composed the team topic, purpose, and audience section of the library research memo. Made revisions to the first draft of the full document. Found four unique sources for the annotated bibliography. Reviewed and edited teammate’s bibliographies. Created and edited possible interview questions. Emailed Behrend Republican Student President Ian Richards as a possible interviewee. Conducted Richards interview and created transcript. Kevin Zabelsky: Composed the research requirements section of the library research memo. Made revisions to the first draft of the full document. Found four unique sources for the annotated bibliography. Reviewed and edited teammate’s bibliographies. Created and edited possible interview questions. Emailed Behrend Democratic Student President Domonic Matthews as a possible interviewee. Conducted Matthews interview and created transcript. Team Improvement: I suggest as a team we communicate as clearly as possible when specific portions of an assignment need to be completed and ensure everyone is aware of such. We must ensure all assignments are properly formatted during the editing process. We must complete assignments more efficiently with more time to spare to ensure there are no last minute changes. Clearly communicate what each team member’s tasks are so there are not any assignments done twice or not at all. Coordinator Notes: When referencing anything (i.e. sources) we need to explicitly state what we are referencing to ensure clarity. Before submitting our work we should each individually make sure we are meeting every requirement stated in the instructions. Original progress report turned in has been amended and condensed to meet the requirements. TO: Dr. Gallagher FROM: Kevin Zabelsky DATE: April 4, 2016 SUBJECT: Progress Report for Team Report #1 – Individual Drafts and First Complete Draft

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Team Contribution Breakdown: Our first draft was to be due on Monday, March 28. Ian was assigned to write our introduction, while Lin, Greg, and I were to write our findings and analysis. All of us contributed our work on time except for Lin. We then agreed that we should revise our draft by Monday April 4. All of us provided changes by this deadline. Individual Contributions: Greg’s major contribution was writing the information that he received in his interview with the Republican group president, Ian Richards. Ian’s major contributions were writing the introduction to our first draft. He then was a great help in organizing the information that was written by Lin, Gregg, and I in the project findings and analysis section. Lin’s contribution came mostly from finding a source that had graphs that can help show statistics about our topic. My main contribution came from writing the information that I received from my interview with the Democratic group president, Domonic Matthews. Team Improvement: To improve our group communication, I believe that we should start setting up team face to face meetings. Currently our communication is done in class as well as through text. Often times some of us will not have our phones on us at all times, resulting in us being late to respond to questions and comments. This I believe will also help us even the work load throughout the group. Coordinator Notes: Lin was not able to meet his deadline on our first draft due to miscommunication. He was unable to respond to the text messages when we were telling him that his part had to be done. I would like to note that Ian did an exceptional job organizing the material in the findings and analysis section of our first report. TO: Dr. Gallagher FROM: Zixun Lin DATE: April 13, 2016

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SUBJECT: Team Report #2: revision of 1st complete draft, editing final report, & assembling final document Team Contribution Breakdown: Our team was not able to hand in OA #10, the revision of OA #9 before the deadline due to misunderstanding of the assignment requirement. All of our team members were responsible for the revision and editing of OA #9, based on the feedbacks and comments from Dr. Gallagher, fixing grammatical mistakes, citation errors, and order of contents. Individual Contributions: Ian Griffith: Created the appendix section from A to G, fulfilled all the information needed for the final version of the team report. Zixun Lin: Created the title page, helped with the appendix section and reformatted the whole document to have it ready for presentation. Greg Wasicki: Reordered, edited the context in the finding and analysis area, divided them into subheadings. Greg also completed the recommendation section. Kevin Zabelsky: Reviewed and edited the finding and analysis section, corrected all the mistakes that was pointed out by Dr. Gallagher, and teammates. Team Improvement: I suggest that the team needs more communication between each other, in order to keep track of the assigned tasks, and who does or does not complete the tasks on time. Although we have improved on the communication part, we still need to respond quickly to teammates’ messages, so that we could improve on our efficiency. Coordinator Notes: When we read the tasks requirement, we need to pay careful attention to the assignment deadline so that we will not make same mistake again. Every member of the team did a great job of finishing up the final report according to the requirements, and showing up to group meetings on time.

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APPENDIX F: INDIVIDUAL TEAM SECTIONS Team #5: Ian Griffith, Zixun Lin, Gregory Wasicki, Kevin Zabelsky

Team Topic: Political engagement of college students Purpose of Project: Discover the characteristics that comprise an ideal presidential candidate in the eyes of a college student similar to that of Behrend. Primary Audience: Behrend students ranging from ages 18 - 26 Introduction [Ian starts] The purpose of this research is to explore the voting demographics of college students, specifically at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College. We are seeking to find which political issues are most important to these students as well as their stances. Through these findings we wish to determine what qualities the “perfect” candidate would have to satisfy the students at Behrend as well as other colleges similar to ours. This is an extremely important topic to explore at any time, but especially now as Presidential campaigns are underway and a Presidential election is looming this upcoming November. Ever since the passage of the 26th Amendment, allowing 18 year olds to vote, understanding what young people desire from politicians has been key to winning elections. As with any demographic, time changes views, and knowing what the views of students are and how to please them is necessary to win a Federal election. This report will cover the general political stances of students at universities similar to Behrend regarding specific current political issues. While determining where these students stand on these issues, we will be able to determine the characteristics of a “perfect” candidate. Our report will not be extensive enough to address every political issue currently being debated or address specifically which current Presidential candidates we believe best fits student’s opinions. The findings and determinations resulting from this project all stem from research conducted using sources from reliable databases as well as interviews from on-campus political experts. We believe this research accurately conveys several key points related to college students as a collective group and their political views. We understand that everyone has different and wide-ranging opinions on many topics and are making no attempt to offend. These findings do not reflect our own personal opinions but are solely the results of our research. [Ian ends] Project Findings and Analysis

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[Greg starts] One of the most important aspects when it comes to searching for the “perfect” candidate for college students is the actual number of college students who participate in the voting process. Participation among students lies with their interests of politics. According to D.V. Zernov and E.S. Lukonina, “in the age group between eighteen and thirty, 47 percent took part in the election of deputies to the State Duma in 2007, substantially lower than the level of participation by the older generation—70 percent” (31). Although these statistics are from a Russian study, many of these same principles apply worldwide. Some students feel less inclined to participate politically because they feel like they are only one vote of many or because they simply do not care. On the other hand, the interest of not only themselves, but our future country, drives some students to participate in elections and to get involved with the political issues at hand. Often times certain events, groups, or even family involvement are what get students interested rather than the actual political process (Zernov 32). From personal experience, it seems like students are more likely to be involved when they were raised in a family who participated because they already have a sense of how things work. It is also more likely for a student to participate if an issue directly affects the person or their family. Below are two graphs from a study done by Zernov and Lukonina that shows the levels of interest and the willingness of students to participate in elections (35). As you can see, there were more people who were not only willing to take part, but the level also increased as the election moved closer. You can also see that the levels of interest are directly related to the amount of people who are willing to participate. These tests confirm that the more a student is interested in the political process or even events supporting these political views, the more likely they are to take part in the voting. [Greg ends] [Kevin starts] When discussing politics, it is important to understand that age plays an important role in how people vote, and what issues are more important to a specific person. College students will have different perspectives than older citizens. College students are said to be more liberal, than those who do not attend college. Liberals views are mostly Democratic views. Neil Gross, with the New York Times, conducted a survey of over 1,400 college professors and found that about 50 percent identified as liberal. Only one in five, or twenty percent, of American citizens would identify themselves as liberal (Gross). These numbers show that more professors are liberal than those who are not professors. Being that students go to college to learn, they may be learning liberal views on politics without even knowing it. While interviewing the Behrend College Dems president, Domonic Matthews, he also noted that college students tend to be more liberal. In this interview, he noted many of

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the students who participate in the group are Bernie Sanders supporters, and few are Hillary Clinton supporters. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are the two candidates that are currently campaigning for the Democratic nomination. Bernie Sanders appeals to many college students since he is in favor of free college tuition. He also is in favor of raising the minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour. These are two issues that are very important to college students. The inflation of college tuition in recent years has made it nearly impossible to get an education without putting one in a great amount of debt. Also, many students work part time jobs while at school that typically pay around minimum wage. These two policies will clearly benefit college students, and is why many of the students in the Behrend College Dems organization support Bernie Sanders. Although Hillary Clinton is winning the polls for the Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders is the Democratic candidate that appeals more to college students. Domonic Matthews also stated that social media has a great effect on college students in both good and bad ways. He states how social media makes it very convenient and quick for students to find information about politics and candidates. Being that most college students do not read newspapers and rarely even watch news channels, means social media is one of the main ways students learn news about politics. However, he states that this is a problem because “I often see internet memes from both Democrats and Republicans that state flat-out lies, which can lead to someone’s political views to being very misconstrued.” A student’s political views can be completely based off of false information that they see on the internet. Also, a student who only finds political news on social media will learn more about a candidate such as Donald Trump than a candidate such as Bernie Sanders. Donald Trump has been all over social media, and even the news. There has been both good and bad media about Trump, but all of the media seems to be helping him in the polls. It has been very public that there has been many people protesting Trump. However, Trump is still getting more votes from these. This is another problem that Matthews sees with the media. As long as someone like Trump is getting the attention of the news, even if it is negative attention, they will still attract more voters simply because they are more well-known than a candidate such as Bernie Sanders. [Kevin Ends]

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APPENDIX G: INDIVIDUAL TEAM REVISIONS FROM ONLINE ASSIGNMENT #10 Team #5: Ian Griffith, Zixun Lin, Gregory Wasicki, Kevin Zabelsky Team Topic: Political engagement of college students Purpose of Project: Discover the characteristics that comprise an ideal presidential candidate in the eyes of a college student similar to that of Behrend. We will also be able to discover why students believe in certain issues and how the candidates spread information. Primary Audience: Behrend students ranging from ages 18 - 26 INTRODUCTION Presidential candidates battle for every vote and the ever growing political activity of young voters has become essential to winning the presidency. The purpose of this research is to explore the voting demographics of college students, specifically at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College. We are seeking to find which political issues are most important to these students as well as their stances. Through these findings we wish to determine what qualities the “perfect” candidate would have to satisfy the students at Behrend as well as other colleges similar to ours. This is an important topic to explore at any time, but especially pertinent now as Presidential campaigns are underway and a Presidential election is looming this upcoming November. Ever since the passage of the 26th Amendment, allowing citizens who are 18 years old to vote, understanding what young people desire from politicians has been a key to winning elections. As with any demographic, time changes views, and knowing what the current views of students are and how to please them is necessary to win a federal election. This report will cover a general political stance of students at universities similar to Behrend regarding specific current political issues. While determining where these students stand on said issues, we will be able to determine the characteristics of a “perfect” candidate. Our report will not be extensive enough to address every political issue currently being debated or address specifically every current presidential candidate, but will attempt to cover the most important aspects. The findings and determinations resulting from this project all stem from research conducted using sources from reliable databases as well as interviews from Penn State Behrend groups and political experts. We believe this research accurately conveys several

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key points related to college students as a collective group and their political views. We understand that everyone has different and wide-ranging opinions on many topics and are making no attempt to offend. These findings do not reflect our own personal opinions but are solely the results of our research. PROJECT FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS When discussing politics, it is important to understand that age as well as education plays an important role in how people vote, and what issues are more important to a specific person. College students will have different perspectives than older citizens. College students are said to be more liberal, than those who do not attend college. According to the CIRP Freshman Survey conducted by UCLA in 2015, a greater proportion of students identify themselves as “liberal” or “far left” (33.9%), which increased by around 4 percent since 2012 (Eagan 14). Based on the survey, more than 55 percent of students supports the legalization of marijuana, more than 60 percent of students believe that abortion should be legal, and the number increases every year (Eagan 24). Liberals views are mostly Democratic views. Neil Gross, with the New York Times, conducted a survey of over 1,400 college professors and found that about 50 percent identified as liberal. Only one in five, or twenty percent, of American citizens would identify themselves as liberal (Gross). These numbers show that more professors are liberal than those who are not professors. Dr. John Gamble, a distinguished professor of political science at Penn State Behrend, discussed how a college education can change a student’s political views by stating, “there’s pretty clear evidence, you tend to become more liberal and open, but you don’t go off to the left in a huge way.” Being that students go to college to learn, they may be influenced by their peers and professors, learning liberal views on politics without even knowing it. There is evidence from “the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement analysis of the 2010 National U.S. House Exit Polls that indicate college students hold substantially different policy views than non-college students” (Ardoin, Bell, and Ragozzino 6). This could be due to increase in political knowledge or the influence of the professors, students, and groups at the university. The following table shows statistics from college students regarding some liberal issues. Source: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA: The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2015. While interviewing the Behrend College Dems president, Domonic Matthews, he also noted that college students tend to be more liberal. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are the two primary candidates currently campaigning for the Democratic nomination. In this interview, he noted many of the students who participate in his group are Bernie

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Sanders supporters, and few are Hillary Clinton supporters. Dr. Gamble believes Bernie Sanders strongly embodies the desires of college students. The reason for his attraction comes from his sincerity and honesty. “He doesn’t seem like he’s talking down, he seems sincere” (Gamble). Bernie Sanders also appeals to many college students since he is in favor of instituting free college tuition. He also is in favor of raising the minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour. These two issues are very important to college students. The inflation of college tuition in recent years has made it nearly impossible to get an education without putting one in a great amount of debt. Also, many students work part time jobs that typically pay around minimum wage. These two proposed policies will clearly benefit college students, and is why many of the students in the Behrend College Dems organization support Bernie Sanders. Although Hillary Clinton is winning more votes for the Democratic nomination from the general public, Bernie Sanders is the Democratic candidate that appeals more to college students as he wins the majority of youth votes. Domonic Matthews also stated that social media has a great effect on college students in both good and bad ways. He states that social media makes it very convenient and quick for students to find information about politics and candidates. Being that most college students do not read newspapers and rarely watch news channels, social media is one of the main ways students learn news about politics. However, he states that this is a problem because “I often see internet memes from both Democrats and Republicans that state flat-out lies, which can lead to someone’s political views to being very misconstrued.” A student’s political views can be completely based off of false information that they see on the internet. Also, a student who only finds political news on social media will learn more about an outspoken candidate such as Donald Trump than a candidate such as Bernie Sanders. In regards to sources of information, Donald Trump has been all over social media platforms and the news. There has been both positive and negative media about Trump, but all of the media seems to be helping him in the polls with the amount of exposure the media provided. It has been very public that there have been many people protesting Trump. However, Trump is still getting more voters from these actions. This is another problem that Matthews sees with the media. As long as someone like Trump is getting the attention of the news, even if it is negative attention, they will still attract more voters simply because they are more well-known than a candidate such as Bernie Sanders or other Republican candidates. Ian Richards, the Behrend College Republican President, agrees with Matthews on the sources of political information and also the typical party affiliation of the average college student, but disagrees on the most important political issues in the upcoming

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debate. During the interview, Richards was quoted as saying, “with students and their professors having a tendency towards a liberal bias, I think students are focusing more on obtaining free college, legalizing marijuana, LGBT rights, or for some students, they’re focused on building a wall even if it’s not feasible”. When comparing this information to the Behrend College Dems president, it is apparent that they agree on the general tendencies and views of college students. He has stated that Bernie Sanders appeals to most college students because of his focus on free education, however, he disagrees because of the economic issues that it would cause (Richards). Richards and Matthews also agree that social media is the main source of political information among college students. This is alarming because often times social media is not a valid or credible source of information. With invalid information, students could be led astray and vote for people or issues they do not believe in. Although these two presidents agree on some things, there were major differences in the issues they believed to be most important. Matthews believes “minimum wage, foreign policy, and trade policy are the main topics that should be covered by candidates” whereas Richards believes that the “rise of ISIS, the backing of the second amendment, and repealing Obamacare are the most important issues during the upcoming election”. The issues that each president feels to be most important are completely different. The issues that are most important to college students will depend on the beliefs and values of said college student. Those who follow Democratic values would most likely focus on domestic issues and topics regarding free education or legalization of medical and recreational marijuana whereas those who follow Republican values would most likely focus on wider issues such as ISIS and illegal immigration (Matthews). “They (college students) also, on average, are more likely to simply choose not to vote for local candidates. By and large, they come to the polls to vote for national offices, not local ones” (Ardoin, Bell, and Ragozzino 17). As the race for the presidency gets closer to the election in the November, the strengths and weaknesses of every candidate is becoming clearer to the public. One of the focuses of this research project is to determine what characteristics the “perfect” candidate should have to appeal to young voters. We have to opportunity to examine the current candidate with the most support from this demographic, Bernie Sanders, and determine why. “Sanders is now drawing support from many factions of his party. But his strength is also rooted in astronomical support from a single group: the millennial generation. Both in Iowa and New Hampshire, Sanders carried over 80 percent of voters younger than 30, a head-spinning result” (Brownstein). It is obviously clear that a large portion of Sanders’ constituents are young voters, comparing to Hillary Clinton’s voters, but why? Sanders has been able to create a movement to change politics at a fundamental level, acting as a

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progressive candidate who tackles on the important issues that most young people care about. His campaign promises and platform stems from an idea of inclusiveness and collective action (Brownstein). A major draw of Sanders comes from his willingness to listen and discuss with everyone. When examining the political views of college students and what they believe to be the most important issues, it is essential to know where they get their views. During our interview with Dr. Gamble we discussed this topic. He believes there is a pretty good chance that you will start out with the same or similar views as that of your parents or guardians. “Most students or people at some point start to look at their parent’s views and ask if they’re the appropriate ones for them and will entertain change.” This idea is not necessarily as prevalent as it used to be, primarily because it’s not as clear as it used to be. Dr. Gamble talked about how party platforms are not as clear as they used to be and it’s harder to know what they stand for. “It’s better to look at the individual issue and the candidates and decide for yourself.” Ardoin, Phillip J., C. Scott Bell, and Michael M. Ragozzino. "The Partisan Battle Over College Student Voting: An Analysis of Student Voting Behavior in Federal, State, and Local Elections." Social Science Quarterly 96.5 (2015): 1178-195. ProQuest. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. Brownstein, Ronald. "Trump, Sanders Target Alienated Voters." National Journal. Atlantic Media, 8 Feb. 2016. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. Eagan, K., Stolzenberg, E.B., Bates, A.K., Aragon, M., Suchard, M.C., Rios-Aguilar, C.R. The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2015. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA, 2016. Print. Gamble, John. Personal Interview. 24 Mar. 2016. Gross, Neil L. "College Doesn't Make You Liberal." NYTimes.com. N.p., 3 Mar. 2012. Web. 25 Feb. 2016. Matthews, Domonic. Personal Interview. 24 Mar. 2016. Montellaro, Zach. "Sanders Outpacing Clinton on the Airwaves in New Hampshire." National Journal. Atlantic Media, 5 Feb. 2016. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. Richards, Ian. Personal Interview. 30 Mar. 2016.

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Works Cited

Ardoin, Phillip J., C. Scott Bell, and Michael M. Ragozzino. "The Partisan Battle Over College Student Voting: An Analysis of Student Voting Behavior in Federal, State, and Local Elections." Social Science Quarterly 96.5 (2015): 1178-195. ProQuest. Web. 1 Apr. 2016.

Brownstein, Ronald. "Trump, Sanders Target Alienated Voters." National Journal. Atlantic Media, 8 Feb. 2016. Web. 1 Apr. 2016.

Caplan-Bricker, Nora. "The Betty White Of American Politics: Why Bernie's Young Fans Love Him." National Journal (2015): 3. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

Eagan et al., The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2015. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA, 2016. Print.

Gamble, John. Personal Interview. 24 Mar. 2016. Gross, Neil L. "College Doesn't Make You Liberal." NYTimes.com. N.p., 3 Mar. 2012.

Web. 25 Feb. 2016. Matthews, Domonic. Personal Interview. 24 Mar. 2016. Montellaro, Zach. "Sanders Outpacing Clinton on the Airwaves in New Hampshire."

National Journal. Atlantic Media, 5 Feb. 2016. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. Podhoretz, John. "John Podhoretz Quote." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. “Pragmatic Capitalism: The Impractical Economics of Bernie Sanders.” Chatham:

Newstex, 2015. ProQuest. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. Richards, Ian. Personal Interview. 30 Mar. 2016.