Penn State students are hoping to recreate NBA player Adonal Foyle's dream of a political system that makes everything from careers in basketball to politics equal.
Democracy Matters was started seven years ago by Foyle because "he thinks that everyone should have a fair chance to engage in politics or run for office, not just the people who have the most money," club vice president Liz Stock said.
Penn State students are creating a branch of Democracy Matters in order to promote and raise awareness about democracy issues, Stock (sophomore-psychology) said.
Democracy Matters is "a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that basically aims to promote democracy in our society. One of the main focuses is money in the elections and politics," Stock said.
With the upcoming presidential election there will also be a focus on other issues, such as the environment, Stock said.
The fledgling club recently appointed students to its executive board and completed its constitution last weekend. It is still awaiting an official confirmation as a recognized Penn State club.
"What's going on in our economy and our world is going to affect our future, and I think it's important if you are going into the world that is so globalized that you are educated about what is going on around you, and politics plays a huge role in our daily lives," club secretary Kelly Songer (sophomore-supply chain and information systems) said.
Although Democracy Matters is not yet officially recognized, the club is recruiting members and has held two meetings in the HUB-Robeson Center.
Next fall, the group hopes to hold regular meetings and sponsor activities and a speaker, Stock said.
"Basically, we want to get as many members as we can and generate a lot of support on campus."
Democracy Matters is interested in working with any Penn State club to get its "foot in the door," especially clubs that share their same interests, particularly Represent Penn State, Stock said.
Represent is a non-partisan organization that encourages students to register and vote.
"We welcome the opportunity to work with everyone at Penn State that is interested in the work we are doing -- the non-partisan voter registration all the way up through the election-day and poll protection," Represent President Matt Popek (junior-geography) said.
