COLUMBUS Bill calls for college government course

A YSU professor said a college education encourages voting.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- State two- and four-year colleges in Ohio would be required to include completion of a government course as a condition for awarding degrees or diplomas, under a bill introduced Thursday in the state Senate.
Under the bill, sponsored by state Sen. Marc Dann, of Liberty, D-32nd, the Ohio Board of Regents would require each state college and university to include the successful completion of government or political science course work that addresses the U.S. and Ohio constitutions as a condition for an undergraduate degree.
"It's just the general issue of we don't have the kind of participation in elections that I think we ought to have," said Dann. "It's important."
According to the bill, a student could also satisfy the proposed government course requirement by obtaining a high-enough score on the high school Advanced Placement Government exam, a placement exam given by a school, or by the transfer of credits from another college.
Disapproval and doubt
Dr. William Jenkins, A Youngstown State University history professor who coordinates general education, said the YSU Academic Senate debated adding a government course when they revised graduation requirements. A goal was to encourage students to be active citizens in the country and world.
But Jenkins' research into 2000 Census Bureau data shows that 75 percent of Americans with bachelor degrees vote and 82 percent are registered. Statistics from states that require a government course in college, such as Texas, are not any more compelling, he said.
"We came to the conclusion that college educations are doing the work of getting people to vote without having a government course," he said, adding that many other courses address government issues and encourage voting in various, interesting ways.
Further, Jenkins asked, in tight budgets times, who would fund the additional staffing required to teach additional courses?
Another higher education official said he doesn't believe the bill is a good idea.
"It's not a good idea for the General Assembly to be deciding curriculum issues," said Jim McCollum, executive director of the Inter-University Council of Ohio, an association of the 13 public four-year state universities and two freestanding medical schools.
McCollum said the IUC would likely oppose Dann's measure.
Dann said his bill would not mandate any content, just that some course work cover the national and state constitutions.
XVindicator Education Writer JoAnne Viviano contributed to this report.