Valley College students will have the chance to rock out and have their
say in the 2008 presidential elections tomorrow at the 'Voting Rocks'
concert, presented by the Valley chapter of the California Public
Interest Research Group.
Six bands will play in Monarch Hall
from 3 to 6 p.m. Free food will be available and the event will feature
guest speakers from the Associated Student Union.
Zeke Reyes, president of the school's chapter of CalPIRG, explained his motivation for organizing the event.
"I
see the youth as being disconnected from political issues, and [they]
don't have full awareness of who they are voting for … having an event
that is fun and that people can get involved in is a great way to get
people interested," he said.
'Voting Rocks' will give students who are not registered to vote the opportunity to do so.
"We
will have information packets for all candidates, whether they be
Republican, Democrat…then people can see what their policy platforms
are and what their track record is like," said Reyes.
Caitlin
Parker, CalPIRG campus coordinator, noted that there has been a lot of
interest in 'Voting Rocks' so far. The organization is aiming to sign
up around 300 new student voters at the concert. They will also be
around the campus mustering up potential voters.
Blame the
Noise, Glare and Los Arambula are some of the local bands scheduled to
play the concert, with a variety of music on offer, from rock to ska.
The groups became involved when organizers put the word out that they
were encouraging students to vote, something that Zeke Reyes said is an
issue close to many musicians hearts.
Crystal Sicairas, a member
of CalPIRG, who organized the participating bands, said that most of
the bands knew each other and were all excited to be playing. Event
organizers will make a compilation disc of all the groups playing at
"Voting Rocks." It will be available to purchase during the concert for
$2. The proceeds will go to CalPIRG to assist them with getting
established at Valley.
There will also be a food drive at the concert in preparation for Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
"We want to remind people that not everyone is fortunate enough to have food and family at Thanksgiving." said Reyes.
The
concert is not the only event happening in the college district, with
East Los Angeles and City College also holding similar gigs. Reyes said
that the three colleges were aiming to host a combined 'Voting Rocks'
event in February, before the presidential primary.
