Md. politics is ripe for activism

As a senior, I am pleased to say that I have witnessed the greatest political activism this semester out of my three years here. With the ongoing conflict in Iraq and an upcoming presidential election, it has been easy for students to get out and become vocal about their opinions. But on-campus political activism should not stop at the national level when there are a multitude of local and statewide affairs to consider and as many problems to help solve.

The upturn in the amount of on-campus political activism owes itself to a few main causes. As a presidential election nears, College Democrats and Republicans are doing their part by discussing and disseminating information on current issues. The debate between these two groups hosted by the MSE Symposium was an excellent opportunity for Hopkins students to view an engaged political debate.

Another cause for the rise in on-campus political activism has been the war in Iraq. Last spring semester saw frequent protests, debates and discussions on the causes for and against the war. Although national and international attention to Iraq has predictably subsided since the war ended, it is nevertheless still a subject of avid discussion. The fact that the controversy surrounding the war is so intrinsically tied up with the upcoming presidential election adds an atmosphere of urgency to this national debate.

With these issues dominating headlines and political discussions, it can be easy to overlook political, social and economic developments happening closer to home, namely in Baltimore and Maryland.

Some Hopkins students may be surprised to learn that the beginning of this fall semester coincided with two high profile and important city wide elections. Incumbent Mayor Martin O'Malley defeated challenger Dr. Andrey Bundley in the city Democratic mayoral primary, essentially securing his seat for next November.

That Mr. O'Malley won the primary is really of no surprise to anyone, considering his popularity. The only slightly alarming fact is that he won with only sixty-five percent of the vote. Potentially surprising to those students not in the know is that in a city that is 64 percent African-American, Mr. O'Malley, who is white, soundly defeated Dr. Bundley, who is black.

Baltimore's curious racial politics aside, this October also saw the reelection of Sheila Dixon to the seat of city council president. With the endorsement of O'Malley, Dixon won handily over her challengers. What Hopkins students should be interested to hear is that Ms. Dixon stands a good chance of becoming the next mayor of Baltimore before her term as city council president expires. If Mr. O'Malley goes through with his rumored plans to leave office to challenge and defeat Governor Robert Ehrlich in 2004, the city council president would assume his seat, making her the first female mayor of Baltimore.

The state of Maryland is facing a close to $2 billion debt, forcing the state governor to reduce funding and raise prices in areas like healthcare, transportation and education. Even Hopkins is getting nicked by this cost cutting, as it faces a $4.9 million funding reduction. Baltimore City schools are confronting their own $40 million debt that has in part caused a crisis in an oversupply of teachers. These conditions will not be conducive to these schools' already struggling attempts to comply with the federally mandated, achievement-based No Child Left Behind Act.

Baltimore's anti-drug trade campaign, Baltimore Believe, is receiving nationwide attention and Mayor O'Malley even recently spend some time in London with Prime Minister Tony Blair discussing the initiative. The British want to begin a similar program to fight their own war against drugs. Some in the Baltimore, however, question whether the campaign has achieved much at all.

These are just some examples of the current issues affecting Baltimore City and Maryland, issues ripe for involvement and change.

Hopkins students should take every opportunity to learn more about the current events of their local surroundings and take part in addressing problems through activities like community service and work. In Baltimore alone, a number of problems abound but a greater number of curious and capable Hopkins students exist to help solve them.

Let's not let political activism die at the state line.

Brendan Costigan is a senior Political Science major from Flanders, N.J. He is also a co-founder of the "All Politics is Local" lecture series.