One of my foes as a college student has been the infamous “participation grade” that some professors enlist in their fight against classroom passivity.  The idea that I would need to be graded on how involved I get seems almost laughable, if not insulting.  After all, don’t I pay them to be there?  Isn’t my tuition proof enough that I’m invested in wanting to learn what they have to say?  Why must my grade teeter simply because my professor feels they can put a grade on how engaged I am in their classroom?

The reality is that many professors agree that today’s classroom needs a grade-based incentive to get their students, not just engaged, but actually into the room.  It pains me to admit it, but I am a good example of why these participation grades exist.  Numerous times, my decision to attend class, or even open my mouth and say something, was made knowing that a part of my grade was based solely on that decision.

When I consider classes where participation grades are not used, the same classroom environment, or attendance, does not exist.  I could do biological research on the vast number of crickets that broadcast during those long moments after the professor asks a question.  Those crickets have ample living space in the number of seats not occupied by my fellow classmates, unless an exam is coming up soon.

It seems to me that politics in the U.S. operates today much like the classroom without participation grades.  Come Election Day few people take the time to educate themselves on the issues or the candidates, if they even bother to show up and vote at all.  Many people who do show up, tend to ignore the areas of the ballot addressing state and local issues.  This is particularly frightening when you realize that state and local governments affects you a great deal more than the federal government.  This behavior is the equivalent of paying for college and only showing up for a handful of campus lectures and never stepping foot into a classroom.  Sure those campus lectures are helpful, but most of your education will come from your classes.

I’m sure by now, you get where I’m going with this.  The answer is so obvious – we need to create a participation grade beyond the classroom!  It’s perfect really; the ultimate solution and motivator for those who think ballots involve dancers wearing tutus.  Unfortunately, when I presented this idea to friends and colleagues they brought up some valid concerns.  Who would do the grading?  What would the grade be good for?  My initial response that “upon death you’d receive a lovely diploma in life” was met with raised eyebrows.

Alright, so maybe this isn’t a perfect plan.  I suppose the need for better civic engagement can’t be addressed with handing out grades.  We exist in a culture where motivation seems to only come in the form of money or a means of getting money later (ie. a degree).  Perhaps our motivation for getting involved in the process governing our lives should simply be our status as citizens.  Many of us are paying for our tuition bills as citizens and not showing up for class.

The insult of participation grades isn’t that the professors think we need them, it’s that we actually do need them.  The status of our national, state and local politics being such that the creation of participation grades makes sense, is pretty sad.  Our skepticism of politics and our complacency seems to be preprogrammed into our brains at birth.

Many of my friends from college talk about how it “changes their lives” or “opened their eyes” to real life.  Maybe a part of that should be opening our eyes to seeing how much government, and not just the goons in the White House, affect our lives.  Perhaps now is the perfect time to raise your civic consciousness and take control of how government will impact your life.  Doing this won’t require changing your life plans, doing anything illegal, or even becoming an expert on anything.  The only requirement is having the willpower.

My colleagues at Triangle Foundation and I will be sharing with you some more information on how you can get more involved and take an active role in the political process that dictates much of your life.  We’ll also be talking about some of the ways this thing called government enters our lives and, whether we give it permission to or not, opens and closes doors for us.  A large part of that will be getting involved right there at your campus – which is a Petri dish of political activity.

If you are alive, reside in a part of the world where other people are also present and want to have a say in how your life is run, then these articles are perfect for you.  Oh, and by the way, we understand that “college life” doesn’t often involve huge gaps in your schedule where you find yourself wishing you had 100 more things to do.  We’ll be sure to keep that in mind.  Who knows, maybe when your time comes and the big professor in the sky tells you what grade you got in Life 101, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see that you got an A+ in participation.  I wonder what she’ll be wearing…

Greg Varnum is the Executive Assistant and Youth Initiatives Coordinator at Triangle Foundation.  Triangle Foundation is Michigan’s statewide civil rights, advocacy and anti-violence organization serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and allied communities.