"Ugh, you're not gonna believe this!" wailed my friend as she burst through my dorm-room door last Tuesday night. "Law and Order: SVU is cancelled for the stupid president's State of the Union address!" SVU is my favorite show also, so I was definitely aggravated that it wouldn't be on. Then, I actually thought about it.Clearly, popular shows are not just cancelled on a whim; important events rightfully take precedence during prime time television. So if the major networks felt this speech should be prioritized, why did my friends and I feel so differently?

Although Brandeis is one of the more academically oriented schools, filled with highly intelligent students and faculty, our political knowledge and-more importantly-activism is seriously lacking. Now there are students who tuned into the president's speech and absorbed everything he said, regardless of whether or not they agreed. I'm ashamed to say, however, that I am part of the campus majority who didn't.

Who's to blame for this widespread political apathy?

In several of my classes, professors have mentioned and discussed various highly relevant political topics, about which my classmates and I were practically clueless. Once we learned the facts, however, we were all either righteously outraged or in full agreement with what we were hearing. But what did we do about it?

With the controversial issues present in today's political climate, some of which directly affect students, one would think that a liberal campus like Brandeis would be hopping with heated debates, or at least lively discussions. But it's not. There's an utter lack of any politically related action instigated by concerned students, at least in relation to domestic issues.

There are, however, outlets on campus for students to share a political passion with other like-minded peers. There's just a lack of such passion. According to the myBrandeis Web site, the College Democrats have 523 students subscribed to their e-mail list while the Republicans have 205. While these may seem like reasonable, if not exuberant numbers, chances are that most of the students on these lists do not actively participate or even read the e-mails the clubs send out. Personally, I've been subscribed to the College Democrats list since last January and have attended one meeting since then. But now, whenever I get an e-mail from the group, I delete it without even bothering to read it. Although I have strong Democratic views and beliefs, I do not participate in any of the activities that the club promotes. This seems to be the case with most of the students subscribed to these lists. Why do we bother signing up at the activities fair if we really don't intend to be actively involved?

Marc Rotter '06, president of the College Democrats told me that "the general point [is] that it's the responsibility of groups on campus to reach out to recruit and mobilize students. However, I do think each individual should be aware that what happens in the outside world is ... happening to real people not just some abstractions and ... will usually impact them in some way. If people realize those two things they'll be more receptive to getting involved." Rotter noted that people tend to get more involved if they are at least sympathetic to the cause and show a genuine interest in the topic at hand.

The president of the Brandeis Republicans, Robbie Schwartz '08, also said political groups should do what they are able to, but "when push comes to shove, the responsibility lies with the individual. We cannot force people to go to events, nor should we."

Schwartz said recruitment is difficult for a politically conservative group at Brandeis, since there is a smaller pool of people to work with. In addressing the specific issue of political apathy, Schwartz said it is "definitely a grave problem at Brandeis and the world." He said the most important task for a campus political group is to host events for those students who wish to further educate themselves on the issues.

There is so much going on with our government that not only is happening to adults but also will affect all of us in one way or another. We are fortunate enough to live in a democracy where our voices and opinions are always heard, if not always respected. It's time that we start taking advantage of this amazing freedom and start working toward, as Schwartz pointed out, taking an interest in further educating ourselves on these highly important issues. The responsibility lies with us to prioritize such matters above our favorite television shows.