I remember Nov. 7, 2006 like it was yesterday. The elections were in full swing and the Marquette campus was more politically active and mobilized than at any other time in recent memory. Students were voicing their opinions over who should control Congress, whether to continue to support the Iraq War and the amendment regarding how marriage should be defined in Wisconsin.

Marquette was alive, there were record poll numbers for our voting wards and uninterested students suddenly became involved in exercising one of the most privileged rights of American citizens – the right to vote.

Flash forward to Feb. 20, 2007, the date of the spring primaries in the state of Wisconsin.Just four months removed from this flurry of civic activism, the campus is quiet.

There are no student groups chalking the pavement, no "Vote No" t-shirts in sight, just the near-empty polling station of the Alumni Memorial Union. The low turnout sends the wrong signal at a Jesuit university that is dedicated to social awareness and involvement.

I understand that the Milwaukee School Board and Municipal Judge primaries generally will not interest students, but the Wisconsin Supreme Court primary should be of concern to everyone because the individual who fills this position will make up one-seventh of the highest judicial authority in the state. These are the individuals who are being selected to lead our city and state in the right direction; how can so few people care about that?

As a university that constantly preaches about the need for social responsibility and civic involvement, the entire Marquette community must look at these anemically low turnout numbers with utter disappointment.

When students vote, people notice. Our mayor, our aldermen, the city's election officials all paid attention to the buzz surrounding campus in November that had completely stalled by February. Students need to realize that civic duty is not about convenience or "hot button" issues; it is about being conscious of the world around you and making informed choices on who should be leading it. Whether the responsibility falls on the university, student leaders, or the apathetic student body is not the point, but if Marquette is to be taken seriously within the city and make a campus voice heard, students must show some level of involvement. The fact that students do not vote shows that they do not care. This apathy and lethargy towards civic participation and involvement must be addressed for the university and our student body to move forward.

Seifert is a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences.