First-Year Experience
Common Experience 2020
"Use Your Voice to Empower the Future"
The 2020-2021 Common Experience theme is "Using Your Voice to Empower the Future" which is supported by Vote for US: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting by Joshua A. Douglas. The purpose of this text is to light a spark in you to want to become engaged within your community to make a change. Douglas, with his examples, shows that anyone can create change with even small everyday activities. What matters is that you speak up and fight for what you believe in. Imagine it being a few years from now, someone is discussing what is going on in the world today, and they ask you, what did you do during this time? What do you hope to tell them? Not everyone can vote, however, the one thing we can all do is use our voice! Join us on this journey of using our voices to create change.
| Fall 2020 Events, Videos, and Blogs |
| Summer 2020 Poster Campaign Challenge |
| August 27 and September 2 Cast your Vote and Capture your Voice: Vote for Us |
| September 8 to September 25 Racing to the Vote |
| September 22 Lets Taco About Voting |
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September 30 Speaker Series: Joshua A. Douglas
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October 27 and 28 Voting Q&A
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| November 3 Presidential Election Watch Party |
| Faculty Speaker Series: Dr. Dolph Briscoe IV |
| Faculty Speaker Series: Dr. Andrew Sanders |
| Intergroup Dialogue: Voting |
| Spring 2021 Events, Videos, and Blogs |
| January 20 United States Presidential Inauguration |
| January 28 Hot Food and Hot Topics 1: Why should I care about social issues? |
| February 2 Dear 2021 |
| February 9 Hot Food and Hot Topics 2: Colorism vs. Racism |
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February 18 African American History Month Moving Showing
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February 23 Speaker Series: Black Local Activist Panel
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March 2021 Arts and Activism
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| March 9 Hot Food and Hot Topics 3: Immigration |
| March 25 Paint Your Future |
| April 6 Hot Food and Hot Topics 4: Facing the -ism's |
| April 15 All Around the USA |
For more information on our events, please visit JagSync or contact the Office of First-Year Experience at (210) 784-1435.
Check out these resources to learn about different ways to become civically engaged!
- Vote 411: First Time Voter Checklist
- The Milllennial Toolbox: Voter's Guide to 2020 Presidential Elections
- League of Women Voters: Find Your Elected Officials
- Move Texas: Move University
- How to Vote in Every State: How To Vote In Texas 2020 (2:05)
- CrashCourse: Election Basics: Crash Course Government and Politics #36 (8:45)
- Howcast: How to Choose a Candidate to Vote For (1:49)
- Wireless Philosophy: PHILOSOPHY - Political: Why Vote? Reasons to Vote (10:42)
- Tedx Talks: The Power of the Youth Vote | Mindy Romero | TEDxUCDavis (15:23)
- YouthDebates.org: Why Should You Vote? (1:38)
- Presidential Precinct: What is Civic Engagement? (1:52)