No matter who is elected on Tuesday, the next four years will be incredibly important to both this nation and its youth. While the U.S. will define its international and national policy, possibly for decades to come, its students, especially college-age students, will continue to have what many call the “defining experiences in a young person’s life.” How well the President performs will have a direct effect on the experiences of those students, and for this reason, the Maroon endorses John Kerry for President.

Among the many issues in this election, there are several that have special importance for our demographic. On the key issues of funding for college loans and the umbrella of separation of church and state—including gay rights, reproductive rights, and stem cell research—the ideology of the current administration has been dangerously flawed.

Over the past four years, we have witnessed attempts by the Bush White House to limit access to stem cells for medical research—an issue of great concern to research universities in particular, not to mention humanity in general—and to emergency contraception for those who need it most. In addition, the current administration has aggressively tried to stifle the march towards equality for homosexual Americans. The Kerry/Edwards ticket promises to at least work to prevent all three of these issues from hemorrhaging out of control. For instance, while it is unlikely that gay marriage will be legalized under Kerry, it is certain that no amendment to ban it will be passed.

The Maroon strongly believes in the values, ideas, and policy plans of John Kerry. We encourage you to cast your vote for him on November 2.