The national debt is higher than ever and millennials are not aware of the issue. Once again, ONU students are hitting hard on the national debt this year. They are taking part in the annual Up to Us competition, which challenges college students across the nation to bring attention to the long-term fiscal path of the country. Ohio Northern University was one of 53 colleges working to engage, educate and inspire action among millennials on the national debt.
“This year our team is conducting a scavenger hunt across campus to engage students in learning more about the national debt,” said Dr. Kathie Fleck, ONU assistant professor of public relations. “Students will travel across campus to different stations and answer trivia questions concerning the national debt.
Our team will also collect signed pledges from each student that
will be presented to our federal representatives.”
This is why the ONU team created a scavenger hunt, in order to make it more fun and interactive. When asked about the scavenger hunt, Dr. Kathie Fleck commented, “The hunt is designed to engage students in a unique and interesting way. It is also designed to help them reach out to their own family and friends to further the reach of the campaign.”
Each college’s campaign will be judged on its effectiveness in raising awareness and inspiring action on campus among students. The winning team will be awarded a $10,000 cash prize and will be recognized by President Clinton at the ninth annual CGIU meeting at the University of California, Berkeley in April 2016.
So why is it so important to be informed about the national debt? When asked why millennials should be aware of the national debt, Dr. Kathie Fleck said, “This campaign seeks to educate and motivate college age students to understand a complicated but important issue that will impact their futures. The current federal debt is more than $18 trillion. This debt impacts the ability of the federal government to support priorities such as education and infrastructure and sucks more and more money out of the markets to pay for the debt, leaving less in the hands of millennials.” These young adults are not aware of the facts that will end up affecting them in the long run.
The goal of this campaign is to inspire millennials to want to make changes to the country’s fiscal path.
Senior Blake Lundy was asked if he thought this campaign would make a difference to which he said, “I feel those who participated in the campaign have a greater benefit, but I really hope those students we do reach have the yearning to at least do a little of their own research.” The campaign will definitely be a great start for the students but they will have to dig deeper to make a true difference.
With the presidential debate carrying on, this campaign is a perfect way to inspire students to not only become invested with the national debt but also with each of the presidential candidates.
“As candidates debate policy issues throughout this election year, a growing movement of millennials are taking action to address one of the most significant challenges facing our nation,” said Michael A. Peterson, president and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. “The Up to Us competition gives this generation a say in solving America’s long-term fiscal challenges, which is critical for the economic future they will inherit.”
As a result of their efforts, ONU’s team managed to place 10 in the nation in the Up to Us competition out of the 70 teams that participated. They have been invited to Washington, DC in May to meet with think tanks and economists, and to attend the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s 2016 Fiscal Summit.