Media Appearances

W&J students take research on the road; showcase their findings at academic conferences​

​"Bartel’s presentation, “International Voting Trends Among Generation Z,” discussed factors influencing voter turnout in Generation Z, and revealed that age and encouragement most strongly influence how frequently a young person will vote. “With graduate school being on the horizon,” Bartel said, “I am confident that, thanks to my research studies class and my experiences in preparation for this conference, I will be better prepared to take on graduate research.”

​

Published on Washington & Jefferson College's Website, 4/14/2022

​

W&J Students Turn Out for Elections at Higher Than Average Rates 

​"According to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE)’s 2020 Campus Report, 73.7% of all eligible Washington & Jefferson College students (otherwise known as The Presidents) voted in the 2020 general election, while only 66% of students at all other institutions turned out to the ballot box. Mirroring a nationwide surge in voter turnout, that percentage jumped 17.7% from 2016—nearly 5% more than it did for other institutions, which delighted W&J’s politically engaged students...Nickolas Bartel, a junior political science, environmental studies, and Spanish triple major, and the president of the Student Voting Coalition, said the push to vote went beyond any individual. 'We have a very close community [at W&J]…, and it sort of creates a voting culture,' he said, noting that voter registration is now included in first-year orientation and that the college hosts and annual Symposium on Democracy. 'The school already has this on their mind.'"

 

Published on Washington & Jefferson College's Website, 11/18/2021

​

W&J Junior testifies to state congressional commission about college campuses and voting districts 

"Though voters cast their ballots just days ago, Junior Nickolas Bartel had them in mind back in August, when he spoke to Pennsylvania Congressional leaders about student election participation. Bartel’s testimony resulted from a fellowship with the Campus Vote Project—an ongoing effort by the Fair Elections Center to reduce barriers to student voting, and something Bartel learned about through W&J’s Student Government Association and the Western Pennsylvania Voting Summit. A Spanish, Environmental Studies, and Political Science triple major, Bartel was a natural fit for the project and started the W&J Student Voting Coalition to get involved. After months of work, Pennsylvania State Coordinator Chuck Black persuaded Bartel to testify to the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission about re-drawing district lines on college campuses. “After speaking with students from around the state, there is a clear and present need for this commission to ensure that colleges, technical schools, and other higher education centers are not broken up into multiple districts, as they are a vital community of interest,” Bartel said in his testimony to the commission on August 3..."

​​

Published on Washington & Jefferson College's Website, 11/16/2021

​

W&J students earn voter turnout grant, selected as Campus Vote Democracy Fellows

​"The 2020 presidential election is just one of the stories that’s dominated the news cycle this year and W&J students have been paying attention to its importance. But it’s not a candidate they’re focused on; it’s the importance of voting itself – and they decided to do something about it. Members of the Student Voting Coalition have spent much of the fall semester organizing non-partisan events to encourage their peers to get registered and get out to vote. In October, the group hosted a Student Voter Forum featuring student speakers from across the political spectrum talking about the issues facing college students today. In their push for voter awareness, the organization teamed up with national organization Campus Vote Project, securing a $1,000 grant to fund voter turnout and education initiatives on campus. “I got connected with the Campus Vote Project when I attended the PA Student Voting Summit that was put on at the University of Pittsburgh this past February. At this summit, they were reaching out for students to apply as a Democracy Fellow. After that, over this summer, we started to develop the W&J Student Voting Coalition into what it is today,” said W&J Student Voting Coalition President Nickolas Bartel."

​

Published on Washington & Jefferson College's Website, 11/5/2020

​

​Youth vote could be a factor in 2020 presidential election

 "The tenor of the debate has been contentious throughout this election season. Throughout it, Nickolas Campbell Bartel, a sophomore at Washington & Jefferson College, has been leading the nonpartisan Student Voting Coalition, which seeks to promote involvement in the political process. He acknowledged that the election season has been stressful, but that the coalition has tried to foster civility on campus. 'There is a desire, at least at W&J, to work across the aisle,' Campbell Bartel said. Among the issues that have been driving discussion at W&J are LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights, protecting the environment and immigration policy, particularly since W&J has some foreign students in its ranks. 'There’s a lot of support for our international students on campus,' Campbell Bartel said..."

​​

Published in the Observer-Reporter, 10/31/2020