A student walkout Monday aimed at gaining support for Measure 28 drew a smaller crowd than anticipated, causing democratic organizers to speculate that students are apathetic about voting and politics.
The walkout, which drew only about 100 students, was organized by the College Democrats, the Democratic Party of Lane County and the Yes on 28 Committee. Organizers originally anticipated 500 to 1,000 people.
“Students don’t realize how much politics affect them,” College Democrats Co-Chairman Mike Linman said. But, “It was good we still had the turnout we did.”
College Republicans Secretary Gabrielle Guiders attributed her organization’s lack of participation to busy schedules.

“We’ve got a lot of classes,” Guiders said. “We’re too busy to walkout.”
Guiders added that the walkout sent a wrong message to the community — saying students value their education so little as to leave class.
But Linman disagreed.
The rally “showed people how important it is that we actually have the classes to walk out of,” he said. Linman pointed out that if Measure 28 fails, 9 percent of classes at the University will be cut.
Six speakers stood in the EMU Amphitheater from noon to 12:45 p.m., encouraging students to take a stand and vote yes on Measure 28 — a controversial tax measure with $26.9 million in Oregon University System budget cuts on one side, and a 0.5 percent tax rate increase for Oregonians in the top income tax bracket on the other.
“Measure 28 is about preserving a minimum level of standards,” said Jefferson Smith, founder and chairman of the Oregon Bus Project, to an applauding crowd. “It’s about slowing that mad dash to mediocrity.”
The rally also focused on what will happen if the measure fails, and the speakers urged students to not only vote, but to vote yes.
“Already $7 million have been cut from this year’s budget here,” College Democrats Co-Chairman Eric Bailey said. “And another $6.5 million is expected to be cut from the University’s budget should Measure 28 not pass, coupled with a $4 million increase in tuition to offset part of the cuts.”
Senior Beth Juhas, another speaker, said no other cut she was aware of came with the option of paying more to retain current service levels.
“Our younger brothers and sisters in Oregon public schools won’t have the option of paying more to avoid shortening the school year by three weeks,” she said. “Ten thousand seniors won’t have the option of paying more to continue receiving health-care assistance.”
According to Juhas, those figures are not scare tactics, but numbers identified by the Legislature should Measure 28 fail.
Political science Assistant Professor Julie Novkov also took a stand at the walkout.
“Personally, I think it comes down to short-term individual interests versus long-term collective of the state interests, which is why I’m voting yes,” she said. “If I have to sit down and make a choice between writing a check for $114 and keeping the most financially strapped students at the University — it’s no choice for me.”