Feb. 29 Omnibus Event will count toward Civics Literacy requirement

New students will have a chance to add to their Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement at the end of the month by attending the Omnibus series event featuring guest speaker Donna Brazile.

What is the Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement? That takes some explanation.

Believing the general population’s understanding and participation in civic responsibilities had been declining for decades, the Purdue University Board of Trustees voted in June 2021 to implement a civics literacy graduation requirement. Purdue University Fort Wayne rolled out its version of the obligation during the fall 2022 semester.

Now all undergraduate students are required to participate in the program. That includes passing a 50-question civics knowledge test with a score of at least 80% and also succeeding in one of two approved pathways. The first involves attending four approved events, such as the Feb. 29 presentation by Donna Brazile, or by listening to four selected hour-long recordings. The other way is by registering for, and passing, one of seven approved civics literacy courses.

Students have until the day they graduate to complete these requirements, but those involved with the initiative caution against that approach.

One major goal of the requirement is to encourage students to pay attention to the governing of the society around them. According to statistics published by Purdue in 2021:

• Only 26% of Americans can name all three branches of government.
• Only 12% understand the relationship between the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment and correctly answered that the 13th Amendment freed all the slaves in the United States.
• Almost 60% failed to identify a requirement for ratifying a constitutional amendment.

Purdue’s goals for the program are to increase student understanding of important contemporary political issues; help them identify opportunities to grow one’s engagement in American politics; and to expand awareness of, and options for, civic participation.

Brazile’s upcoming appearance is the only one of the five Omnibus presentations this academic year that is accepted as part of the civics literacy program.

A 25-question sample test on the Purdue website can help students prepare for the specific test they’ll need to pass. Students are also encouraged to watch the announcements in Brightspace for future events.

An additional civics literacy event, “Why Fewer Women are Choosing Marriage: Shifting Trends among Millennials and Gen-Z in South Korea,” will be held Thursday, Feb. 29, at 5:30 p.m. in the Classic Ballroom at Walb Student Union. Students will need their ID to swipe in and receive credit for attendance.