The weather grows colder, pumpkin spice fills the air and the leaves fall from trees. Students at the University of Northern Colorado work hard, studying for midterms, applying for scholarships and engaging in the university community. The Greeley election rages on, candidates fighting to maintain or gain positions in City Council, reaching into every part of the city– except UNC.
Students at UNC carry little interest in the Greeley election unless they are Greeley residents.
The Greeley election takes place during the odd years. Voting began in October and will end on November 5th. This year's election is shrouded in controversy over the Cascadia project.
Cascadia is a part of the Greeley Westside Project. It is a proposal to develop 300 acres of West Greeley into an entertainment district. The city council has received backlash from Greeley residents over Cascadia. Residents were not given the opportunity to vote on the matter– rather, it was voted on only by the city council.
Landry Stone, a second year student and Greeley resident, has been following the election closely. They are worried about how the West Greeley Project will affect their community.
“I don’t usually vote, but I think this time is a time I actually should because this is my life too,” Stone said. “It’s going to crumble, and then we’ll have lost all of this money that could go to the poor people that already live here.”
Though many residents like Stone are worried for Greeley’s future, UNC students are mostly uninterested in the election because voting is open only to Greeley residents.
According to 2024 UNC enrollment statistics, only 38% of students live on-campus or in college housing. Many living on campus are not Greeley residents, which is the case for Q Riggs.
Riggs, a Spanish education major, lives on campus in Harrison Hall. Riggs is from Fort Collins and is not a Greeley resident.
“I have no personal interest in voting in the Greeley election,” Riggs said. “I am unable to vote in the city election.”
Riggs finds that the election hardly made an impact on campus.
“I don’t see any prompts or advertisements about the Greeley election, nor do I hear my peers discussing it,” Riggs said. “I do not pay attention to, nor do I feel as if the local government does any impact on my life.”
Quinn Greene, a second year graphics design major, finds that many students don’t participate in the election, not because they are uninterested, but because they are busy with demanding lives.
“I'm working on schoolwork the majority of the time, and when I'm not doing that, I'm working,” Greene said. “I'm so busy with school that I don't have time…I think that happens with a lot of college students, especially students whose major requires classes that are more complex or have more work.”
Kim Spurny, a theater studies major in her final year, lives in Loveland and commutes to Greeley. Despite being unable to vote in the election, Spurny finds that students are getting more involved in local elections because of changes made by the national government.
“I definitely will vote for things I’m passionate about,” Spurny said. “I think, even if they’re not from here, I think looking at what’s going on with the world, a lot of people are getting involved… I think a lot of people are trying to have a voice, and are learning about politics to do it.”
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