“After exposing ourselves to the irrational cesspool that is modern day politics, we decided that something had to be done — instead of running away from it, this sort of Twitter politics had to be counteracted with a more rational and efficient strain of discourse,” Jeff Tesla, 4th year mechanical engineering major and president of the VoteSTEM club, told me about the origins of this student organization. “You know that one quote along the lines of, ‘good times create weak men…weak men create hard times…hard times create strong men’ and so on?” I peered into the fire of Tesla’s eyes. “Well here, we’re those strong men amidst these hard times, trying to create good times, politically I guess. There is one female member, but you know.”
Situated in the dark recesses of Dreese Laboratories, VoteSTEM club not only functions as a space to get relevant work done, but also as a hangout spot for STEM majors. “Originally, our club was created to further the political efficacy of students in STEM, though our busty workloads often get in the way of that. Engineering is a lot of work, if you didn’t know.” 4th year CSE major and vice president Sam Gaben remarked as he untucked his Bazinga shirt, whipped out a deck of Cards Against Humanity, and played a round against himself. “Sometimes, we just like to chill.” Watching Gaben conduct a comical war against himself, I was indeed left feeling more chilled than a PBR resting in my father’s garage refrigerator.
But, for other members, their work devoted to the club is of the utmost importance. Priscilla Bernoulli is a 2nd year neuroscience major who remains as the sole woman in VoteSTEM club. “It was tough at first, but once I managed to come across as, let’s just say very uninterested, I’ve had a fun and productive time. It’s like I’m one of the guys!” I could definitely relate to her on that one.
Bernoulli led me back to her makeshift workstation and explained her latest project. “So my current project centers around getting STEM majors to vote in the next presidential primary, because supposedly we’re not interested in stuff like that,” Bernoulli remarked as she handed me a pin which illustrated the latest Star Wars protagonist, Rey [spoiler], with a speech bubble above her mouth reading ‘Go Vote!’ I took the pin, and promptly attached it to my cardigan. The force was telling me to vote, and in that moment, I was ready to do so.
In VoteSTEM club, members often ‘team up’ to work on projects; however, for Bernoulli, individually is really the only option for her. “I’d definitely open [my project] up and let others in, though I don’t think the guys see me like that…yet — but you know, Progress!”, Bernoulli shouted as she mistakenly knocked the glasses off her head.
Written by Aidan Schitz, Contributor