U of G Student 'Vote Mob' Greets Harper, Encourages Youth to Vote
April 05, 2011 - Campus Bulletin
About 300 University of Guelph students took part in a non-partisan rally during Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to the city Monday.
Sporting face paint and wearing red and white clothing to symbolize Canada, the students gathered on Branion Plaza around 3 p.m. They then made the trek as a group across campus to the Delta Guelph Hotel and Conference Centre.
They waited in the rain on the edge of the hotel’s property for Harper’s buses to arrive. The students carried a banner reading: “Surprise. We Are Voting” and chanted, "We will vote!" as others banged drums and played the bagpipes.
The rally appeared in news reports around the country, including in the Globe and Mail and on Global TV (watch the Global TV video here).
The rally, organized by international development students Yvonne Su and Gracen Johnson, was designed to fight apathy among young voters and encourage students to cast a ballot in the May 2 federal election.
Su has led other similar events aimed at getting young people to vote, including a “vote mob video” last week that also nabbed national news headlines.
