Michael Steele Omnibus lecture presents chance to add to Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement

New students will have a chance to add to their Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement on Monday night by attending the Michael Steele Omnibus series lecture.

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

Because the general population’s understanding and participation in civic responsibilities have 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 is currently rolling out its version of the obligation for students who are entering the university beginning this semester.

Now and moving forward, these 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 is by attending four approved events, such as Monday’s Michael Steele presentation, 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 in this new initiative caution against that approach.

“We are trying to push them to finish sooner for a variety of reasons such as they might attend a talk that sparks their interest,” said faculty member Stacy Betz, who is the PFW director of civics literacy. “They might want to take a class that follows up on that interest.”

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 in instituting the program are increasing student understanding of important contemporary political issues; identifying opportunities to grow one’s engagement in American politics; and expanding awareness of and options for civic participation.

“I think for students who are looking for a spark or are looking for a sense of being motivated or called to action, that is part of what these requirements are intended to do,” Betz said. “Hopefully, this encourages them to get more involved in their community, both as an eligible voter, but also by showing interest in what is going on around them.”

Steele’s talk is the only one of the four 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. 

For more information, students can log into their Brightspace accounts.