We spent a lot of time discussing as a group if we should endorse a presidential candidate. Would our readers look at us differently if we did? Would endorsing be worth the almost certain anger from some members of our audience? But after we decided to endorse, we spent almost no time discussing who to endorse — we were all in agreement. 

We endorse Joe Biden for president. 

One day, five, 10, 50, 100 years in the future, someone is going to be looking through old KentWired articles and they are going to come across this endorsement. It’s important to us that when people look back on the 2020 KentWired editorial staff, they know that we did not stay silent when we saw injustice in the world.

As the world changes and as we witness injustices and severe imbalances in power, we can’t help but feel angry and upset. As one of the representative voices of students at Kent State, we feel we are at a point in time where we need to speak up and exercise the power of our pens to speak out against Donald Trump’s incumbency. 

We advocate for change, integrity and justice to help right the wrongs we see in the world. We are the servants of factual information, working diligently to bring information to the public — as public servants it’s a disservice to remain silent on issues the world is facing. 

Biden is the presidential candidate we feel is our best option to bring about the change we need. Important issues are at stake, whether they be student loan debt, health care, LGBTQ+ rights or women’s rights. Biden is the candidate who best reflects our beliefs and what we are looking for in a candidate. 

“After almost four years with Trump, our country has gone downhill dramatically. His lack of response to the pandemic cost our country hundreds of thousands of lives,” said one of the editorial board staff members. “Joe Biden actually has a plan to help our country get back on track and will work for everyone, regardless of political affiliation. He wants to make progressive changes and protect the rights of women, LGBTQ people and people of color, which is really important to me.” 

For these reasons, we encourage you to cast your vote for Joe Biden as the fourty-sixth president of the United States.  

Here are the Biden campaign’s positions on issues important to college students:

Health care

• Will continue to protect the Affordable Care Act 

• Will give Americans more choices, reduce costs and make the health care system less complex

• Expand coverage to all people 

• Stand up to the abuse of power from prescription drug corporations 

Student loan debt 

• Will enact legislation so students can attend a community college for up to two years without paying tuition

• Will make public colleges and universities tuition free for all families with incomes below $125,000

• “Individuals making $25,000 or less per year will not owe any payments on their undergraduate federal student loans and also won’t accrue any interest on those loans. Everyone else will pay 5% of their discretionary income (income minus taxes and essential spending like housing and food) over $25,000 toward their loans.”

LGBTQ+ equality

• Protect LGBTQ+ from discrimination, from violence and work to end the violence toward the trans community, specifically trans women of color 

• Expand access to high-quality health care for LGBTQ+ individuals 

• Guarantee transgender students’ access to facilities based on their gender identity 

Women’s rights 

• “Biden will start on day one of his administration leading by example, making sure his political appointees, including his Cabinet, and our entire federal workforce look like the country they serve,” as stated on Biden’s website.  

• Work toward ensuring women’s rights remain at the policy forefront and are protected 

• Ensure college campuses are safer for women: “Survivors and advocates have fought to hold schools accountable and give young people truly fair access to education. When survivors step forward, they should be treated with dignity and respect and heard, not silenced.” 

• Restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood 

• Stop states from violating Roe v. Wade, along with protect Roe v. Wade 

The coronavirus pandemic 

• Trust science 

• Ensure public health decisions are ensured by health care professionals 

• Restore trust, transparency, common purpose and accountability in the government 

• Biden and Kamala Harris created a 7-point plan to beat COVID-19 

SUPPORT STUDENT MEDIA 

Hi, I’m Lauren Sasala, a senior journalism student from Toledo. I’m also the editor in chief of The Kent Stater and KentWired this semester. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important news about Kent State and the Kent community. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate.