An Instagram poll conducted by Spinnaker asked UNF students, \u201cAs America turns 250, how would you describe the current political climate on campus?\u201d Of the 51 students who responded, 35% said the climate feels \u201cdivided and tense,\u201d 27% said it\u2019s \u201cworse online than in person,\u201d 20% said they try to avoid politics altogether, and only 18% described it as \u201crespectful despite disagreements.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In a poll conducted by UNF Spinnaker via Instagram. 35% of students reported feeling divided and tense, while a fifth of students reported ignoring politics altogether. Over a fourth reported seeing worse divisive political content online, and only 18% said they try to respectfully debate.<\/p>\n
Alyssa Schneider, a junior English major at UNF, has been eligible to vote for the last few years but has yet to go to the polls. Schneider said politics were \u201cvery controversial,\u201d steering clear of the topic with school and family, because it always turns into a fight. She said she hopes to vote in the next election.<\/p>\n
Schneider is like many other young voters. In the 2024 presidential election, only 47% of eligible voters ages 18-19 went to the polls<\/a>, according to the Center for Information and Research and Civil Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE).\u00a0<\/p>\n For some students, the Fourth of July evokes patriotism. For others, like Rhett McClure, a sociology major and Air Force veteran, the controversy surrounding Freedom 250 and America 250 proves the \u201cpropaganda\u201d of the holiday.<\/p>\n McClure identifies as an anarchist<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m okay with celebrating history,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I don\u2019t believe in borders, I don\u2019t believe in countries, I don\u2019t believe in flags.\u201d<\/p>\n Schneider said the holiday never carried a heavy political correlation for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just a thing that happened. Fireworks, a burger, a popsicle, maybe a pool. Not very much patriotism,\u201d Schneider said.<\/p>\n A common theme among students was their personal choice to preserve relationships regardless of political beliefs, even if it means staying silent.<\/p>\n Daylee Nolan, a nursing major who transferred to UNF from the University of Florida, said organizations like UF\u2019s Young Republicans were \u201cprobably one of the only places\u201d she felt comfortable speaking openly about politics.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve definitely lost some friends because of it,\u201d Nolan said, \u201cbecause a lot of people feel like it goes to a moral level with some of the things I\u2019ve voted on.\u201d<\/p>\n Nolan said the idea that political disagreement shouldn\u2019t end a friendship. \u201cWe\u2019re all just people\u2026 there are things way bigger than politics,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alec Kielbasa, a UNF political science student, said he\u2019s dealt with opposing views among classmates, agreeing with one peer on economic issues but not abortion.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re both adults about it,\u201d Kielbasa said, calling it a mutual agreement to prioritize the relationship over the argument.<\/p>\n McClure said his time in the Air Force felt like \u201cbrainwashing\u201d around patriotic duty.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI was convinced the flag stood for freedom, that this country stands for freedom,\u201d McClure said.<\/p>\n McClure now sees the flag as a symbol of unfairness, citing the effects of Manifest Destiny<\/a> on Indigenous populations, calling it a symbol \u201cfor the rich and the elite.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarita Riley, a leadership communication major at UNF and a registered Democrat, has yet to vote, saying she prefers candidates based on viewpoints and morals.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m a big ethics person,\u201d Riley said.<\/p>\n Riley cited 2025\u2019s politically motivated congressional gerrymandering<\/a> as a reason she questions politicians\u2019 moral compass, though she added, \u201cI think the ones who really want to see the change are being ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n Elizabeth Singleton, a secondary education major, voted for the first time in 2024 for Harris. She thinks campaign tactics played a role in the loss<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cThey were painting themselves as the victim instead of being the right choice\u2026 They want someone that\u2019s gonna advocate,\u201d Singleton said.<\/p>\n Some students pointed to social media algorithms for aiding in polarization, known as the silo effect, where users mostly see content they already agree with, according to Northeastern Global News.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThey only show you what you want to see,\u201d said Riley.\u00a0<\/p>\n Singleton said with social media and politics merging, performative posting has become prevalent.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gets to a point now where they come off as annoying, and nobody actually reads them,\u201d Singleton said, due to the high amount of content.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGoing out into the community and actually interacting with people, I think that actually does make an impact,\u201d said Singleton.<\/p>\n Kielbasa said that he gets a lot of his information from X, formerly known as Twitter.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI know it\u2019s not the place to get my news,\u201d Kielbasa said, \u201cbut that\u2019s where I always find it first.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Kielbasa pointed to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, whose campaign model strongly utilized social media to seem approachable rather than chase engagement, according to the Harvard Political Review<\/a>. Mamdani won 75% of the youth vote in that race, his strongest age bracket, according to CIRCLE<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kielbasa has been involved with the Jacksonville Democratic Party since freshman year and now interns for Rachel Grage, a congressional candidate in Florida\u2019s 5th Congressional District.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m getting paid for it, so it\u2019s not entirely altruistic,\u201d said Kielbasa, though he wants a career that helps \u201cmake the world a better place, hopefully.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Kielbasa recruited Singleton, his girlfriend, to canvass for Grage in St. Johns County this past summer, where voters often reacted with surprise at her age.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone said something about it. It\u2019s nice to know that we\u2019re still respected even when we are so young,\u201d said Singleton.<\/p>\n Congress created the bipartisan America 250 commission a decade ago to coordinate the anniversary. This July 4th, a Trump-backed group called Freedom 250, created by executive order, has taken center stage instead, staging events like a UFC cage match on the White House South Lawn, described by the New York Times as a\u00a0 \u201ctowering, claw-like structure where men beat each other to a pulp\u201d<\/a>. Several performers withdrew after learning of Freedom 250\u2019s ties to the administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n Funding has also drawn scrutiny. Freedom 250 promised $50 million to America 250 <\/a>but delivered only $25 million, according to CNN. Democratic committee staff have alleged donors were misled into redirecting funds, an accusation CNN said would constitute wire and charitable solicitation fraud.\u00a0<\/p>\n Crowd size has also sparked debate, with Fox News hosts insisting on packed crowds despite empty live shots, described elsewhere as a\u00a0 \u201cghost town\u201d.<\/a>Trump said on Truth Social his Wednesday speech drew 45,000 people \u201cpacked to the brim\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kielbasa said the gap between Freedom 250\u2019s promises and its delivery is laughable.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives me the same vibe of the Willy Wonka Chocolate Experience in Glasgow.<\/a> It kind of felt like there wasn\u2019t a ton of respect put into it,\u201d Kielbasa said.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n