When Grace Ross, Green-Rainbow candidate for governor, came to speak to students at UMB, they proved that trying to engage in political discussion with college students is a waste of time. If young people ever become upset that politicians pay them no heed, they should note the lack of attention that Grace Ross received last week. When the afternoon meeting November 1st began, there was a noticeable lack of attendance. Ross was visibly surprised with the lack of turnout and made an effort to stall in hopes of more people showing up. Even though Ross is a third-party candidate and probably does not appeal to mainstream voters, it is clear that in a campus of over 10,000 students that are disproportionately young and lower-to-middle class, Ross should have had much more support than was shown. In an effort to stay relevant, interesting and concise, Ross chose what topics she would address by asking what interested students the most. Although initially somewhat hesitant to participate, students eventually inquired about safety, health care, immigration and higher education.Ross covered the issue of public higher education briefly and without detail. This was particularly appropriate as students in attendance showed a marked lack of interest in the issue. She commented that the price of public higher education has become too high. “The whole point of public higher education is for the public to attend,” Ross said. She also commented that public higher education needs to do more to help underserved populations: poor and minority students. Ross criticized the way that public higher education focuses on how much education costs, and needs to focus more on if students are learning. Ross also touted her support for the College of Public and Community Service, saying that “they’re closer to doing what a public university should do.” She criticized the way that public education has funding cut and claimed that “CPCS is unfortunately the poster child for that process.”She also gave some attention to an issue that many students have had on their minds: dorms. Ross is opposed to any plan to build dorms, saying that by building dorms we would be “moving away from students that need public higher education in general.”Ross admitted that her solution to crime was not as “sexy” as the other candidates’, but that it worked. She said that the best way to fight crime was through prevention, and that the best way to prevent crime was through employment programs for the youth and a strong economy. She noted that crime in Boston fell sharply during the economic boom of the Clinton years, but has shot back up again during recession. Throughout the entire meeting Ross criticized the Romney administration, but the harshest remarks were saved for discussion on the issue of health care, calling Romney’s new plan “useless.” “We need universal health care,” Ross said. “Most other industrialized countries have it and none of them are collapsing under the weight.” Ross pointed out that the current system wastes too much money on advertising and administration, and if these costs were not reflected in the price of drugs, more people would be able to afford medication. Due to current high costs, she noted, people often wait a long time before seeking medical attention, instead of going to the doctor at the first signs of an illness. According to Ross, it would be far less expensive and our society would be healthier if attention focused on preventative health.Ross more or less avoided the question of immigration, declaring that the state does not set immigration policy, but that it is inherited from the federal government. She remarked, however, that “what we’ve inherited is a mess.””The reality is that the state of Massachusetts probably could not function without immigrant labor and even illegal immigrant labor,” she said. She noted that many immigrants who have lived in the United States for some time still cannot become citizens, because “there is no path to legal citizenship for a lot of people in this country.”While on the issue of immigration, Ross once again turned to the economy, saying, “If there were enough decent paying jobs in the state of Massachusetts immigration wouldn’t be on the radar.”According to Ross, many of the problems currently in Massachusetts stem from the poor economy. Presumably, Ross believes that her plan to increase taxes for the rich and close corporate loopholes would help the economy grow.After hearing a couple comments from the crowd Ross left, presumably to prepare for her debate that would take place in just a few hours. Some students attempted to talk to her afterwards, but in general the response to her visit was lackluster.In general, it seems that Grace Ross is extremely out of touch with the average voter from UMass Boston. She came through an invitation offered by a group that most students on campus do not support. She spoke on issues that mean very little to most young people. She had views on things that the vast majority of students do not agree with. She also criticized a plan-that of buildings dorms-that could potentially have an enormous positive impact on the university.But, who can blame her? It seems clear that Grace Ross, or any other candidate for that matter, has very little to gain by appealing to the youth, and especially the youth at UMass Boston. Is it any wonder that politicians pay no attention to people under 30? Only hours later she would be appearing on television while millions watched, but at UMass Boston she could not even fill a small hot room on Wheatley’s fourth floor. Clearly, there is an apathy problem. Grace Ross seemed to recognize that the students she was speaking to her were unlikely to be voting when, after a bird flew by she said, “Birds are my main constituency. Birds are going to vote for me.”No politician with any amount of valuable time would even think about visiting students at this school. Perhaps student voters do not understand the power they yield. With over 10,000 votes students here have a serious ability to swing an election. Students can no longer blame politicians for not listening, but have to become actively involved in the political process.The lack of interest in Grace Ross’s visit was clearly related to the lack of interest that students at UMass Boston have in their school and activities on campus. Sports events are sparsely attended, the Student Senate barely has enough members to function and rarely do more than a handful of students attend any open meetings.No amount of bribery in the form of pizza or suasion from the administration has had an impact on the indifference and lethargy of our cold student body. Dorms could be one potential solution, but with so much opposition from parties that have nothing to do with our campus-such as Grace Ross herself-dorms may ever come to fruition.All students and citizens that read this paper need to remember the words of another Green Party candidate: “I say this to young people: if you’re not turned on to politics, politics will turn on you.”