Nashville voters have new resource to help make last-minute decisions
Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
With the Aug. 6 election looming just hours away, voters have a new resource to help them evaluate candidates running for mayor of Metro Nashville Davidson County.
The resource is a one-stop website, easily accessible to voters online and on their smart phones, that provides an overview of each of the seven candidates running for mayor built by Adult Degree Program student Mindy Fernandez for her capstone project.
Vote Smart Nashville, www.votesmartnashville.org, is a non-partisan website that includes biographies of the candidates along with their views on key topics such as immigration, diversity, transportation, education, affordable housing, public safety and economic development. It also includes links to videos of the mayoral debates held over the last few months, election information and resources for voters.
“The goal of Vote Smart Nashville is to be a one-stop shop for information about Nashville’s 2015 mayoral race,” says Fernandez. “You don’t have to be a political junkie to be a smart voter. Every citizen can make solid choices when choosing government leadership when armed with information about the issues and each candidate's platforms. The goal of this project is to aid any uninformed, misinformed or just plain busy Nashvillian navigate our local government elections by offering easy access to information.”
Fernandez, an integrated studies major with an emphasis in law, justice and society, said she wanted to integrate her interest in politics with her assigned capstone project when deciding what to do for her project. A self-prescribed “political junkie,” Fernandez spent several formative years as a child in Washington, D.C., where her father, who was in the Air Force, worked at the Pentagon. As a result, politics, government and the military were subjects that Fernandez became very familiar with over the years and in which she developed a keen interest.
She says a quote by Fredrick Buechner that she read in Parker Palmer’s book "Let your Life Speak" sums up her conviction to pursue this project.
“’He wrote that ‘true vocation joins self with service’ and that vocation is ‘the place where your deep gladness meets the world's deep need,’” says Fernandez. “For me- this applies to the political arena and how important it is to elect the right representatives that truly have a passion to serve and meet the needs of our city.”
While interning for one of the mayoral campaigns, Fernandez said she realized how little she knew about the candidates running and the issues impacting Nashville the most.
“I started researching on the web. Google search after Google search I was able to find good information, but it took a lot of time and effort,” she recalls. “I know there are many Nashvillians who want to do their civic duty and vote on election day, but unless they are a political junkie like myself — and don't mind hours of Google searches — it would be hard for anyone to get the information they need to be an informed voter.”
Studies indicate that during presidential elections, about 50-60 percent of registered voters vote. Local government, however, only has a voter turnout of approximately 15-20 percent.
“One of the major reasons this number is so low is because voters just aren't as informed about our local government, which is sad because our local government effects us directly with housing, education, transportation and safety,” says Fernandez. “In hopes of increasing voter turnout for our local elections, I wanted to create a ‘one-stop-shop’ for information related to the mayoral elections and our city's issues.”
The capstone project is an important part of the integrated studies and organizational leadership programs in Lipscomb’s College of Professional Studies.
“The capstone course provides students with the opportunity to incorporate key ideas learned from their major and experience at Lipscomb, including the CORE Competency Assessment Center and Development Center, into a project that is of interest to them,” says Suzanne Sager, director of employer and student engagement for the college. “We encourage students to choose a project that will help them meet their career objectives. I tell them either to get promoted at their current job or help them transition into a new job now that they have their degree. Mindy used knowledge and skills gained in her coursework, along with faculty mentors and coaches, to create a useful project that will benefit her as she pursues a career in the political arena.”
Completion of this project is an important milestone for Fernandez, who began her educational journey 15 years ago at Abilene Christian University. A social work major at the time, Fernandez took a break from her college pursuit with one year left to go to finish her degree. She married Mike Fernandez, dean of Lipscomb’s College of Entertainment & the Arts, and the couple moved to Houston, where she began working. Soon they began having children. Before long, Fernandez became a mom and finishing her degree became “increasingly difficult to think about.”
Fernandez and her family, which today includes her husband and their four children, Brendan, 14; Holden, 12; Ricky, 9; and Heidi, 5, moved to Nashville in 2008 for Mike to become chair of Lipscomb University’s Department of Theatre. Finishing a degree became something that Fernandez hoped she would do once her youngest child began school, which she did last fall at Lipscomb Academy.
Then one day last year, Mike was asked to produce a commercial for the university’s College of Professional Studies and its competency-based educational program. Fernandez, being “free” labor, portrayed a student contemplating a return to college in the commercial. In the process, she said she learned about the Through Lipscomb University’s Competency Assessment and Development Center, CORE measures 15 competencies on a badge system. This competency-based assessment and development program evaluates attributes such as life and professional experiences, as well as personal and behavioral skills, for performance goals, programs and outcomes, and awards college credit based on the level of proficiency demonstrated through the assessment.
“The idea of going back to school was starting to become a reality for me,” said Fernandez. “I was so excited at the thought that I might actually get to finish after all these years of being a mom and working and supporting my husband.”
So Fernandez went through the Competency Assessment and Development Center’s CORE assessment. As a result of her assessment, she received 30 credit hours for her proficiencies that she added to the credits she received when she began college years ago.
“Lipscomb has made my dream of finishing my degree a reality,” Fernandez says. “I'm very grateful and blessed to be here.”
Excited as Fernandez was about returning to school, she was still a little apprehensive about whether or not she had the time for classes. Not only is she a mom of four children, she also works in Lipscomb’s event management office as university box office manager. But through careful time management and the encouragement of her family and professors, Fernandez took the leap of faith and hasn’t looked back.
“There was a period of time that I thought it would never happen,” recalls Fernandez. “Then when it became a reality, I was scared. But the classes and professors have been great, which made the transition easy. It has been tough trying to keep up with work and our kids’ very active schedules. I don't want to miss any games, matches or field trips. For me being a wife and mom is my highest calling.
“I've had to really work on structuring my time to in order to study, work and be the active mom I've always been. I've also learned to say ‘no’ to the extra things, knowing that this is just a season and I can't do it all. I won't lie. It hasn't been easy, but I have a great support system, which is very important.”
Fernandez said she hopes she is a good example for her children to take education seriously.
“There have been some special times where the kids sit down to do their homework and I sit down to work on mine,” she says. “One night my oldest son was up late working on a paper he had due the next day. At the same time I was up late working on a paper that was due by midnight. He would check in on me and I would check in on him to encourage each other and to make sure we were getting our homework done and not falling asleep. We'll remember moments like that.”
Fernandez, a senior, is now only four classes away from reaching her intended graduation date in May 2016. After graduation, Fernandez says she may consider a career in the political arena, but for now greatly enjoys her work at Lipscomb.
For more information about Lipscomb University’s competency-based education program and CORE assessment center,click here.