Voting Takes Center Stage - IA

Voting Takes Center Stage
September 18, 2004 -- Cedar Falls

FROM: http://www.kwwl.com/Global/story.asp?S=2318616
Fashion and politics took center stage tonight on the University of Northern Iowa campus. A group called "The Living Project" put on a live performance and a fashion show to encourage high school and college students to vote. Ashley Ratute, the producer of the fashion show, says, "I'm a fashion merchandising major so I love fashion and since I've been working with The Living Project our goal is to get people to vote and raise voter awareness. I said hey, might as well put them together."

Several Cedar Valley retailers also took part in tonight's fashion show. Milroy's Tuxedo provided several outfits worn by the models. Heather Nie is the store manager at Milroy's Tuxedo. She says, "We think it's a good idea for young people to get out to vote. It's for a very good cause so we like to be involved in that part also."

Some people might be asking why fashion? What does fashion and politics have in common? You have to look who they're talking to. Some UNI students say it takes a little more to grab their attention. Megan Stiffler, a UNI student, says, "I think creativity is very important and students would pay more attention to something like a fashion show, which will spark their interest and get them more interested."

Members from "The Living Project" say they hope students take away more than just fashion tips from tonight's event. "Voting is very important and this election is very important more than any and a lot of people think that young people don't care about what is going on in the government but we do,"says Ratute.

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I go to UNI and am a Resident Assistant in the dorms, and I usually get posters for everything that goes on around campus. I didn't get one about this event, and I didn't see any advertising anywhere else around either. It's a shame, because that would have been something I'd like to have seen.