About a month ago, I showed up to a Friday-night Washington University men’s basketball game about 30 seconds after tip-off. Despite my tardiness, I wasn’t worried about finding a seat because, after all, it’s Wash. U., so I strolled into the Field House as normal.

More than half of Graham Chapel was empty during a panel on abstinence Monday night. The low attendance was a sharp contrast to what students had expected only two weeks ago, when Bristol Palin was approved by Student Union Treasury to be a member of the panel.

Despite an unprecedented level of political programming from groups around campus, informal discussion remains the most common form of political engagement by students. Such students often want to participate in the election, but are pressed for time.