News > February 12, 2004

By Jeff Harvey

Old Gold and Black Reporter

University students and faculty will join students from hundreds of campuses across the country next week to contribute to a discussion focused on student civic engagement in service and politics.

Students will meet at 2 p.m. Feb. 19 in Winston 126, to spend one hour interacting with a panel via satellite from Michigan State University.

“Students often feel their voices are not given credit, are not heard by the greater culture,” Betsy Taylor, the director of the Pro Humanitate Center, said. “This event provides an opportunity for students to talk about important issues in a national dialogue.”

The panel will be made up of professionals, administrators, faculty, staff and students sharing their thoughts on civic engagement and responding to phone calls and E-mails from students around the nation.

After the teleconference, the university will join other participating institutions in holding a local forum about the issues discussed by the panel.

This discussion will be moderated by Katy Harriger, a professor of political science, and Charidy Hight, the assistant director of student development and coordinator of volunteer services. 

Around 65 colleges and universities from 28 states plan to participate in the teleconference. The campus event is open to all students.

The teleconference will focus on the involvement of today’s college students in politics.

Discussion will be based on “The New Student Politics,” a document published as a result of a summit held in 2001 during which 33 college students from 27 schools discussed their civic experiences in higher education.

A key part of this document focuses on service politics