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Drake launches Engaged Citizen program on Voices of Democracy

Drake students at Precinct 45 Democratic caucus in Olin Hall
Drake students turn out in force for the Precinct 45 Democratic caucus in Olin Hall.
Drake University’s new Engaged Citizen Experience program will kick off Thursday, Jan. 31, with a panel of Drake students discussing their experiences with the 2008 Iowa caucuses. The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. in room 106 of Meredith Hall, 2805 University Ave.

Students will talk about their caucus-related internships, their involvement with campaigns and research, and debate the decisions made by Iowa voters in January 2008. 

In addition, prizes will be awarded to winners in the “My Prez” program, which encouraged students to participate in the political process and attend events with presidential candidates on campus last semester. Students who met the criteria to win an iPhone or iPod shuffle were entered in a drawing, and the winners will be announced after the panel. 

The program will continue with a “Super Tuesday, Political Dialogue and the Presidential Campaign” roundtable discussion featuring Drake faculty and guests from 3:30-5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7, in room 206 of Olin Hall, 1344 27th St. The discussion will focus on the state of the presidential race and the level of dialogue that candidates use on significant issues. 

Participants will include Drake politics professors Dennis Goldford and Arthur Sanders, both nationally recognized experts on presidential politics; Tom Beaumont, chief political reporter for The Des Moines Register; and visiting journalism professor Rick Tapscott, former managing editor of the Register who has also covered politics 

for the Washington Post.

The theme for the Engaged Citizen Experience series is “Voices of Democracy: Dissent and Dialogue.” The Engaged Citizen Experience is a part of the Drake Curriculum, which aims to ensure students will learn to participate effectively in democratic processes through coursework and classroom and community activities. Students are required to earn a number of credits to fulfill the Engaged Citizen Experience. 

Other Engaged Citizen Experience and related events include: 

•    Feb. 6 – Volunteer Fair, 11:30 a.m., Olmsted Center, 2875 University Ave. 

•    Feb. 12 – “Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West” by William Cronon of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 12:30 p.m., Bulldog Theater, Olmsted Center. 

•    Feb. 12 – “Only Connect: What Does It Mean to Be a Liberally Educated Person” by William Cronon of the University of Wisconsin, 4 p.m., Bulldog Theater, Olmsted Center. 

•    Feb. 16 – Adams Leadership Academy Spring Leadership Conference. 

•    Feb. 21-23 – “The Vagina Monologues,” 7 p.m., Bulldog Theater, Olmsted Center. Carnival starts at 6 p.m. 

•    Feb. 26 – Writers and Critics Series featuring Tim Bascom, who has written an award-winning memoir as well as a novel and numerous essays, 7:30 p.m., Cowles Library Reading Room. 

•    March 5 – “Patriotism, Dissent, and Democratic Citizenship” by Austin Sarat of Amherst College, 4 p.m., Sheslow Auditorium, Old Main, 2507 University Ave. 

•    March 8 – Center for Global Citizenship lecture, “The Collapse of Global Public Health” by Laurie Garrett of the Council on Foreign Relations, 1 p.m., Sheslow Auditorium, Old Main. 

•    March 10 – The Pomerantz Lecture, “Law and Democracy: Trying Nazi Crimes in German Courts, 1945-1950” by Devin Pendas of Boston College, 7 p.m., Sheslow Auditorium, Old Main. 

•    March 25 – Hawley Foundation Lecture, “The Satiric Eye: How Pictures that Make People Crazy are Really Good for Them” by Steve Brodner of the New York City School of Visual Arts, 7 p.m., Bulldog Theater, Olmsted Center. 

•    March 26 – “The South African Constitution: The Recognition of Social and Economic Rights” by Justice Richard Goldstone of Fordham University School of Law, 4 p.m., room 213 of Cartwright Hall, 2621 Carpenter Ave. 

•    March 27 – Writers and Critics Series, “Revenge as a Faith-Based Narrative: Or, What’s that Snake Doing Under Mel Gibson’s Kilt?” by Alan Nadel of the University of Kentucky, 7:30 p.m., Cowles Library Reading Room, 2725 University Ave. 

•    April 5 – Constitutional Law Symposium, “The Forgotten Constitutional Amendments,” 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., room 213 of Cartwright Hall. 

•    April 9 – Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture, “Seven Revolutions” by futurist Erik Peterson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, 7:30 p.m., Drake Knapp Center, 2525 Forest Ave. 

•    April 17 – Engaged Citizen Experience Symposium, 5:30 p.m., Parents Hall in Olmsted Center. Keynote address by Heinz Award winner and former MacArthur Fellow Ernesto Cortes. 

•    April 30 – Des Moines National Poetry Festival 2008 Poet Li-Young Lee, 8 p.m., Sheslow Auditorium. 

For more information, contact Charlene Skidmore at 515-271-2999 or charlene.skidmore@drake.edu