Political Issues Convention to take place Friday

By Kurt Anthony Krug Legal News A who's who of politicians--including U.S. Rep. John D. Dingell, Dearborn Mayor John O'Reilly Jr., and Wayne County Commissioner Irma Clark-Coleman--will be present this Friday, Oct. 12, at the 9th Annual Michigan Student Political Issues Convention which is being held at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Debbie Dingell will give the keynote address. The wife of Congressman Dingell, she is a national Democratic strategist and a member of the Democratic National Committee, as well as the co-host of the local PBS public affairs show "Am I Right?" Other elected officials attending include Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, U.S. Congressman John Conyers Jr., Dearborn Heights Mayor Daniel Paletko, Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence, Melvindale Mayor Stacy Striz, Sen. Morris Hood III, Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, Rep. George Darany, Rep. Phil Cavanagh, Rep. Kurt Heise, and Rep. Gail Haines. After the keynote, there will be a panel of women elected leaders. Debbie Dingell, Clark-Coleman, Lawrence, Striz, and Haines are confirmed as the panelists by deadline. The panelists will address the importance in encouraging more women to participate in politics and political engagement, the unique barriers that women must overcome to serve in public office, how women have overcome these and other hurdles to public service, and their recommendation for youth involvement in public office. The League of Women Voters will moderate this panel. Students will get the opportunity to ask questions, which will be facilitated by the LWV. "I'm looking forward to the upcoming panel focusing on barriers women can face in serving as government leaders," said Haines. "Women make up half the population and I believe it is critical to have female representation in government positions. I am always advocating for women to get more involved in their communities and hope I can inspire a new generation of women to make a difference and get involved in government." The purpose of this convention is to foster democratic political engagement and to help reverse the trends in the lack of political engagement among young voters, according to Anthony Perry, HFCC interim associate dean of social science. Perry founded this convention almost a decade ago. HFCC is the coordinating institution for this event, which presents a critically important chance for students to share their views and concerns regarding the politics. College students from all over Michigan are invited to participate in the convention. In addition to HFCC, attendance includes students and faculty from Macomb Community College, Oakland Community College, Schoolcraft College, the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and Wayne State University. There will be 17 concurrent workshops occurring throughout the day covering a wide variety of topics from domestic concerns to foreign policy, including a web-conference focusing on American foreign policy in the Middle-East with students from the Lebanese American University in Beirut, Lebanon. Other workshops of note are as follows: "Social Media Workshop," "Michigan Ballot Proposals," "Iran and Nuclear Weapons," "Religion and Conflict: Domestic Concerns," "Healthcare Reform: A View from the Grassroots," "Prospects of War in Iran," "Poverty: Economic Disparities and the Plight of the Poor," "Sustained Fiscal Stress in Michigan Communities," "Nuclear Power: The Gamble We Can't Afford," and "Inequality of Women in the Military." Tentatively scheduled is "Global Politics of Inclusion: Democracy Movements and Capacity Building." Mivote.org will be recording students' concerns and placing them on its website. Nonpartisan voter information will be provided by the LWV. Political candidates from the political parties and nonpartisan races have been invited to post-convention workshops where they will present opportunities for campaign and election involvement to interested students. A post-convention session with Calley will focus on the "Bridge to Canada" project. Another post-convention session includes a workshop to encourage students to become more knowledgeable and possibly involved in the fall campaigns. For Perry, the best part of this convention is seeing students engaged in the political process and talking with elected leaders. "(They see) that politics and public service are not something that should be foreign. When the mayor or other political figure talks to (him or her) directly, the student sees that they are down-to-earth and willing to hear (his or her) concerns, then starts to understand the democratic process," said Perry. Added O'Reilly: "I am happy to once again be part of this event because it really promotes informed engagement and challenges students to become involved in relevant ways. (HFCC) does an excellent job of presenting the issues and offering participants a lively perspective. It is another reason we are proud to have HFCC in Dearborn." Registration is on-site and will be between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. Admission is free. For additional information and/or questions, contact Robert Yahrmatter at (313) 845-6361. Published: Thu, Oct 11, 2012

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