Obama's agenda topic at SUSO
President Barack Obama's administration was the main point of discussion at Wednesday's Speak Up, Speak Out forum.
Students, professors and a member of the Mount Pleasant community engaged in a forum called "After the Inauguration: What Now?: Influencing the Agenda in the Obama Administration in the Bovee University Center." The forum gave attendees a look at Obama's agenda and the chance to discuss the need for greater civic participation.
"It gave people a good opportunity to listen and speak," said Mount Pleasant sophomore Jesse Robertson.
The forum began with opening remarks from the panel and statements from the moderator, Cherie Strachan, a political science assistant professor.
Video clips were shown of the two former presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, who each talked about the importance of service.
Later, the audience and the panelists discussed the need for greater civic and political participation and how the nation should respond to Obama's call to public service.
As people were free to speak their minds, ask questions, and bring up new topics, audience members voiced numerous concerns about topics like the lack of national pride and a lack of knowledge about how to get involved among Americans. When asked if there was a common identity that Americans shared, the opinions varied. Some students said that it was hard to figure out what they were really passionate about.
Panelist Angela Haddad, chairwoman of the department of sociology, anthropology and social work, said she was an active supporter of Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.
She and some friends canvassed for Obama at the farmers market in Mount Pleasant. She said people were interested in talking about politics and joining the campaign, and the face-to-face interaction she had with them was vital. That type of interaction allows people to deliberate and come up with new ideas.
"We become greater than our individual parts," Haddad said.
Strachan applauded Haddad for contributing to civil society. Civil society consists of non-governmental groups that organize people to participate in community activities. The groups provide a structure in which members can participate in their community on a regular basis, Strachan said. These groups have declined significantly and are becoming extinct, she said.
Panelist Tony Yost said there are opportunities for people who are apolitical. The Battle Creek graduate student said when his girlfriend was an audiology graduate student, she and some friends ended up lobbying the Michigan legislature to support a bill that would pay tuition for speech and audiology students.
"You'd be really surprised what affects you in government," Yost said.
Panelist Christina Wickham, a Traverse City senior, believes that professors should incorporate volunteering in the classroom. Most students never realize their potential for public service.
Panelist Delbert Ringquist, a political science professor, said students can learn how to organize and work with others through civic engagement.
"You're developing a skill set - a skill set you will use for the rest of your life," he said.
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