Student Spotlight: Liz Bowling’s Lesson in Basic Economics

I had the opportunity to talk with Liz Bowling, a new-traditional (read, not  18-22 years-old) undergraduate student at Emporia State University in Kansas, recently about her experiences in Rob Cattlet’s fall Economics 101: Basic Economics course.

- Jen Domagal-Goldman, National Manager, American Democracy Project

By Liz Bowling, Emporia State University (Kan.)

City of Emporia Clean-Up & Recycling Days

On Saturday October 1^st of last year, I had the privilege of participating in the City of Emporia’s Clean-Up & Recycling Days.  I worked alongside other volunteers from Emporia State University, local businesses, organizations and individuals from Emporia at the temporary transfer station and recycling center in Santa Fe Park.

After slipping into my gloves and safety vest, I made my way around to the different containers designated for tires, wood, metals, cleaners, chemicals, paints, T.V.s, computers and computer parts, and trash, which would have been headed for the landfill if we were not here.  There were a couple of volunteers who offered their trucks and fuel to take several loads of usable items to area thrift stores.  With more people using their intellectual and physical talents, along with more dumpsters there would have been even less items going to the landfill.

This was a wonderful life-transforming experience!  In return for giving five hours from my Saturday, I have gained a personal accountability to a higher standard of activism.  From now on I will no longer be able to plead ignorance, or sit back and let others do all the work.

I thought that it was enough that as a recycle artist I have created entire shows from utilizing 95 percent refuse that I took from local business trash bins and other recycled materials.  This is good; however, it is simply not enough!

After my experience on Saturday, I am committed to doing more through volunteering, educating, and/or donating money and supplies.  I will become an engaged citizen. I have several ideas about ways in which to educate the public, campaign for changes, and fund-raise and ideas about ways to involve the youth and our school systems. I am dedicated to researching, manifesting, and implementing these ideas. I believe that other citizens of Emporia, like me, would be interested in opportunities to assist in solution-changing-events such as Clean Sweep II.  However, they have to be given the opportunity to become aware of the enormity of the situation and the long-term ramifications of the problems that we are facing personally, environmentally, economically, and globally.

_____

About Elizabet (Liz) L. Bowling

Liz Bowling

Liz has been “a creative” her entire life; it is what sustains, supports and nourishes her mind, body and spirit.  She has been a professional artist for the past 22 years.  Liz began at Sterling College (Kan.) and then ventured to UCLA. Since then she has been at IUPUI, Baker University (Kan.), the University of Oklahoma and is currently a student at Emporia State University (Kan.) where she is taking a class in economics that has extensive civic engagement elements as part of the American Democracy Project.

Art and writing have always been a big part of Liz’s  creative life.  She is currently working on several book projects. By nature she is a self-proclaimed assemblage artist. Her eclectic and unusual palette includes: clay, wood, wire, fibers/cloth, bone and recycled materials, found objects, cardboard, paint, and anything discarded (e.g., trash) that can be utilized and revitalized.

Being an assemblage artist for many years, she has utilized found objects and the art of recycling through out my career; however, what began as a necessity has become a dedication to living life with integrity and personal accountability. She believes that we live in a world where a large number of people live with the “disposable society” mentality. Too quickly, we throw away. We throw away useful items; we fill our landfills with materials that can be recycled and put to good use.  Many in our society tend to quickly throw away their values, their relationships, family, children, friendships, the elderly and disabled in the quest to obtain more, bigger, better, more improved things.

As an educated individual, Liz is dedicated to helping to make this world a better place. Educating myself about the application of non-toxic and environmentally safe products in partnership to recycling is a foundational part of my creative process. As a spiritual being, Liz has committed her life to that of seeking knowledge, growth, accountability, personal and professional integrity, and unfolding naturally into authenticity. Her entire life is about building bridges and using her creative talent to connect and inspire others.

Student Spotlight: A Student Perspective on ADP at MTSU

Guest Blog Post by Raven Dohuky, Sophomore, Middle Tennessee State University

About Raven Dohuky:

Live, love, laugh is my thought on life, as a Kurdish American living in Nashville, Tennessee. I was born on March 13, 1991, in Kurdistan, Iraq.  (Did you know that there are more Kurds living in Middle Tennessee than anywhere else in the entire U.S.?) My family migrated to America shortly after I was born during the Gulf War.  We were prisoners in our own land, deprived of freedom and opportunities, and we had no choice but to flee and become refugees.  And that’s how I got my name:  Raven means “of refuge” in Kurdish, and my last name refers to the city of Dohuk where my family is from.  I am currently a sophomore and proud member of the American Democracy Project at Middle Tennessee State University, working part time as pharmacy technician at a retail pharmacy. I hope to become a pharmacist in the not-too-distant future.  As a Kurd assimilating in America, I try as much as possible to keep my heritage and culture alive.  I always have the mindset of being grateful for what I have and who I have in my life.

American Democracy Project at MTSU

At Middle Tennessee State University, the American Democracy Project has many faces, takes many forms, and operates across many layers of our university, for civic outreach and community involvement.  ADP works through both our faculty and our students, promoting democratic engagement and civic learning.  We are continually trying to do more.

ADP MTSU Students (from L to R): Forest Stroud, Raven Dohuky, Josh Moore & Kelsey Tellez

One way ADP is visible on our campus is through our American Democracy Project Student Organization, under the auspices of Student Affairs and the MTSU Center for Student Involvement and Leadership.  Dr. Mary Evins, who’s the campus coordinator for ADP, is our faculty advisor.  Our student organization’s  goal is to work to produce MTSU graduates who understand and are committed to engaging in meaningful actions as citizens in our democracy.  At MTSU, ADP is very active throughout campus and in all our nine colleges.  We raise awareness about what is happening across campus and our community, and we’re intentional in our commitment to help raise our fellow students’ awareness and citizenship and to excite their interest in our shared public purposes: to make good citizenship cool.  ADP is absolutely nonpartisan, so there are no party politics allowed.  We sponsor voter registration drives and candidate forums, but we do all that without any party affiliation.

Here’s how I got involved in ADP:

Right after my freshman year of college, Dr. Evins got in touch with me. She emailed me after I took a history class with her, and she asked if I might like to join the campus American Democracy Project.  At first I wasn’t too excited about it.  On further consideration I realized it would be a great opportunity for me, to participate and get involved in the community; but mainly, I must admit, I thought it would look good on a resume.  As I walked into the ADP meeting on the first day of school, I honestly had no clue what I was getting myself into.  Yet as I listened to Dr. Evins and the other ADP students, I started looking forward to what else the club might be able to accomplish.

We have indeed accomplished many goals, just in the time I’ve been involved, and we’re continuing to achieve more. There’s a recycling policy study we’re continuing from last spring; we’ve been doing voter registration drives all year; our students are trying persistently, along with our local county’s election commission, to develop a public polling place on our campus of 26,000 students; we’re making informational flyers for incoming MTSU freshmen for this summer, to inform them right away about how to get registered to vote in the November presidential election, and also to teach them about MTSU’s recycling opportunities; our ADP students cooperate with the student environmental organization on campus, particularly this year since the Tennessee legislature is reconsidering its position on mountaintop removal policy in the Smoky and Cumberland Mountains.  We were involved two years ago in tobacco-free-campus policy research that made a significant contribution toward the development of our brand new “MT Tobacco Free” university tobacco-free policy, which commenced here on January 1 of this year.  We’re pushing now for good-citizenship compliance and also for healthy enforcement of the new policy, and we’re trying to organize a campus-wide clean-up for this spring to get rid of unsightly cigarette butts on the campus grounds.

One of my first real involvements with ADP was during Constitution Week last fall.  We were honored to have Chairman James Leach of the National Endowment for the Humanities as our guest speaker during Constitution Week activities.  We worked diligently on voter registration throughout that very visible campus celebration.  It was shocking to me to see for myself how little knowledge our students have about politics, the upcoming presidential election, and even current issues that affect our daily lives. From that moment on, I was eager to become even more involved with ADP and to share the growing knowledge and enthusiasm I’ve been fast developing with my fellow students.  So lots of ideas are in the making for us, and we always love new, from-the-ground-up ideas.  The new students who join our organization every semester bring with them fresh energy, insights, creativity, and heart to our public engagement.

Just this month ADP helped host Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who came to our campus and city for a lecture and public dialogue.  She spoke about her “iCivics” initiative (www.icivics.org) for K-12, which she’s worked on since her retirement from the Supreme Court and about which she is proud.  Our Dean of Liberal Arts, Dr. Mark Byrnes, told her at the community lecture about our own American Democracy Project initiative for civic learning.  And we were proud.  Attached is a photograph of a few of the ADP students after Justice O’Connor’s lecture at MTSU; I’m the short brunette in the front.

As I work side by side with my fellow ADP members, I absolutely realize that the public work we do through ADP is most assuredly not about “looking good on a resume,” it’s about being educated, about empowerment, and being engaged in the world in which we live.  After all, we as responsible citizens need to be aware right now of what the future holds for us and how we must impact it for good by our actions in the present.  We must understand our own individual responsibilities and know that how we live now directly affects our country, its culture, and the fast-growing environment in which we live.  We have a voice and we need to take control.

I have certainly incorporated my new skills for personal action into my own life.  I work in the pharmacy of a large national grocery store chain in Nashville, and I have just submitted to my manager a plan to expand our company’s recycling capabilities for the store.  I have learned to express myself and I am empowered to act.

One thing I hold close to my heart and would like to recommend to everyone is to educate yourself about the world around you and when you see something that needs fixing, then you fix it.  Because I am a Kurdish American who came to my new country as a political refugee, the political direction of this country, and of the world, is powerfully, personally important to me.

Read more about MTSU’s ADP here.

Obama Gets Second Term in WIU Student Mock Presidential Election November 9, 2011

Earlier this month, Western Illinois University staged what’s thought to be the largest student-run mock election even in the nation. WIU’s Mock Presidential Election (MPE), “The Road to the White House Starts at Western Illinois University” was an ADP-sponsored event designed to actively engage students in the political process. You can read the press release from WIU’s University Relations below.

- Jen Domagal-Goldman, ADP National Manager

 

The Road to the White House Starts at Western Illinois University

WIU Mock Presidential Election

MACOMB, IL — It’s official. The next president of the United States will be the incumbent, Barack Obama, according to students participating in Western Illinois University’s Mock Presidential Election (MPE). And in a surprise move for vice president, students voted Joe Biden out and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in.

The fifth and final night of the Mock Presidential Election, known as “The Road to the White House Starts at Western Illinois University,” found early voting bouncing between candidates they nominated from three parties: Democrats for Obama/Clinton, GOP’s ticket Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan and Green Party’s Jill Stein/Kent Mesplay.

Stein, who made it a three-candidate race in the national electorate, kicked-off her actual presidential campaign as a Green Party candidate at the Nov. 7 simulation, addressed the students gathered in Western Hall saying the spirit of democracy was alive and well at Western Illinois University. She challenged students to think of this campaign as a chance to speak up and to vote on their own behalf.

WIU student campaign managers and other leaders in the Democrat and GOP ranks, spoke on behalf of their presidential nominees.

When it came down to states voting, several states deadlocked, and without a declared winner, their electoral votes could not be allowed, said Rick Hardy, MPE executive co-director.

ACCOLADES

“We would like to thank all of the participants, students, faculty, staff, volunteers and candidates and their spokespersons, for taking part in the 2011 Mock Presidential Election. The collaborative partnerships are what makes an event of this magnitude such a success,” said WIU President Jack Thomas. “Coordinators Rick Hardy and John Hemingway and our students are to be commended for their initiative and hard work in planning, coordinating and organizing this largest student-run mock election event in the nation.”

Hardy added his appreciation for the students who made this event a success.

“I would particularly like to commend the work of the students who were exemplary leaders, especially D’Angelo Taylor (senior, political science major), Cesar Salas (senior, political science, Hoffman Estates, IL), Tucker Copi (senior, political science, Springfield, IL), Jenna Verity (senior, political science, Schaumburg, IL), Caleb Markey (sophomore, finance major, Macomb, IL), Megan Tatro (senior, law enforcement and justice administration major, Rock Island, IL), James Brenner (junior, political science/American government major, Machesney Park, IL) and Wayne Pierce (Chicago),” Hardy noted.

Hardy also echoed President Thomas’ thanks:

“‘The Road to the White House Starts at Western Illinois University’” involved a tremendous University-wide and community effort that deserves great thanks. We cannot thank everyone enough for assisting in this outstanding exercise that is part of the American Democracy Project (ADP)….To all, we say thank you.”

The American Democracy Project is an initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) that began in 2003, in partnership with The New York Times, focused on higher education’s role in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens for the our democracy, Hardy added.

WIU Mock Presidential Election

STUDENTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Hardy was quick to acknowledge the many students who worked the mock election, many of whom assisted in ways related directly to their academic fields.

“Broadcasting students reported each night’s event live on wiutv3, journalism students wrote editorials and news copy (http://control–shift.blogspot.com), the ROTC Color Guard started each session with the presentation of the colors, School of Music singers and the Marching Band participated and many more behind-the-scene students, including recreation, park and tourism administration students who helped with event management, along with academic and honorary organizations, help made this year’s Mock Presidential Election an overwhelming success,” said Hardy. “I know there will be a lot more Western Illinois University students following the 2012 Presidential Election, all the way from state primaries and caucuses to election night coverage; and I believe there will be a lot more WIU students voting in this election.””

ADVICE FROM THE FIELD

Congressman Aaron Schock (Peoria), who, at 30, is the youngest member of the United States Congress, spoke to the students about his journey in politics, beginning as a successful write-in candidate for school board at 19-years old. He was the youngest member elected as an Illinois State Representative in 2004, and the first member of the U.S. Congress to be born in the 1980s.

Shock told the students that serving on the school board, or in the state general assembly, or in Congress, “is a lot like high school. If you show up, do your homework, ask intelligent questions, put forward thoughtful ideas and effort, you will be successful.”

POLITICIANS SUPPORTED MPE

Throughout the five-day Mock Presidential Election, several noted politicians and spokespersons of politicians took the time to come to Macomb to speak to the students simulating America’s election process.

In addition to Schock and Stein, speakers included Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford, State Rep. Norine Hammond, State Rep. Mike Boland and presidential candidate Randall Terry. Other representatives included Debra Detmers Fansler, district director for U.S. Rep. John Shimkus; Farheen Hakeem, National Green Party co-chair; and Collin Hitt, senior director of government affairs at the Illinois Policy Institute in Springfield.

For more information about WIU’s Mock Presidential Election, follow this link.

The White House’s Campus Champions of Change Challenge

By Jen Domagal-Goldman, National Manager, American Democracy Project

The White House Office of Public Engagement and mtvU are sponsoring the first ever Campus “Champions of Change” (CCC) Challenge, and I want to encourage each of our American Democracy Project (ADP) campuses to submit an application!

This new program is intended to highlight stories and examples of how college students are representing President Obama’s vision for “out-innovating, out-educating, and out-building the rest of the world through projects and initiatives that move their communities forward.” Examples might include campus sustainability programs, campus-community partnerships, voter registration drives, etc.

The CCC Challenge “invites college and university students from across the country to demonstrate how their student led project is improving their campus community and helping America win the future.” Five finalists will be named and honored at the White House. The finalists will also work with mtvU and MTV Act to create short video features about their projects that will be featured on MTV.com. The winning team will host an episode of mtvU’s program, “The Dean’s List.”

The process:

• Complete the online application detailing your student-led program at www.WhiteHouse.gov/CampusChallenge.
• The White House will select 15 finalists based on input from a panel of judges.
• The public will then have an opportunity to weigh in and vote on the top five projects they think best embody the President’s goal to win the future.
• Submissions are due by Friday, December 9, 2011.

To find out more about the CCC Challenge, follow this link.

We the People Interview Series: UMBC’s Catie Collins

By Jen Domagal-Goldman, National Manager, American Democracy Project

As part of the Civic Agency initiative, we are conducting a special “We the People” interview series. In this series, we interview intriguing people with different perspectives on the “We the People” phase of our work in ADP. This is the fifth of many interviews that will be included in this series.

Catie Collins is the President of the University of Maryland Baltimore County’s (UMBC’s) Student Government Association (SGA). In her spare time, she is working to complete her senior year studying Psychology, English Literature, and TED Talks.

American Democracy Project (ADP): How did you get involved in the American Democracy Project?

Catie Collins (CC): I have the incredible luck of being a part of UMBC’s flourishing legacy of civic agency work.  The idea of civic agency is really becoming embedded in both our SGA’s culture, and the culture of UMBC as a whole. Our involvement in the American Democracy Project has really been key in helping to achieve this shift. Attending the American Democracy Project Conference in June 2011 was one of my first acts in office!

ADP: Tell us how you got involved in SGA?

Catie Collins, SGA President at UMBC

CC: In my first year at UMBC, I remember feeling frustrated and powerless. I felt like a cog in the wheels of the university, helpless to change anything, expected to play my role as a student and nothing more. That turned out to be a very large assumption – and a false one – which a friend in SGA soon corrected. They challenged me to step up and create the change I wanted to see myself, rather than waiting for someone to swoop in and save the day. My curiosity was sparked – this was an SGA that didn’t just play politics, it didn’t just play the hero – it worked with students to help them create change and feel true ownership of their campus.  It’s this mission that led me to join SGA, and to eventually run for President.

ADP: What does civic agency and the “We the People” movement mean to you?

CC: Civic agency is such a tricky thing to really define – it’s something often best shared through experience. The definition that really resonates with me is this idea of really breaking down the roles we perceive ourselves to be in – professor, student, administrator – in order to really engage each other authentically. I’ve learned to engage people as partners, to really get to know them as real people, and that has led to far more effective impact than I would have ever expected.

ADP: You’re a student member of the national steering committee of the new American Commonwealth Project – a partnership among higher education institutions and associations, the White House, and federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Education, seeks to further the movement of colleges and universities as agents and architects of democracy – what role do you see yourself playing and what do you hope the project accomplishes?

CC: I’m both excited and humbled to find myself a member of the American Commonwealth Project steering committee. My hopes for both my role and the project are centered on the same goal. I would love to see this project work as a platform for a stronger student presence in the conversations surrounding civic agency. I feel that my contribution to this project will largely be work in facilitating that connection.

ADP: How do you see yourself expressing your civic agency after your graduation in spring 2012?

CC: It’s actually been my very experience with civic agency that has completely shaped my post-graduation path.  My involvement has helped me discover within myself a deep-rooted passion for education. I care so deeply about creating systems of education that promote true engagement, both in terms of the material and in terms of one’s civic engagement. I envision investing my future in exactly this kind of work.

ADP: All our best to you, Catie!

To read more about UMBC’s civic agency work, read this previous blog post, or this one.

Opportunities for Students to Put their Civic Agency to Work for the Public Good

Americans for Informed Democracy (AIDemocracy) is a non-partisan organization based in Washington, DC that is an important friend of ADP. They have opportunities for college students to engage in collective action around important global and local issues closely related to our 7 Revolutions (population, resources, technology, information, economics, conflict, and governance).

Americans for Informed Democracy (AIDemocracy)

AIDemocracy is a non-partisan organization comprised of young people in the U.S. concerned about our individual and collective roles in the world. AIDemocracy believes that students have the responsibility to understand and take collaborative action on important issues and that students have the power to build a better world.

AIDemocracy still has a few spots available on their climate change, hunger, sex & justice, and security campaign teams! If you are an inspired college student with an interest in mobilizing your peers to understand and take action on these issues or are looking for a chance to hone your organizing and leadership skills, then AIDemocracy needs you!

They are recruiting the following positions for each of their four teams:

* Coordinator: leads strategy development and supports other team members
* Organizer: recruits other interested students to join the cause
* Issue Analyst: monitors, analyzes and writes about related news and debates
* Communications Guru: spreads the word about team activities, events and information via print and social media

These are year-long, volunteer positions. AIDemocracy is looking for multiple people for each position, on each campaign. Details and job descriptions are available on their website. Each campaign team will plan their strategy for the coming year this August.

Here’s a quick pitch for each issue:

Hunger Campaign Team: Overcoming chronic hunger is one of the most crucial challenges facing our world today. Each day nearly 1 billion people across the world go without enough food to lead a productive and healthy life. As a result, problems like extreme poverty, disease, conflict, and climate change become all the more devastating and entrenched. Ending hunger is a vital step towards making this world a more equal, just, peaceful, and sustainable place. There are still spots available for outstanding young adults from across the nation to come together and campaign to end the grave injustice of global hunger.

Sex & Justice Campaign Team:  Sexual and reproductive health and rights encompass a wide variety of issues that pose challenges especially for women and adolescents in developing countries. Girls are becoming mothers instead of going to secondary school. Sexually transmitted infections are spreading. Mothers are dying in childbirth. Gender based violence persists. Even though these issues are complex, we have the power to advocate for change. Stand up against injustice and inequality. Join the sex & justice campaign team!

Climate Change Campaign Team: When it comes to tackling climate change, today’s young people know there’s not a second to waste! All around the world, young people are rising up to tell our leaders that we won’t stand for any more empty promises, failed agreements, and injustice. From our college campuses and city halls to COP conferences worldwide, our voices are being heard, and we’re seeing great progress, especially at the local level. But critical battles around climate adaptation and emissions continue, and we need your voice more than ever! AIDemocracy is offering outstanding individuals the opportunity to join their Climate Change campaign team and lead our network around this critical issue! Apply today to make your vision for a sustainable, just planet a reality.

Security Campaign Team: This September marks the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Are we secure? How do we define security? How much should we be spending on defense, versus other approaches like diplomacy and development? The Security Campaign Team will inspire student debate around these and other critical questions. Hot topics will include US engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan, nuclear weapons, and defense spending. Join us!

To apply, please send a statement of interest to opportunities@aidemocracy.org. Positions will be filled on a rolling basis. Hurry – they only have a few spots left!

Announcing the Paid Roosevelt Public Policy Fellowship for Students

By Cecilia M. Orphan, National Manager, American Democracy Project

I hope many students within the ADP network will consider applying for the  prestigious and exciting Roosevelt Institute Public Policy Fellowship. This is an incredible – and paid! – opportunity  for students. Please see below for more information.

Roosevelt Summer Academy DEADLINE EXTENSION: Feb 17th

Get PAID to Make an Impact this summer through this Public Policy Fellowship

The Roosevelt Summer Academy is a paid fellowship program that combines a full-time internship with a training curriculum and weekly networking events as part of an integrated program of leadership development. We bring new, diverse, and progressive voices into the political process. The program runs for nine weeks, from June 9th to August 12th, 2011. Potential placement organizations include high profile labor unions, political influence-rs, and think tanks including the Economic Policy Institute, the AFL-CIO, the Center for Community Change, NDN, and the Center for America’s Future, among others.

Go ahead, APPLY TODAY.

For more information, see our website.