Come for the Pizza, Stay for the Politics: The Future of the Union

By Mary Sorenson, Doctoral Candidate and Instructor, University of Missouri, Columbia
(and Illinois State University School of Communications M.A 2013 alumna)

On Tuesday night, over 800 students, faculty, and community members gathered in the Brown Ballroom at Illinois State University (ISU) to watch President Obama deliver his final State of the Union (SOTU) address. However, the night was about much more than providing a space for a watch-party. As I sat at my table with four laptops, ready to tweet away the night, I watched an incredible event unfold. I watched as students shuffled their feet quickly to locate their friends that were also in attendance and listened as they asked what they thought was the most important question of the night, “when will the pizza be here?” They came for the pizza…for their friends…for an opportunity to take selfies or go on a scavenger hunt in order to get extra credit. But as time went on, I watched as students started to engage in their political world.

I watched as students figured out where they could register to vote and how they could download the new icitizen app on their phones. I watched students take a seat at a table and settle in for the long-haul, suddenly less concerned about when and where the pizza line would start. I watched as more and more names started to pop up in the Tweet-up…because they had found a space where their voice could be heard. I watched students walk up the Social Media Analytics Command Center (SMACC) and start looking at data…and I watched them engage with panelists as the live broadcast wrapped up and President Obama demanded our attention with this poised and confident presence.

Then it happened- I watched the tone of the room shift as students heard the words they might not have even known that they needed: “So let’s talk about our future, and four big questions that we as a country have to answer- regardless of who the next President is or who controls the next Congress.” The future was what President Obama wanted to talk about in his final address. Their futures. Their futures as students, members of a community, tax payers, employers or employees, parents, and even their future as meaningful members of our political world. The tweet-up exploded in this moment as everyone started sharing how we can improve the future of our union. Dr. Leah Murray of Weber State University tweeted, “Fixing politics starts with college students watching SOTU together. #iSOTU16 #SOTUweber.” AASCU’s ADP and Heartland Community College chimed in with tweets about our future of innovative and creative thinking. Students used their mediated voices to tweet about what they want their future to look like and how their goals can be achieved.

It was incredible to watch a conversation happen at such a speed that I could barely keep up. The #iSOTU16 hashtag provided a platform for students across the country to share their opinions and expand their political sphere through retweets, likes, and replies. During the post-SOTU broadcast Alex Schreiner, the partnerships and outreach manager for icitizen, addressed the importance of using technology to engage young people in politics. Even in his address, President Obama focused one of his questions how we can, “make technology work for us, and not against us.”  It was evident throughout the night that our technological platforms (Twitter and icitizen) were spaces in which students felt comfortable and empowered. It was through this event that they were able to expand their political community beyond ISU and engage with a national audience that shares their values and experiences.

As leaders and educators we need to make sure we engage our students in ways that pull them out of their comfort zones while keeping them comfortable. We need to provide them with spaces where they can have a political voice and see how their words can ignite change. We need to make politics an accessible reality instead of allowing our students to view politics as scary, pointless, or not their “thing.” It is our responsibility to give them more than pizza- we need to give them a voice.

On Tuesday night at ISU, our students got their pizza…but they left with much more than full stomachs. They left with hopeful attitudes about a political future that they get to be a part of. They left with a new understanding of what politics can look like- an understanding that came from much more than the words of our President. As they left the ballroom that night, they knew that the future of the union requires change…and requires them to be part of it.

ADP/TDC Partner with icitizen to Activate Student Participation through Civic Tech

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ (AASCU) The American Democracy Project (ADP) and The Democracy Commitment (TDC) announced their partnership with icitizen, a leading civic engagement app. Starting this January, the three groups will work to “Engage the Election 2016;” this project will include comprehensive activities throughout the year centered on enhancing student engagement through civic technology.

“We’re excited to further our partnership with icitizen,” said Anne Mandeville, director of corporate partnerships at AASCU. “Our missions couldn’t be more aligned in encouraging younger generations to take ownership of their civic lives and make their voices count. This is the civic tech component our organization is now able to provide to our members, and we’re grateful for this opportunity to work together during the election year.”

The kickoff event, headquartered at Illinois State University, will be a live-stream of President Obama’s 2016 State of the Union address. Member institutions can host a viewing party on their campuses, and students and faculty can participate via www.icitizen.com if they are unable to attend a watch party. This event will feature interactive polling, live tweeting, and pre- and post-speech coverage designed entirely around advancing the non-partisan political engagement of students. Members of all political parties are encouraged to participate.

“This is a monumental opportunity for all of our organizations,” said Russell P. Reeder, CEO of icitizen. “We’re so happy to be able to work with ADP, TDC and their member schools. We are all dedicated to driving civic engagement and providing all the resources we can to help prepare the next generation of responsible, active citizens. This is only the beginning.”

Other events in the partnership include the 2015 Higher Education Government Relations Conference, co-hosted webinars, the Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Meeting, presidential debate coverage on social media, and a post-election wrap-up event.

To participate in the State of the Union live-stream event, sign up here.

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The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is a Washington, D.C.-based higher education association of more than 400 public colleges, universities, and systems whose members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment to underserved student populations, and a dedication to research and creativity that advances their regions’ economic progress and cultural development.

The American Democracy Project (ADP) is a multi-campus initiative focused on public higher education’s role in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens for our democracy. The project began in 2003 as an initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), in partnership with The New York Times.

The Democracy Commitment (TDC) is a national initiative providing a platform for development and expansion of community college programs, projects and curricula aiming at engaging students in civic learning and democratic practice across the country. Our goal is that every graduate of an American community college have had an education in democracy. This includes all of our students, whether they aim to transfer to university, achieve an associate degree or obtain a certificate.

icitizen is a community where you connect with your peers and elected officials to be heard on the civic issues you care about. With icitizen, you create change at the local, state and federal level. icitizen also partners with organizations and government officials to provide valuable insight into what matters most to their stakeholders. The company is dedicated to bringing openness and accountability to democracy.

SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Join ADP, TDC and icitizen for interactive live-streamed coverage of the 2016 State of the Union (SOTU) on the evening of Tuesday, January 12, 2016.

Sign up to learn more!

2014 Midterm Elections Tweet-Up

AASCU’s American Democracy Project (ADP) and The Democracy Commitment (TDC) are planning a multi-campus digital dialogue (i.e., Tweet-Up) about the 2014 Midterm Elections during November 4-11, 2014.

As we head to the polls on Election Day (November 4^th) and throughout the rest of that week, ADP and TDC encourage students and faculty to engage in a discussion about this important election cycle—including domestic policy issues most affecting higher education—using Twitter.

In order to prompt discussion during the Tweet-Up, Illinois State University’s School of Communication will compile a primer on major national themes and domestic policy implications gleaned from commentary occurring via social media on the night of the election. Illinois State University’s Social Media Analytics Command Center (SMACC) will be used to analyze public conversations from social media outlets, popular discussion forums, and major blogs. By following messages as they spread and diffuse across social networks, the SMACC can help identify and begin to predict message trends related to the 2014 election cycle. The SMACC report will be made publically available on November 5^th and will be shared with all Tweet-Up participants.

Consider tweeting your ideas, questions, analysis and observations about the 2014 midterms on election night (Tuesday, Nov. 4) or throughout the following week (Nov 4-11) – during an election night watch party, as part of a political science, communications or other academic course or as part of another event planned on campus. Or join the conversation on your own!

All Tweet-Up participants should use the hashtag #ADPTDCelect during this conversation. The Twitter handles for the ADP, TDC, and SMACC are:

ADP: @ADPaascu

TDC: @TDCNational

SMACC: @ISUSOC_SMACC

As the ADP and TDC are non-partisan and interested in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens, we hope many of you will join us and encourage your students to do so as well—we want to encourage more students to engage in the electoral process and are not looking for a partisan battle, but for a supportive, interesting, and analytical conversation that encourages civic and political engagement.

To recap:

• What:  ADP/TDC 2014 Midterm Elections Tweet-Up
• When: Tuesday, November 4, 2014 – Tuesday, November 11, 2014
• How: On Twitter using the hashtag #ADPTDCelect; it only takes a few minutes for most students to learn to use Twitter, and they can create an account at https://twitter.com

ADP/TDC Webinar: Advancing Civic Learning in Online and Virtual Spaces

Advancing Civic Learning in Online and Virtual Spaces: A Webinar
Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at 3:30 p.m. EST
Eric Hartman, Brandon Kliewer and Chance Lee
Kansas State University

Next week, on Tuesday, October 28, 2014, at 3:30 p.m. EST, AASCU’s American Democracy Project and The Democracy Commitment have teamed up with the Staley School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University to offer a special webinar to our member institutions.

Advancing Civic Learning in Online and Virtual Spaces will be an interactive and participant-led webinar and learning experience related to designing online and virtual courses that include an academic service-learning component.

Brandon Kliewer, assistant professor of civic leadership at KSU, is the 2013 recipient of ADP’s Saltmarsh Award for Emerging Leaders in Civic Engagement. Eric Hartman is an assistant professor and Chance Lee is an instructor. All three facilitators all are from the Staley School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University.

Participants will develop their thinking around how to systematically design online and virtual courses that include academic service-learning that maximizes student learning. Although the course design process is relevant to a range of disciplinary and topical learning outcomes, this session will focus on dimensions of intercultural competence. As a result of this webinar, participants will be able to design online and virtual courses and programs that advance intercultural competence.

To register for the webinar, please sign-up via this Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J2LJtxU-jvqgNzf30_Djph6VUyx1ir3BD04NuDXLlYo/edit#gid=0.
To join the meeting on October 28^th, click this AdobeConnect link: https://aascu.adobeconnect.com/digdem1028/
For meeting audio, dial 1-866-642-1665 and enter 499385 as the participant code.