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

Campus Spotlight: Stockton’s Activist-in-Residence

Excerpted from The Stockton Times 

Erin O’Hanlon is Stockton’s first activist in residence, part of the college’s commitment to community engagement and service-learning.

O’Hanlon, a Stockton graduate who is coordinator of community initiatives at The Women’s Center of Atlantic County, said: “Stockton comes from a long tradition of activism, community engagement and strong voices. Part of my job is to point out the path in the 21st century,” and help students “connect with the social responsibility of their actions.”

“It’s a huge asset for our students and faculty members to have a community activist here on campus part-time,” said Daniel Fidalgo Tomé, assistant director of Service-Learning.

Tomé, Dr. Kristin Jacobson, associate professor of Literature, and Marilyn Vito, associate professor of Business Studies, initiated the program, which was awarded funding through the college’s 2020 Strategic Initiatives program. Linda Wharton, associate professor of Political Science, is the faculty co-chair of the Political Engagement Project (PEP), while Dr. Reva Curry, executive director of the Center for Community Engagement, helped interview potential activists for the position.

O’Hanlon is working with the Office of Service-Learning and the School of General Studies as well as the Center for Community Engagement in designing and implementing community engagement training and projects for the year.

“Having Erin here is practicing what we preach about creating social change, ” Tomésaid.

O’Hanlon, who graduated in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in Literature and Language, with a concentration in Communications, returned in 2006 to get a Master’s of Arts in Instructional Technology.

O’Hanlon said she has met with Stockton professors in Biology, Sociology, Women’s Studies and Anthropology and will be working on integrating classroom work and community activism during both semesters this year.

For example, an Economics class taught by Professor Melaku Lakew is raising funds for Books without Borders. The project goes beyond just acquiring the books, because shipping the books to other countries is very expensive, O’Hanlon said.

When Lakew took books from Stockton to his native Ethiopia in 2012, the cost was $7,000 per shipping container.

“They learn about the economic theory of supply and demand firsthand,” while O’Hanlon teaches them about how to “create your own market,” she said. Donated course books can be sold to raise the money to ship other books, she explained.

For more information, visit this webpage.

Local Government for Student Engagement #SocialMedia #NormalElect

By Mary Sorenson, Graduate Student and Instructor, Illinois State University

Housing many eligible voters in Normal, IL, Illinois State University (ISU) is taking strides to engage the student population in the local election that will take place next month.

Last Wednesday night, the university hosted the Local Municipal Election Forum, bringing three mayoral and six city council candidates to campus to discuss plans for the community. Hosted by the Student Government Association, College Democrats, College Republicans, the American Democracy Project, Heartland Community College, and the McLean County League of Women Voters, the event drew in a crowd of over 200 community members, inclusive of the student population.

To help encourage student participation, graduate students enrolled in a Pedagogy of Civic and Political Engagement course led and participated in a local tweet-up, asking audience members to share comments and questions throughout the forum. Using the hashtag #NormalElect, tweets during the event were displayed on a large screen in order to promote participation. In addition to handwritten questions, those asked through Twitter were also presented to, and asked by, the forum moderator. To start off the night, ISU graduate student Richard Green (@RadioRichG) tweeted, “Hey everyone in the audience…feel free to express your views, opinions, and questions here. #NormalElect.” Throughout the two-hour forum, over 25 users shared over 240 tweets with audience members and candidates.

Mayoral candidate JeVaugh Martin embraced the tweet-up and engaged his audience through his personal Twitter account throughout the forum. A first-year ISU student stated that he noticed Martin utilizing a mobile device before he noticed his Twitter handle appear on the big screen. Being new to politics, he said, “It made me feel like he really cared about who showed up to hear him speak about his community.” In addition to following the social media feed, Martin later tweeted, “#NormalElect more questions for Town of Normal candidate JeVaughn Martin? He will answer your questions RIGHT NOW!”

Throughout the forum, many students tweeted questions to candidates regarding how they would engage the student population if elected into office. Additionally, many users asked questions regarding candidate use of technology and social media to engage their community. Co-chair of ISU’s ADP, Steve Hunt (@skhunt2), tweeted, “#NormalElect what about using social media to listen to Normal citizens? Too much of the focus is on messaging.” This message was followed by ISU graduate student Mary Sorenson (@MarSorenson) quoting a candidate while adding personal input, “’Having the page is not enough…’ –so true! You must be active if you want to gain attention from the community #NormalElect.” Both tweets, along with many others, provide insight to candidates that not only should they be sending messages via social media but they should simultaneously listen to the messages from their audience.

Another ISU student (@mlawler82) excitedly tweeted, “THEY’RE ANSWERING MY QUESTION ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA!!!!! DOES THIS MEAN IM FAMOUS NOW?!? #normalelect.” Her tweet, complete with dramatic effect, showcased the positive impact that social media can have on political engagement, especially for the younger generation. This particular tweet sparked a conversation among many users who indicated similar positive feelings about having their questions become part of the forum’s conversation. Social media allow students (and other community members) to have a voice that may otherwise not be heard in the political world, on both the local and national stages.

Through local elections, institutions have the ability to connect their students to candidates within reach who can become more than a name on a lawn sign or bumper sticker. By encouraging students to participate in local politics and providing multiple mediums for communication, communities of voters both young and old have the opportunity to come together as a more unified voice. Newcomers to the political scene as well as veteran voters desire to see change for similar issues such as green initiatives, local business development, roads, and housing. The use of social media such as Twitter may enhance civic engagement for a variety of community members, 140 characters at a time.

ADP Debate Watch Tweet-Up Guide

Mary Sorenson, a communications graduate student and instructor at Illinois State University, who brought us this October 2012 blog post about the Tweet-Ups, has compiled a report of the ISU and national ADP 2012 Presidential Debate Watch Tweet-Ups (co-sponsored by ADP’s Political Engagement Project and eCitizenship initiatives).

The ADP Presidential Debate Series Tweet-UP report, which can be downloaded here, describes:

• the Debate Watch Tweet-Ups, including ISU’s involvement
• online tools that were used to facilitate and analyze the Tweet-Ups
• strategies for student involvement
• sample tweets
• reflections on the tweet-ups
• potential future directions

As we begin to plan for a 2013 State of the Union ADP national Tweet-up, we hope you’ll consider how to politically engage students using Twitter and other social media platforms.

Thank you, Mary!

ADP in the News | November 8, 2012 Edition

ADP in the News is a compilation of brief updates about American Democracy Project activities at ADP colleges and universities and is a semi-regular news feature on our blog. Below you will find the latest grouping of this information, with Constitution Day and Election 2012 as the primary focus. Because we are not looking to duplicate posts, if you want to learn more about other Constitution Day and Election 2012 activities, see the respective previous posts or some of our Campus Spotlights.

If you have an ADP event you’d like posted in this format, please email Jen at adp@aascu.org.

– Stephanie South, Intern, American Democracy Project

RIC ADP hosted fall forums on Wikipedia and talk radio

The American Democracy Project (ADP) at Rhode Island College and NBC 10 recently hosted a panel of experts in the fields of politics and communication to explore the inner workings of what goes on before, during, and after debates. The panel, titled “Political Campaign Debates: What Wikipedia Won’t Tell You,” took place on September 13. Topics discussed included the importance of political debates, how candidates stay fresh, “spin” in the media after a debate, and how debates will change in the future. Read more on this here.

Local media personalities also squared off on October 17 for a panel discussion the premise of whether talk radio is still relevant in Rhode Island politics. The RIC ADP panel, “Politics in Rhode Island: Does Talk Radio Still Rule?” was the latest in a series of election-season events put together by communications Profs. Valerie Endress and Kay Israel, and was moderated by RIC ADP partner NBC-10’s Gene Valicenti. Read more on this here.

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MTSU played host to state’s largest naturalization ceremony

In the year of the 225th anniversary of The Constitution’s signing, Middle Tennessee State University acted as a federal courthouse as 300 new citizens were naturalized on September 17. The ceremony was a collaborative effort conducted through the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the American Democracy Project. Read more on this here.

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Justice Alan Page spoke on Constitution Day at ISU

The American Democracy Project introduced Illinois State University to Justice Alan C. Page, Minnesota’s first African-American Supreme Court Justice and a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, in hopes to educate students with civic engagement on Constitution Day. ADP hosts speakers annually to remind students the importance of the Constitution. Prior to speaking, Page explained that he would begin his discussion by encouraging students to become involved and make a change in addressing different issues.  Read more on this here.

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ADP John Saltmarsh Award for Emerging Leaders in Civic Engagement Winner Emily Janke at UNCG’s Institute for Community & Economic Engagement wins national recognition

Emily Janke was awarded the Early Career Research Award from the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement at the association’s annual conference in Baltimore. Janke is special assistant at the helm of the Institute for Community & Economic Engagement, which is part of University of North Carolina Greensborough’s Office of Research & Economic Development. Earlier this year, she won the John Saltmarsh Award for Emerging Leaders in Civic Engagement, an award established by the American Democracy Project. Read more on this here.

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Lander University students participated in mock presidential debate

Political science students portraying Team Obama and Team Romney staged a mock presidential debate at Lander University on October 9, an event that drew 500 spectators to Lander’s Josephine B. Abney Cultural Center Auditorium. The debate was sponsored by the American Democracy Project and featured 12 students in the presidential campaigns. Read more about this here.

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Student political party chapters saw resurgence at JSU this election season

As part of the nationwide American Democracy Project, Jacksonville State University hosted a debate-watch party for the second presidential debate. About 250 students showed up for the event on a Tuesday night, said Lori Owens, head of the political science department and campus coordinator for ADP at JSU. Read more on this here.

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FHSU American Democracy Project, Eagle Communications present ‘Eye of the Tiger’

Eight students have been given portable video cameras to record the life of Fort Hays State University students in Hays and their hometown communities. Eye of the Tiger, a civic journalism site, is a cooperative project between the FHSU American Democracy Project’s eCitizenship initiative and Eagle Communications.  Read more about this here.

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UWO’s ADP hosted community-building contest

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s American Democracy Project recently sponsored its second Creating a Stronger Community Contest. Oshkosh alumna Dani Stolley ’97, founder of Growing Oshkosh, was one of four recent winners of that contest, which is designed to “generate excitement and action around community-building projects.” Read more about this here.

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Georgia College plans series of forums about higher education

Gregg Kaufman recently announced that Georgia College will be taking part in the Shaping Our Furure national conversation about the public purposes of higher education.  In an article posted October 18, he describes the Georgia College American Democracy Project and the series of forums that the project will host. Read more on this here.

The American Democracy Project at Georgia College also held its 2012 mock election on October 23-24, gathering votes from 770 participants during the two-day voting period. Participants were allowed to vote on two matters – the first being their choice for president, and the second being the issue that they believed would dominate the 2012 election. Read more on this and get the results here.

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ISU’s ADP hosted hundreds for the final Presidential Debate Watch Party and Social Issues Fair

Many more students than expect turned out for a public screening of the final presidential debate at Illinois State University. The viewing was hosted by ISU’s American Democracy Project and the Student Government Association. Organizers said they were shocked so many people showed up, especially since the third debate focused on foreign policy, not the economy. Read more on this here.

ISU’s Student Government Association and the American Democracy Project also surpassed their goal to register 100 to 200 students to vote with an estimated number of over 500 students who visited one of the voter registration booths on during three days in late September. Read more on this here.

On Monday, October 29 ISU’s ADP and School of Communication co-sponsored a Social Issues Fair that provided all persons in attendance with current information on a wide variety of issues and problems that are sensitive to our nation. Presenters prepared short speeches to deliver to those in attendance. There was a wide range of topics at this year’s fair, including discussions of employment, the national debt, funding for education, health care, renewable energy, and urban education. Read more on this here.

President Obama not only won re-electon on November 6, but at the end of October, he also won an ISU Presidential Straw Poll conducted by the ISU American Democracy Project. A total of 243 students from ISU, Heartland Community College and Illinois Wesleyan University were asked several questions about the race. President Obama won with 57 percent of the vote. Read more about this here.

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“Freedom Sings: Music that Matters” at WKU

On Monday, October 22, Western Kentucky University featured a live musical, multi-media presentation celebrating the First Amendment and music:   Music subjected to censorship or bans.  Music with a positive impact.  Music that moved generations and social causes.  Music that altered the social fabric of the United State through a call for change. It was produced by the First Amendment Center and sponsored by the School of Journalism & Broadcasting; Department of Political Science, Political Engagement Project, and the Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility. Read more on this here.

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IUSB Constitution Day celebrated freedom and registered voters on Constitution Day and hosted a variety of other politically engaging projects

Because less than half of Americans under 25 voted in the 2008 election, according to The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), the American Democracy Project (ADP) of Indiana University South Bend celebrated Constitution Day with a variety of activities, including registering voters of all ages. Read more on this here.

On Monday, October 22, the Indiana University South Bend River Crossing lodge was packed with students lining up for pizza and politics. The event marked the third and final presidential debate of the 2012 election season, and the IUSB Political Science Club and American Democracy Project offered a place for students and community members to gather, watch the debate, and enjoy some free food. Read more on this here.

Indiana University South Bend’s American Democracy Project and Political Science Club also co-sponsored a debate with the League of Women Voters of South Bend for the 2nd District U.S. House race on October 28. Read more on this here.

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First Annual Cabrillo College Town Hall event aimed to educate

Cabrillo College’s Commitment to Democracy, in partnership with the American Democracy Project and sponsored by the Associated Students of Cabrillo College (ASCC), held its First Annual Cabrillo College Town Hall Meeting on the afternoon of Monday, October 22. The meeting aimed to discuss the upcoming election, as well as the various California propositions that will be on the November ballot. Read more on this here.

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Award-Winning Political Reporter Tim Skubick to discuss November election issues at Ferris

Veteran political reporter Tim Skubick helped voters navigate the 2012 Election during a presentation Tuesday, October 23 at Ferris State University. The Emmy-winning journalist, the state’s longest-serving state capitol correspondent, shared his insider’s take on the November 6 Presidential Election and six Michigan ballot proposals. Read more about this here.

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University of Nebraska at Kearney Sponsored “Slacktivist or Activist” Event Regarding Social Media

The American Democracy Project sponsored “Social Media and Civic Engagement: Slacktivist or Activist” Wednesday, October 24 at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. “The overall goal of this event is to facilitate a discussion about social media and its effects on our society,” said James Young, assistant professor of criminal justice and social work. Read more on this here.

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ESU’s ADP chapter piques political interest

Rob Catlett, director of Emporia State University’s American Democracy Project chapter, professor of economics, and director of the Center for Economic Education, said the ESU chapter has received a lot of attention because the political discussions they have through their eCitizenship program on Twitter are known for their atmosphere of politeness. The program had four Twitter debate sessions over the last month. There were three separate debates during each session – one with only ESU students, one with Northern Georgia University students and several other schools and one between all chapters of the ADP.  Read more on this here.

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American Democracy Project launched first ILSTU Views kiosk

Illinois State’s American Democracy Project launched a project that gives its students a new way to talk about hot topics while also improving their critical thinking skills and encouraging them  to assess and interact with important social issues. ILSTU Views is an innovative Internet and social media tool that could revolutionize civil debate and political communication. It employs digital media displays located around campus, at which students and members of the community will engage in civil discourse by responding to local, national, and global questions. Then, using the touch screen, people can interact with each other by posting comments or liking other people’s comments. This project was made possible by the campus chapter receiving a grant that allowed for the installation of the interactive kiosks. Read more on this here.

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ADP at CAL U presents panel that examines 2012 election results

Just one week after American voters chose their next president, a popular team of political experts will return to Cal U to examine the reasons behind the results. Presented by the American Democracy Project at California University, the program is open to the public. “This is an excellent opportunity to hear national experts discuss the presidential and congressional election outcomes,” said Dr. Melanie Blumberg, a professor in Cal U’s Department of History and Political Science. Read more on this here.