News

Democracy Realized? The Legacies of the Civil Rights Movement Conference

By October 25th 2013

March 28-29, 2014 — Allegheny College, Meadville, PA

Allegheny College will host a two-day undergraduate conference on March 28-29, 2014 on the legacies of the Civil Rights Movement. This event will bring five nationally recognized scholars and activists together with students to investigate the pasts, presents, and futures of civil rights.  Fifty years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, forty-nine after the Voting Rights Act of 1965, this conference will consider the victories, failures, limits, and possibilities we envision across a broad spectrum of social concerns. The five keynote speakers will reflect upon the rights of the disabled, of LGBTI, of women, and of Native Americans and African Americans, in the light of these landmark Acts,  current events, and recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court. Our five keynote addresses will anchor the undergraduate conference of papers and panel sessions in which these keynote speakers will also be intimately engaged.

Select link here for more information

National Conference of College Leaders: Pathway to Civility

By May 14th 2010

      Allegheny College will continue its examination of civility and politics May 18-19 at the National Conference of College Leaders: Pathway to Civility.

     About 60 students and administrators representing 14 colleges/universities will converge on the Allegheny campus to enhance communication between young Democrats and Republicans and to establish a high bar for the respectful exchange of ideas.

     “After what we’ve seen in Washington recently on the health care issue, conferences such as this are important. If colleges and universities don’t step up to address incivility, who will?” said Daniel M. Shea, director of the Center for Political Participation (CPP) at Allegheny College.

     The Allegheny conference will feature an exciting lineup of activities, including a keynote speech by U.S. Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper, 3rd Legislative District, Pennsylvania. She will speak at the Tippie Alumni Center May 18 at noon.

     Professor Shea will examine the results of the Center for Political Participation’s latest national poll on civility and politics, beginning at 1:45 p.m. May 18 at Campus Center 301-302. Immediately following in the same room will be an intensive afternoon workshop led by Peter Hwosch of the Transpartisan Alliance. Hwosch owns Hwosch Productions, Oregon, and was the lead documentarian of the 2007 Reuniting America film featuring former Vice President Al Gore.

     Sessions also will include a critique of a relevant film and the drafting of a template that will guide future mediation between the political parties.

     According to Shea, the need for a conference on civility emerged as the American health care debate turned ugly in the past year. The robust political activity that surged among youth in the 2008 election already has substantially declined, he said, and many young Americans have turned away from active political engagement.

     The conference is co-sponsored by the Center for Political Participation and Allegheny’s Civic Engagement Council. It is one of a series of events the Center for Political Participation is planning in the coming year on civility.

     For more details on the conference, please call the Center for Political Participation at 814-332-6202, or e-mail CPP Program Coordinator Mary Solberg at msolberg@allegheny.edu.

CPP helps raise $500 for the arts

By May 4th 2010

Meadville Council on the Arts President Ed Miller, far right, accepts a check from Allegheny students who spearheaded the Rock for Change 2010 fundraiser in April. Pictured, from left, are Brett Bacon, music director at WARC; Richard Shafranek, student fellow at the CPP; and Rebecca Schneider, WARC general manager. (Photo by Steve Jones)

MEADVILLE—Allegheny College students took political activism to a new, creative level recently when they raised $500 for the Meadville Council on the Arts.

     “It’s fantastic. This benefits a community organization, a non-profit service to the whole community,” said Ed Miller, president of the Meadville Council on the Arts.

      The Center for Political Participation, Allegheny’s WARC radio, College Democrats, and Allegheny Student Government sponsored the first annual “Rock for Change Battle of the Bands” on April 16, netting $500. Money was raised from band registration fees, t-shirt sales and a raffle of an IPod Touch.

      The idea for the fundraiser began with Richard Shafranek, a senior student fellow of the Center for Political Participation. Participating bands were asked to perform music with a political or social activism message.

      “While the Center for Political Participation’s primary focus is on political awareness and engagement in terms of voting and elections, there are many ways to get involved…writing letters to the editor, attending local school board meetings, and signing petitions,” Shafranek said. “These are all equally valid activities, but perhaps the most basic, and important, way to get involved is through the exercise of our First Amendment right to free speech. We wanted to recognize the legitimacy of music as a means of political involvement.”

      Ed Miller of the Council on the Arts agreed. His organization, located on the second floor of 910 Market St., Meadville, offers myriad artistic venues, including a gallery, a theater, and piano and art lessons. But like so many businesses and organizations, the Council on the Arts was hit hard by the recession in the past 18 months. It still has not received any state funding this past year.

      The arts are always the first to get hit,” Miller added, “so this gift from Allegheny students will go directly to the people to expose them to the arts.”

      The “Rock for Change Battle of the Bands” event attracted eight bands or solo acts. The winner was Andrew Grossman of College Park, Md., who was awarded $500. Second place went to Allegheny’s own Ben Bussewitz, who won $100. The third-place finisher was Gnome Hut, an Allegheny band that won $50.

Rock for Change 2010

By April 12th 2010

Get out to the Center for Political Participation’s Rock for Change 2010 at the Campus Center this Friday.

Two events are planned:  Battle of the Bands Competition at Grounds for Change on Friday, April 16, from 7 to 11 p.m., and an Art Gallery Showcase, also April 16, from 3 to 11 p.m. in Room 206 at the Campus Center. 

Listen to original music by solo acts and local/campus bands at Grounds for Change. The band with the best presentation of a political and/or social activism message will win a $500 cash prize. The runner-up will get $100.

Don’t forget the artwork! Visitors to Room 206 can vote for the best art submission with a political and/or social message. The winner gets a $250 prize; runner-up gets $50. Except for the 1st place art, all submissions will be on sale.

You won’t want to miss this event!  An Ipod Touch will be raffled off during the night.  All proceeds from the evening will benefit the Meadville Council on the Arts.

Call the CPP offices at 814-332-6202 for more details.

Battle of the Bands–April 16, 2010

By March 18th 2010

   The Center for Political Participation will host the 1st Annual Battle of the Bands competition, Rock for Change, on Friday, April 16, at Grounds for Change at Allegheny’s Campus Center from 7 to 11 p.m. WARC will judge acts on the merits of an original performance promoting any type of political or social activism.

   The winner of the competition will receive a $500 cash award; runner-up gets $100. Please fill out the entry form on the link below. There is a $10 entry fee per act. All proceeds benefit the Meadville Council on the Arts.

   Contact the CPP at 814-332-6202 for more information.

Entry form: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFRGMHZBVjBLUzRPT2pQQzJlR1FwMHc6MA