Professor Alexander Goes International

Dr. Alexander's expertise on the Electoral College is receiving notice outside our borders.  He was recently interviewed by the Canadian Sun News Network as Canadians, like many Americans, attempt to sort out the role of our Electoral College in our presidential election.  Alexander has become a go-to-scholar on our unique electoral institution since his article on faithless electors appeared on the CNN.com website last week.  To learn more about the Electoral College, the centrality of Ohio in the election, and to see Dr. Alexander in action, click here to watch his interview.

Alexander has also been extremely busy responding to calls for interviews from news services such as Reuters and his story has been quoted extensively around the internet.  You can also check out his work that has been written up for the ONU homepage.

Phi Beta Delta: Social Studies Students Present On Their Study Abroad Experiences

Phi Beta Delta, the honorary for international scholars, hosted a presentation by three Social Studies majors last night.  Sadie Wiley, Annie Hertzler and Kenneth "Trey Jones" each spent part of last summer studying abroad.  Wiley went to London, England to work on her minor in Public History/Museum Studies, and also traveled extensively on the continent with stops in Paris, Rome, and other cities.  Annie went to Santiago, Chile to work on her second major in Spanish and visited Easter Island as well.  Trey taught and studied in Seoul South Korea.  He had the chance to teach English to South Korean students before taking courses himself.

All three students did a great job presenting, indicating that they will make outstanding teachers in the coming years.  Their experiences traveling and studying internationally were positive in the information they learned and the life altering experiences they had.  Whether trying to take a taxi in a city where they did not speak the language, or getting lost on a walking path and spending nearly the entire day in the countryside, these experiences will make the students better teachers when they are in their own classrooms.

Students in any major can benefit from these experiences.  You can find more information on the ONU website here.

Both Sadie and Trey blogged their experiences and those blogs can be found by clicking on their names.

Well done future teachers!

Final Debate Party Held in Hill

Around thirty students gathered to watch the final presidential debate in Hill Monday night.  This debate lacked the fireworks of the second debate, and many students bowed out before the end, but of those who remained, enthusiasm ran high. Nine students in the heavily Republican crowd felt that Mitt Romney won the debate, while six held that President Obama won.  Several students reported already having voted in early voting.

The NHK film crew from Japan was back to record student reaction to the debate and record the spirited discussion that followed.  They also interviewed a few more students.  It will be fascinating to see their final product, and to see how the election turns out.

There will be one final event on Election Night as we sweat out our nation's choice.  Be sure to vote!

Alumna Returns in Triumph

Melissa Kuhn Wheeler, a 2001 graduate with majors in Political Science and History, visited campus today.  The Director of Public Policymaker Education for the The Griffith Insurance Education Foundation, she was here to talk with officials in the Dicke College of Business Administration about a grant that they are using to start a new major in Risk Management and Insurance. 

While on campus, Ms. Wheeler came over to Hill Building to catch up with the professors she had taken courses with during her time here, and, of course, pose for her alumni photo with our Klondike wall covering.  Dr. Lomax even sprung for dinner at Taco Bell!

Welcome back Melissa!

Students Debate Health Care in the Presidential Election

A large crowd of students, faculty, community members and the press gathered in the Hakes-Pierstorf Pharmacy lecture hall to hear students debate The Affordable Care for All Americans, or Obamacare.  Representing the Democratic Party and defending the act was John Curiel, opposing him were Robert Roll, representing the Republican Party and Nick Hills, representing the Libertarian Party.  As always, the students did a great job presenting their various sides in the issue that is one of the major differences between the political parties in the coming election.

Well done debaters!

Professor Alexander Publishes Article on CNN.com

In between getting used to his new position as HPJ Chair, organizing election events, acting as the go-to-political-expert for the local press, and teaching his courses, Dr. Alexander has found the time to publish a provocative article on CNN.com about the possibility that some electors chosen to represent Republican Party Candidate Mitt Romney might change their votes.  Alexander discusses the possibility that hundreds of thousands of voters will be effectively disenfranchised, through his research on presidential electors that goes back to 2000.  Alexander and students from his classes have sent questionnaires to presidential electors to learn more about this often misunderstood institution.  His research has found that in the past three elections, an increasing effort has been made by various groups to urge electors to change their pledged vote.  To avoid such a situation, Alexander calls in his article for the passage of the Uniform Faithful Presidential Electors Act, which would require by law that electors vote for the candidate they have pledged to support.

Alexander has already been interviewed by other newspapers about his article, and as the election draws nearer, he will likely be called on to supply many more interviews. 

Well done Dr. Alexander and we will keep an eye out for more on this matter in the national and international press! 

ONU's Office of Communication and Marketing has written a nice online article that put's Alexander's current work in context that can be found here.

Professor Nsia-Pepra Presnts and Chairs Sessions

Dr. Nsia-Pepra had a busy day at the recent Annual Meeting of the Ohio Association of Economists and Political Scientists held on the ONU campus recently.  In addition to presenting his paper "Militarizationof U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa: Strategic Gain or Backlash?" Dr. Nsia Pepra also served as a chair of the U.S. Foreign Policy Panel Session, and was a discussant for the International Relations session (Finding a Seat At the Table: Gendered Institutions in South Africa and Namibia by Maggie Patrick) as well as in the U.S. Foreign Policy (Balancing Domestic and International Concerns: The Logic of Algerian-U.S. Diplomacy by Jessie Rumsey) session. 

Professor Loughlin Presents Paper

Dr. Loughlin presented his paper "Is America Still Hooked on War 'Under Obama'?" to the Annual Meeting of the Ohio Association of Economists and Political Scientists that was held on the ONU campus Saturday October 13th. 

This paper was a continuation of Dr. Loughlin's paper "Is America Hooked on War?" that he delivered to the Current Issues in Foreign Policy and National Security conference at Tiffin University in 2010. 

Loughlin argued that their is little difference between parties in their actions abroad in the War on Terror, and that the fact that those who argue for an aggressive use of force are usually labelled "conservatives" is mere advertising, since the military, industrial, counterterrorism, university, media complex benefits from scare tactics and perpetual war.

Second Presidential Debate Watch Party

Students again gathered to watch President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney debate.  The debate itself was followed by a spirited discussion.  Students were evenly divided this time on the winner of the debate.  Nine voted Obama the winner, nine Romney, and six felt that it was a tie.

Remember to vote in less than three weeks!

Louis Kossuth in America

Retired Political Science professor Andy Ludanyi enlisted the help of Drs. Loughlin and Wilson, along with Hungarian actor Tamas Csajika and Katica Szabo, a college student and vocalist from Hungary to tell the story of Louis Kossuth's 1851-52 visit to the United States.  Kossuth, a Hungarian nationalist, visited the United States to ask for our help against the Russians and Habsburg empire.  While the U.S. was not willing to go to war against European powers to help Hungary, Kossuth was welcomed in rockstar fashion.  His speech to the Ohio Legislature was particularly fruitful, and the OH Militia (National Guard) offered to loan him their weapons.  Kossuth also arguable had an great influence on the young Abraham Lincoln, one of his supporters. 

Ludanyi and his fellow presenters used readings, Hungarian folk songs by Szabo, and acting by Csajika to tell the story of Kossuths progress through the country.  This is a little known story in modern histories, but an interesting tale of a time when Hungarians reached out to ask for help against powerful neighbors.

Bravo to the cast of Kossuth's Message!

Professor Crawford Talks Football in France

Dr. Crawford gave a presentation for Phi Beta Delta, the honorary for international scholars, last Thursday night in the Dicke Forum.  Crawford told the assembled students, faculty and community members about a research trip he took last spring to look into American football in France.

The topic came up the first time he met his wife's friend Jean-Marc, who entered the room wearing his football helmet.  This was the first he had heard that our game was played in France.  This spring, Crawford traveled to France to do research on the sport there and went to practice and games with Jean-Marc and his new team, the Red Star of Noisy-le-Sec.  While there, with help from the Getty College of Arts and Sciences, he also talked with officials from the Federation Francaise de Football Americain, the governing body of the sport there, as well as talking to players and coaches, both former and current.  He also attended an elite division game and did intereviews for radio broadcasts, blogs, and documentaries.

Crawford's presentation also included information about the great food of France, and his trips to battlefields and the Cathedral at Amiens.  While in country, he stayed with Chris and Vivette Mercadier, his father and mother-in law, who helped keep him in fois gras and saucisson.

Crawford hopes to turn his research into a monograph on the interesting history of our national sport in France.

HPJ Students Debate Foreign and Domestic Policy

ONU students representing the Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian Parties took part in a debate over the foreign and domestic issues that will motivate citizens to go to the polls on November 6.  The debate was spirtied but cordial.  Well done students!

ONU Hosts Annual High School Model UN

The Department of History and Politics hosted the ONU High School Model United Nations Competition on Saturday, October 13, 2012. The competition drew 111 students from 10 high schools in Ohio, who represented 37 states in the simulation. This competition provides students with the opportunity to learn about international affairs in a fun and interactive setting. The delegates worked in three person teams to represent the interests of a pre-selected member state. Each member of the team was assigned to a specific committee during the morning session.  During these committee sessions, students engaged in lively debate and worked together to draft resolutions aimed at resolving the issues assigned to each committee. The First Committee worked to reduce the impact of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in Africa. The Second Committee discussed the threat of transnational organized crime, and offered solutions to this pressing global concern. The Third Committee tackled the problem of children in armed conflict and drafted resolutions aimed at protecting children in conflict areas from becoming targets of violence and from being recruited to be active participants in armed conflict. During the afternoon session, the teams reassembled and voted on resolutions drafted during the committee sessions. The committees were chaired by ONU students Victoria Army, Franklin Howard, and James Lee. Faculty members from the Department of History and Politics, as well as from the Department of Modern Languages evaluated the students and served as judges for the competition. Delegates were welcomed to ONU by Director of Admissions Deborah Miller and Department of History and Politics Chair Robert Alexander.

Individual awards were given to the top scoring delegate in each of the committee sessions. Taking home individual honors were: Committee #1 – Bowling Green High School representing China, Committee #2 – Bowling Green High School representing China, Committee #3 – Clay High School representing Belgium.

Team awards were also given to the top scoring delegations. Keystone High School, representing Russia won the Distinguished Delegation Award. Clay High School representing Belgium, Bowling Green High School representing China and Tippecanoe High School representing France all won Outstanding Delegation Awards. Honorable Mention Awards went to Bowling Green High School representing Germany, Brazil and Iran, as well as Clay High School representing Sweden and Maumee High School representing South Africa.

Alumnae Return in Triumph

Andy Zaebst and Caitlin Kegley were back for homecoming last week.  Andy teaches Social Studies at Garrett Keyser-Butler High School in Garrett, IN.  Caitlin is a graduate student at Indiana University/Purdue University-Indianapolis.  Both report things are going well in their respective careers after ONU.  Andy was recently visited by Professor Schuck who helped students at Garrett learn the techniques of presenting material in a compelling manner.  Good to see you both again!

3D Campus Project on the ONU Homepage

Check out the article written by Brian Paris, the Associate Director of Online Content, about Dr. Jimmy Wilson and his students, most notably Dawn DeColibus, and their effort to make the ONU campus 3D.  It also explains the other practical projects that Wilson has had his GIS students do, including mapping campus trees and emergency phones.

The mix of the theoretical and practical are a benefit to students in diverse majors and can give them skills that can help them land that first job.

Professor Schuck Edits Volume on American Pie, Crawford Writes a Chapter

Professor Ray Schuck, along with his son Raymond I Shuck, have published a compilation on the importance of Don McLean's 1972 hit song American Pie.  The volume considers the cultural importance of the song and explores the meanings behind the iconic lyrics.  Dr. Crawford also contributed a chapter on reading the lyrics as history.  The volume comes in time for celebration of the 40th anniversary of the song's debut.

The book is available from McFarland and can be found and ordered from their website.

Well done to Schuck, father and son, for all the hard work that went into putting this volume together!

HPJ and Campus Organizations Bring Home the Bucks

Good news from Beckie Watercutter, the Director of Foundation, Government and Academic Grants: The Department of History, Politics and Justice, and the student organizations of Pi Sigma Alpha, College Democrats, College Republicans and College Libertarians, received an $800 grant from the Ohio Campus Compact’s Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP) to support on-campus activities aimed at increasing student voter engagement and participation.   The funds will be used to support two debates on campus as well as presidential debate watch parties.  Non-partisan election related programming and information will be available at each event.  Professor Rob Alexander, chair of the department, is advising the ONU student organizers on this project.

These funds will help HPJ, in conjunction with College Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians, along with our award winning chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha fund events such as watch parties and student debates.

Well done to all who worked on the grant project!

Presidential Debate Watch Party

A crowd of nearly thirty ONU students and faculty from across the campus gathered in Hill Memorial to watch the first presidential debate between President Barack Obama and challenger former governor Mitt Romney.  Students enjoyed pizza and politics while watching the debate.  During the debate, students tweeted their thoughts on how things were going.  Once again, WLIO covered the event and Dr. Alexander, along with students Andrew Crozier and Rob Roll were asked their opinions on the show.  Dr. Alexander made the point that this will be the first election for many of the students, while Crozier and Roll focused on the debates as chances for the candidates to speak directly to a massive audience, estimated at 67 million people.  After the debate, students had a chance to discuss how they thought it went and a lively discussion ensued.  Thanks to ONU Communication and Marketing Associate Director of Online Content Brian Paris who was present to facilitate student and faculty tweeting, and who took the photo above.  You can read the tweets on the ONU homepage.

HPJ will be sponsoring watch parties for the next debates in the series as well.  Hope to see you there!

CSPAN Bus Visits Campus

From the ONU Website: The CSPAN Bus made a stop in Ada Wednesday October 4.  The bus tours campuses to build student interest in politics and elections.  Several hundred students stopped by to see the electronics inside the bus and high school students from Ada and Lima Senior High aslo came to see the spectacal.  College Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians set up booths along side the bus to generate buzz for their candidates register voters, and hand out pins and other campaign materials.  You can read tweets by ONU students on the web address above.

The CSPAN bus visit also provided another chance for our students to appear in the local media.  Students were interviewed on WLIO and in the Lima News.  Junior History major Franklin Howard was quoted as saying "We want as many people to make and informed decision as possible...with CSPAN being such a national body coming to places like ONU, it is so inspiring.  It is telling people that their votes matter."

The CSPAN visit was only one of a large number of events that ONU has planned around the election.  HPJ will hold debate watch-parties for the presidential and vice-presidential debates, and our students will also be holding issue debates for their fellow students.  It will be a busy and fun final month of the campaign season!

Professors Crawford and Schul Take Students to OCSS

Dr. Crawford of HPJ and Dr. Schul of Education took a group of eleven students to the Ohio Council For the Social Studies yesterday.  Crawford and two students - Trey Jones and Ben Nauman - at left - presented using political cartoons in the History classroom.  Shul and two students - Amarilla Fair and Tom Walton - below - presented using images in the Social Studies classroom. 

The remainder of the students - Aaron Craft, Dustin Scott, who are Social Studies majors, Samson Meyer, who majors in Middle Childhood Education, along with Curt Metzger and Jared Horstman who are Social Studies majors from Bluffton University - all came home with lots of loot provided by vendors    of educational materials.