Students Present at Phi Alpha Theta Conference

Ten students from the History Politics and Justice Department presented papers on Saturday at the Phi Alpha Theta Ohio Regional Conference in Dayton. ONU sent the largest delegation by far to this annual conference that offers students the chance to share their research with their peers.

Andrew Adamus (SR History, Erie PA) presented his paper on “Andrew Jackson, Nicolas Biddle, and the Demise of the Second Bank of the United States,” Matthew Allen (SR History, Chicora PA) presented “The Death of a Dream: The Disappearance of the Campus Antiwar Movement in 1970,” Jason Bauer (JR History, Edon, OH) presented “The Irreconcilables and Senate Rejection of the Treaty of Versailles,” Ashlee Bell (SR Criminal Justice Clarence, NY) presented “The Path to Present Practice: The American Jury System,” Lydia Bottoni (JR Literature Maumee, OH) presented “Cool but Correct – and Covert: U.S. Destabilization of the Allende Regime,” Brian Hoefel (SR Social Studies Akron, OH) presented “A Divided House: The Lincoln Douglas Debates and the Election of 1860,” Samantha Lewis (SR History Berea, OH) presented “Perry vs. Elliot: The Battle over the Battle of Lake Erie,” Patti Stiger (SR Political Science Bradner, OH) presented “William Henry Harrison: Friend of Government,” Carol Wilson (JR Professional Writing Royal Oak, MI) presented The Lies of Aaron Burr and the demise of his Western Dreams,” and Benjamin Wollet (SR History Strongsville, OH) presented “Bias in German- and English Language Newspapers in Ohio, 1916-1917.”

All of the presenters did a fine job of delivering their papers and garnered many favorable comments from the panel moderators. Events such as this one are valuable experiences for students, who have the chance to present before mixed audiences of students and professional historians.

Carol Wilson earned accolades for presenting one of the top papers at the conference. Professor John Lomax, who along with Professor Russ Crawford led the delegation, commented that, “It (Wilson’s paper) is one truly fine piece of scholarship, and the panel of external judges who chose it plainly saw its quality.”

Pictured are from left front row (foreground to back) Samantha, Jason, 2^nd row Andrew (light blue shirt), 3^rd row Ashlee, Patti, Matt, back row – second student in white shirt is Ben, Brian, fourth student in next row is Carol, and Lydia.