Educate & Act
Know Your Ballot: Understanding the Roles of Political Offices
· Why should I know what’s on my ballot before I cast my vote?
· What elected positions/ballot initiatives am I voting on this year?
· How do I decide who to vote for?
· How do I know what information to trust and what not to trust?
Know Your Rights: Free Speech & Democratic Elections in Kansas
• What does free speech on college campus look like?
• How can I engage in political advocacy on campus?
• What do I need to do to be able to vote in November?
• How do recent legislative changes affect voting?
• Beyond voting, how can students participate in elections?
Panelists:
Amii Castle - KU School of Law / KU School of Business / KU Department of Political Science
Chloe Chaffin - MPA Student, School of Public Affairs & Administration / Loud Light
Jamie Shew - Douglas County Clerk
Climate Feminism and Other Ways of Leading around Climate Change
-How might we describe Climate Feminism? What is it not?
-How do these principles and practices show up in your work?
-What kinds of possibilities might feminist-led efforts make space for?
-How are youth-led efforts embracing feminist principles?
-What other forms of knowledge should enter the conversation?
Understanding the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
-What is NAGPRA, and why does it exist?
-What kinds of institutions does NAGPRA apply to? How does it function?
-What are the parts of a repatriation process, and how do they happen?
-What have been some recent updates to NAGPRA legislation?
-How can people learn more about NAGPRA, including local and regional efforts?
Planning & Preparing for Local Elections
Who votes in local elections?
How does voter engagement strategy shift during a local election year?
What new laws and policies are impacting the election this year?
How can campus organizations support voting in local elections?
No Lawrence Pride without Trans Liberation: Lessons from the NO SB 180 in Lawrence Campaign
Why and how did the NO SB 180 in Lawrence campaign form?
What strategies did the campaign use to achieve its three demands?
How did NO SB 180 mobilize community support?
How did the campaign work with local policymakers?
What is next for members of the NO SB 180 in Lawrence campaign?
Misinformation and Global Democracy
Why should we be concerned with the spread of misinformation?
What tools are available to help identify inaccurate claims?
What trends in other fields offer insight into the spread of misinformation?
How can business incentives at social media companies contribute to misinformation?
Panelists:
Jet Semrick (he/him), KU Debate Team
Michael Scott, KU Debate Team
Sabrina Yang (she/her), KU Debate Team
Tarun Sabarwal (he/him), Department of Economics
Carmen Orthe-Alfie, KU Libraries
Moderator: Melinda Lewis, School of Social Welfare
August 2nd and Abortion Policy: A Case Study in Organizing Voters
What local organizations worked to defeat the August 2nd anti-abortion amendment?
What strategies and tactics were used to mobilize voters?
Which voting populations did each organization engage? How and why?
What are the similarities and differences between these organizations?
In partnering, what did collaboration and solidarity look like?
What lessons were learned by each organization throughout campaign?
Panelists:
Sandy Brown, (she/her) - Kansas Abortion Fund, President
Rija Nazir (she/her) - Vote Neigh Kansas, Lead Organizer
Melinda Lavon, (she/her & they/them) - Vote No Kansas PAC Chairperson
Nigel Morton, (he/him) - URGE, Senior Kansas Organizer
Lauren Klapper (she/her) - Kansas Organizer, Planned Parenthood Great Plains
Moderator:
Pere DeRoy, (she/her) - PhD Candidate, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
What You Should Know about the Indian Child Welfare Act
Why was the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) originally passed?
Why is the Indian Child Welfare Act being contested now?
What will the Supreme Court be deciding, with regard to ICWA?
Whom does the recent judicial activity affect most, and how?
What are ways to be more engaged locally with this work?
Panelists:
Sarah Deer, (she/her) - Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Public Affairs and Administration, Law
Laura Ramirez, (she/her) - Social Welfare
Melissa Holder, (she/her) - Social Welfare
Emily June Adams - U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs
Supported by the Center for Service Learning, the Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity, The Commons, the Office of Native American Initiatives, and the Toni Johnson Center for Racial and Social Justice
What's New in Elections in Kansas in 2022
• How has redistricting impacted the upcoming election process?
• What are implications of the high primary voter turnout on the general election?
• What roles and government positions are being voted on in November?
• What will be different about the voting process this fall?
• What will community organizing look like leading up to this election?
This session will address questions like these, and more. The Educate & Act series features panelists speaking from different perspectives on topics related to engagement in democracy. Programs in this series feature presenters from across campus, as well as specialists beyond the University.
Panelists:
Marcus Winn (he/him/his) - MORE2
Lindsay Ford (she/her/hers) - The Voter Network
Ursula Minor (she/her) - Lawrence NAACP
Donnavan Dillon (he/him/his) - Loud Light, Student Power Campaign
Food and Climate Policy, Global to Local
Panelists:
Joel Campbell, (he/him) - KU Student / Sunrise Movement
Claire Dopp, (she/her) - KU Student, Chemistry, Blakemore Lab
Jamie Hofling, (she/her) - Food Waste Reduction Specialist, Douglas County Office of Sustainability
John Head, (he/him) - Professor of Law, University of Kansas
2020 Student Voting Rates & Trends at KU
What is the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE)?
How has KU student voter turnout changed in the last four years?
What can campus and community partners do to support student voting in the 2022 mid-term election?
How does KU partner with other institutions and national organizations to promote student voter engagement?
Kate Kemper, Assistant Director at the Center for Service Learning, shares data and implications on KU student voting rates in 2020.
Changes to Election Participation in Kansas
What does House Bill 2183 say?
How will it change voting in Kansas?
Where does litigation about the bill stand now?
How does it apply to campus organizations?
How does this bill compare to new legislation in other states?
Panelists:
Steve Allton (he/him), Office of the General Counsel, KU
Patrick Miller (he/him), Political Science, KU
Birdie Alt (she/her), KU Student Senate
Peyton Browning (she/her), Prairie Roots
Climate Policy & Action
How is local government responding to climate change?
How does legislation around climate get started?
Which local organizations are working on advocacy?
How can students get involved in climate policy action?
How do research and classes contribute to policy in action?
Panelists:
Melek Ben-Ayed (he/him), Mechanical Engineering Students / KU Sunrise Movement Vice President
Connie Fitzpatrick (she/her), Douglas County Sustainability Office
Lisa Larsen (she/her), Environmental Geologist / Lawrence City Commissioner
Ward Lyles (he/him), KU School of Public Affairs & Administration / Center for Compassionate & Sustainable Communities
Civic Participation for International Students & Scholars
How does the "global Jayhawk" identity inform engagement in U.S. civic life?
How do U.S. political affairs and policy influence the day-to-day life of international students and scholars?
What are opportunities and limits to international community members' participation in community and civic engagement in the U.S.?
Panelists:
Jawad Ahmed Obaid (he/him/his), IT Project Manager, Center for Community Health and Development
Monica Mendez (she/her/hers), Research Assistant, Center for Community Health and Development / Community Mobilizer, Latino Health for All Coalition
Priya Vanchy (she/her/hers), Graduate Research Assistant, Center for Community Health and Development / Graduate Student, Applied Behavioral Science
Navya Singh (she/her/hers), Undergraduate Student, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology / Director of Volunteering and Service, Honors Community Advocates / Student Ambassador, Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity
Tamara Doubra Anoruse-Thomas (she/her/hers), Undergraduate Student, Microbiology / President, KU LEAD UP
Moderator:
Tiffany Learned (she/her/hers), ISS Programming Coordinator
Queering the Vote
What considerations and policies would exist in a queer and trans-inclusive political platform?
What issues disproportionately effect queer and trans individuals? How are they showing up on the ballot in Douglas County, Kansas, and at the state and federal levels?
How does LGBTQIA+ identity influence and inform political engagement?
What has LGBTQIA+ voter engagement looked like in the past? What efforts are being made to bolster engagement in the electoral process?
Panelists:
Ellie Grace (she/her), The Voter Network
Sarah Myose (they/them), URGE Kansas
Kristopher Oliveira (he/him), Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity
Don Haider Markel (he/him), Political Science
Patrick Miller (he/him), Political Science
The Feminist Agenda
What would your political platform for a feminist future look like?
What issues disproportionately affect women, children, and gender minorities?
How can a feminist platform incorporate these issues?
Is zine-making a feminist practice?
Panelists:
Divya Radhika Bhalla (she/her), PhD Student, Creative Writing
Rachel Sandle (they/them), Local Feminist Zinester
An Sasala (ze/zir & they/them), Alum, MA in Film & Media Studies
Isaac Thomas (he/him), Alum, BA in Linguistics
Miguel Roel (he/him), Volunteer, Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity
Moderator:
Meg Williams, Assistant Director, Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity
Voting from the Margins
What are barriers to participation?
How does identity inform your political engagement?
What does voting mean to you?
What might you suggest for new voters?
Panelists:
Juan Ramiro Sarmiento, KU Alumnus
Tezbah Smiley, Center for Sexuality & Gender Diversity
Shannon Portillo, School of Public Affairs & Administration
The Voting Process
What are the primaries like in Kansas?
How can I vote if I’m away from home?
How can I participate in advance voting?
What are the important deadlines I need to know?
What are trends in voter turnout on campuses?
What should I expect to see in my polling place?
How does a KU affiliation affect my involvement?
Panelists:
Alejandro Rangel-Lopez, KU Student
Kelly Whitten, KU State Relations
Jamie Shew, Douglas County Clerk
Patrick Miller, KU Department of Political Science
Understanding the Census
How is census data used?
How do the results affect the population?
What is the process for collecting information?
Who plays a role in the process?
Panelists:
Tiara Floyd, Student Body President
Donna Ginther, Economics / Institute for Policy & Social Research
Xan Wedel, Institute for Policy & Social Research
Virginia Phillips, US Census Bureau
