YCP plans event focused on upcoming presidential election
Posted September 12, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
YORK, Pa. – York College of Pennsylvania professor and author Gerry Patnode will discuss his books on strategic citizenship and civic engagement as well as the upcoming presidential election, and the results of a mock presidential election conducted by polling more than 800 first-year students will be announced at a Sept. 23 event. Activities will begin at 6:30 p.m. in DeMeester Recital Hall in Evelyn and Earle Wolf Hall. The event is open to the public free of charge, and signed copies of Patnode’s book on strategic citizenship will be available for purchase.
Patnode’s talk will focus on his current book “The Strategic Citizen: A Citizen’s Guide to Playing and Winning the Game of Politics” and why voting is not enough, as well as on his upcoming book on civic engagement titled “How to Be the 800-Pound Gorilla in a Politician’s Life.” Both are based on his four decades of experience in politics, which includes being a candidate for office of both major political parties, an appointee to federal, state and local offices, and as a public policy issue analyst, campaign strategist and activist for public policy advocacy groups. Patnode was also once a candidate for the U.S. Senate.
Following his remarks, Patnode will announce the results of the mock election, which was conducted through a web-poll taken by first-year students in Information Literary courses offered by Schmidt Library. Students were asked to vote for one of four candidates: Democrat Barack Obama, Republican John McCain, Independent Ralph Nader or Libertarian Robert Barr.
Faculty members and students from the Department of History and Political Science will also host a mock debate/discussion around the upcoming presidential election during the event. In addition, the Office of Student Activities will also host a student organization fair earlier in the day on the campus mall to illustrate the many ways in which students may become engaged in the campus and local community.
Located in southcentral Pennsylvania, York College is among Pennsylvania’s largest comprehensive colleges, offering more than 70 majors to its 4,600 undergraduate students. With a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio and distinctive mentoring programs, York provides an environment that emphasizes close personal attention to students from 30 states and 38 countries.
###
