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Paws to the Polls continues voter education efforts

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Paws to the Polls (PTTP), a nonpartisan voter education initiative at Missouri State University, continued its efforts to educate and enable voters during a busy February and March.

The group engaged in voter registration and education efforts as well advocacy for laws that expand voter access.

“Paws to the Polls is deeply invested in increasing voter access and promoting civic engagement,” said Dr. Suzanne Walker-Pacheco, professor of anthropology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology.

PTTP supports three Missouri House bills

Walker-Pacheco cited the group’s Feb. 14 trip to the Missouri State Capitol as one example of their efforts.

This was PTTP’s fourth trip, she explained, during which the group met with 10 legislators and was recognized by Missouri District 132 Representative Crystal Quade on the House floor.

“The purpose of this trip was to advocate for three House bills that would expand voter access,” Walker-Pacheco explained.

HB 1927 would restore access to voting for those currently on probation and parole, after they have served their time. HB 2379 would allow restoring of university IDs as valid for voting, as they were until a Missouri House bill prohibiting their use was signed into law in 2022. HB 2510 would create provisions for automatic voter registration for U.S. citizens in Missouri through information via the DMV, increasing the number of registered voters and make voting more accessible. [Read more…] about Paws to the Polls continues voter education efforts

The Springfield Way accepting applications for summer 2024

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The Springfield Way internship program is accepting applications for the summer 2024 session.

Application deadline is March 29.

Now in its second year, The Springfield Way was created by Missouri State faculty and Springfield area nonprofit organizations.

The program offers paid internships to students who want to augment their educational experience with community-engaged learning.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Springfield Way internship, students must be enrolled in an academic program (graduate or undergraduate) offered by the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities.

Selected interns will be compensated at $15/hour for the 100-hour internship. They will also receive an additional $250 to partially offset the tuition cost of the internship course.

Springfield Way 2024 partners

The Springfield Way is partnering with the following organizations for the 2024 summer session.

  • Community Partnership of the Ozarks
  • Drew Lewis Foundation
  • Eden Village
  • empower: abilities
  • The Kitchen, Inc.
  • Home Team

More information

Those interested in learning more about internships, eligibility, requirements and other details can attend one of the remaining information sessions in Siceluff Hall, Room 124:

  • Thursday, March 21, 4-5 p.m.
  • Tuesday, March 26, 2-3 p.m.
  • Wednesday, March 27, 3-4 p.m.

Zoom attendees can contact Dr. Alan Tinkler for the link.

Learn more about The Springfield Way

Dr. Indira Palacios-Valladares interviewed by The Guardian

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Missouri State political science professor Dr. Indira Palacios-Valladares was recently interviewed by the British news outlet The Guardian concerning the death of U.S. airman Aaron Bushnell.

Bushnell, 25, committed an act of self-immolation outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25. Bushnell was protesting recent Israeli actions in Gaza.

The Guardian journalist Adam Gabbatt contacted Palacios-Valladares directly, she said. This was her first interview for the British news outlet.

The two conversed for approximately 30 minutes via WhatsApp, Palacios-Valladares said.

Political protest as risk and sacrifice

Palacios-Valladares, whose research and expertise focuses on political protest, told The Guardian that physical political protest always puts the body at risk.

“When you go and protest in the street, you’re going to be beaten up maybe. You may even be killed, you may go to jail,” Palacios-Valladares said.

Acts of self-immolation, such as that committed by Bushnell, are simply a more extreme display of that risk, she explained. “This is intrinsic to every protest, the idea that you put your body at risk.”

In addition, Palacios-Valladares explained to The Guardian that political protests ending in death, such as self-immolation, are acts of sacrifice.

“When we think of suicide, it’s like your life is so terrible that you cannot continue,” she said. “This [self-immolation] is not about that, it’s about doing it for others. So in that sense it’s more than suicide. It’s suicide, but it’s not suicide—in the sense that it’s sacrificial.”

“It’s a sacrifice for others, for a community, for a cause,” Palacios-Valladares added.

Opportunity to shed light and provide context

Palacios-Valladares hopes the article gives readers more insight into the nature of political protest by addressing the motivations behind it.

“Why do people engage in these dramatic forms of protest, what meanings do such protest acts have, and how successful may [they] be in changing minds and hearts,” she said.

Palacios-Valladares was pleased with the interview and resulting story.

“The quotations are spot on and the context for my opinions was correct,” she said. “I think it is a good article that seeks to understand the event in a broader context.”

Palacios-Valladares believes sharing her expertise with media can be useful in helping people understand current events.

“I think I can help journalists go beyond the specific story and see the bigger picture,” she said.

Explore opportunities in political science

Political science graduate student Chris Rinehart lands State Department internship

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Chris Rinehart has wanted to work at the U.S. Department of State since high school, when he first became interested in issues related to civil service and policy.

When he earned an internship position there for the Spring 2024 semester, he got one step closer to that goal.

Rinehart’s internship runs from February-April 2024.

MSU’s International Affairs track was excellent preparation

Rinehart chose the accelerated Master of International Affairs track when he arrived at Missouri State University in 2020. He graduated in 2023 with a BA in Global Studies and immediately entered the accelerated program.

“I was nervous about attending a university outside of the Washington, D.C. Beltway because foreign policy is so heavily concentrated in our capital, and almost exclusively so,” Rinehart admitted.

Rinehart found MSU to be a good fit and credited his courses with increasing his confidence.

Three of those courses were political science classes taught by Dr. Ashley Leinweber, associate professor of political science in the Department of Political Science and Philosophy. Leinweber and Rinehart also worked together in Model United Nations.

“I have really enjoyed the policy-based aspects of the courses I have taken,” he said. “And Dr. Leinweber has always been such a big supporter of my endeavors.”

“I am very thankful to have her and Dr. Gabriel Ondetti as professors because they are always willing to help me reach the next step in my academic and professional careers,” Rinehart added. [Read more…] about Political science graduate student Chris Rinehart lands State Department internship

Political Science and Philosophy department’s Conversation Series continues Feb. 22

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The Department of Political Science and Philosophy will hold its second “Conversation Series” event 4-5:45 p.m. Feb. 22, 2024, in Karls Hall 101.

Photo of Steven Smith of University of San Diego
Professor Steven Smith (Courtesy University of San Diego)

Guest speakers Steven Smith, J.D. and Sanford Levinson, Ph.D., J.D. will lead the audience in exploring the question “Does America Need a New Constitution?”

Smith is the Warren Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of San Diego, where he co-directs both the Institute for Law and Religion and the Institute for Law and Philosophy. He has held named professorships at the law schools at Notre Dame and University of Colorado.

Smith has also published nine books on many aspects of the law, with special emphasis on the Constitution and religious freedom. He earned his law degree from Yale University and his B.A. from Brigham Young University.

Levinson holds the Garwood Centennial Chair in Law at the University of Texas Law School at Austin. He taught politics at Princeton University and in numerous programs abroad, and he has held several visiting professorships.

Photo of Sanford Levinson Of University of Texas - Austin
Professor Sanford Levinson (Courtesy University of Texas – Austin)

Levinson has written seven books and hundreds of articles, reviews and commentaries on many constitutional issues, with a special emphasis on flaws in the U.S. Constitution and the need for a new constitutional convention.  He received his Ph.D. from Harvard, his J.D. from Stanford and his B.A. from Duke.

“Smith and Levinson are two of the most renowned experts on the constitution in the country,” said Dr. Christopher Lynch, professor and head of the Department of Political Science and Philosophy. “Both are experts not only on the U.S. Constitution but on constitutions as such.”

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available at 3:30 p.m., and the event will start at 4 p.m.

[Read more…] about Political Science and Philosophy department’s Conversation Series continues Feb. 22