‘They were able to witness history’
Menard Center, Office of ASPIRE team up to take Miami students to national political conventions
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Published
Miami University students attended both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
‘They were able to witness history’
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Published
Mitch Brewer described it as a “perfect hands-on” educational experience.
A senior majoring in Urban Planning with a minor in Entrepreneurship, Brewer was part of a contingent of Miami University students who attended both the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July, as well as the Democratic National Convention in Chicago the following month.
Miami’s Menard Family Center for Democracy and the Office of ASPIRE partnered to present students with the unique opportunity, and Brewer was glad they did.
“I couldn’t thank them enough for inviting me to go,” Brewer said.
John Forren, executive director for the Menard Center, estimated a group of 15 Miamians traveled to Milwaukee for the RNC, with 18 going in August to the DNC in Chicago.
While Miami has taken students to national political conventions in previous years, Forren said this was the largest group sent by the university.
“We try and give them a chance to really look into the political process. It’s a unique opportunity to see politics in action,” Forren said. “The goal was to not only let students see firsthand how the process works, but we also intentionally built the schedule so it included quite a bit of policy discussion.
“The chance to interact with policy makers and discuss policy is very unique and something we can’t really do in the classroom in Oxford. It makes this kind of field experience so valuable.”
A senior majoring in Urban Planning with a minor in Entrepreneurship, Brewer was part of a contingent of Miami University students who attended both the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July, as well as the Democratic National Convention in Chicago the following month.
Miami’s Menard Family Center for Democracy and the Office of ASPIRE partnered to present students with the unique opportunity, and Brewer was glad they did.
“I couldn’t thank them enough for inviting me to go,” Brewer said.
John Forren, executive director for the Menard Center, estimated a group of 15 Miamians traveled to Milwaukee for the RNC, with 18 going in August to the DNC in Chicago.
While Miami has taken students to national political conventions in previous years, Forren said this was the largest group sent by the university.
“We try and give them a chance to really look into the political process. It’s a unique opportunity to see politics in action,” Forren said. “The goal was to not only let students see firsthand how the process works, but we also intentionally built the schedule so it included quite a bit of policy discussion.
“The chance to interact with policy makers and discuss policy is very unique and something we can’t really do in the classroom in Oxford. It makes this kind of field experience so valuable.”
Miami University students meet with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine '69.
Republican and Democratic party officials were both generous with their time, Forren said, including Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine ‘69 and Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. secretary of Transportation.
Brewer was impressed with the energy displayed by the Ohio delegations at both conventions.
“Each delegation did a fantastic job of engaging everyone,” Brewer said, noting students were able to attend meetings on a variety of topics.
“It was great to hear from experts and hear what they have to say about their particular issue.”
Miami students met with party leaders on both the state and national level, sometimes in small groups and in some instances for one-on-one conversations.
“This is the kind of program that allows us to get students off campus and see politics in the real world,” Forren said. “That is a great thing for our students. They were able to witness history.”
