PoliticalScienceSpotlight

September 2012 Fall Issue #1

A Davidson College Department of Political Science Publication

Traveling Gnomes

From Russia to Peru to DC - What We Did This Summer

Pg. 3

Davidson at the DNC

Students, Faculty, and Alumni Converge on Conventions

Pgs. 4-5

New Faces

The Depart-ment Welcomes Dr. Milligan and Dr. Gurian

Pg. 6

Wildcats in Elections

Alumni are Thriving in the Political Arena and Elections

Pg. 7

Dr. Shelley Rigger

Election years are always exciting for political scientists, but fall 2012 is especially thrilling for students of

politics here at Davidson. Th e Democrat-ic National Convention was held last week in Charlotte, and students, faculty, alum-ni and friends enjoyed the experience. Democrats, Republicans, and undecideds alike took part in this front-row opportu-nity to observe national politics in action.

Th e political science department is do-ing all we can to take advantage of this one-time opportunity. We’re also branch-ing out in other new directions: we’re on Facebook (like us!) and we’re sharing a Middle East Politics professor with Queens University in Charlotte. As always, we are eager to hear (and pass on) what’s new with you: our students, alumni and friends.

Th e big news is the convention. Students have been working with the DNC since last spring. Our DNC spotlight in this issue is just the tip of the iceberg (see pages 4-5)! We have several students who interned with the host committee and MANY others actually attend-ed the convention in multiple roles. We had groups there with faculty and several there on their own through outside organizations.

On the faculty front, colleagues have used the convention as a springboard for new courses and course activities. Profes-sor Susan Roberts has been at the center of things, making scores of connections between the college and the DNC. She’s taken the lead in booking speakers, includ-ing Mark Shields of the PBS Newshour.

Professor Roberts also was instrumen-

tal in bringing to Davidson two visiting professors to off er special courses for this year. Last spring Charlotte Observer re-porter Jim Morrill taught a course on the history of American political conventions. Th is fall, University of Georgia political sci-entist Paul-Henri Gurian is teaching two courses on presidential elections as the col-lege’s Batten Professor. We’re also very for-tunate to have Visiting Assistant Professor Josh Putnam with us again this year. Josh knows everything there is to know about state presidential nominating procedures; his blog, “Frontloading HQ” has been called the “go-to guide” for learning about state electoral rules. “Th e Daily Beast” described Dr. Putnam as “a star of the [election] cycle.”

Two of Davidson’s most active alum-ni DNCers are Charlotte mayor Anthony Foxx ‘93, who spoke at the convention, and

Dan Murrey ’87, who ran the DNC host committee – along with others, featured in the DNC spread on pages 4-5. Alum-ni parents and other college friends were also involved, including Jim Zogby, father of Sarah ’98 and political science major Matt ’02. Jim, a former Batten Professor, who appeared on a DNC panel organized by the Arab American Institute (which he founded and directs) and J Street, a Jew-ish organization that promotes a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.

Th e convention itself was a brief event, one most Davidsonians watched on TV. But its ar-rival in Charlotte – along with the tight pres-idential and congressional elections this year – has sparked student, faculty, and communi-ty interest in the electoral process. For polit-ical scientists, that’s an opening to introduce

(continued on page 8 - Welcome Back)

Welcome Bac

Chambers Lawn

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Fall Semester Events

Friday Sept. 7thWelcome Back Cookoutat the home of Dr. Menkhaus for current and prospective majors

Thursday Sept. 13thDean Rusk Lecture“Syria: What Does the Fu-ture Hold?”Lecture by Joshua Landis7:00pm Lilly Gallery

Thursday Sept. 20thDean Rusk Lecture“Fitful Breathing” in a Month in the Country: Revolution and Repetition in Russian TheaterLecture by Dr. Monika Greenleaf7:00pm C. Shaw Smith 900 Rm

Thursday Sept. 20thPolicy & the Environment PanelGraham Bullock, Sarah Phillips, and Haywood Rankin4:30-5:30pm Carolina Inn

Friday Oct. 5thHow to Explain the Human Genome to Congress in 60 Seconds - Alumni LectureStephanie Courchesne-Schlink ‘022:30-3:30pm Hance Auditorium

Oct. 13 - 16thFall Break

Tuesday Oct. 23rdBatten Lecturefeaturing Paul GurianBatten Professor of Political Science

Oct. 26 - 29thFamily Weekend

Tuesday Oct. 30thDean Rusk Lecture“Aid Dependence in Cambo-dia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy”Lecture by Dr. Sophal Ear7:00pm C. Shaw Smith 900 Rm

Thursday Nov. 8th Dean Rusk Lecture“We Never Knew Exactly Where” – Confl ict and Ter-rorism in MaliLecture by Mr. Peter Chilson7:00pm C. Shaw Smith 900 Rm

Nov. 21 - 25thThanksgiving Break

Thursday Nov. 29thPolicy & the Academy PanelShelley Rigger, Caroline Fache, and Mary Muchane4:30-5:30pm Carolina Inn

Dec. 12thFall Classes End

Dec. 13thReading Day

Dec. 14 - 20thExam Period

For more information on the Dean Rusk Lecture Series, please contact their offi ce: MaKirti@Davidson.edu

Also like us on Facebook for more updates!

SpotlightStudy Abroad

Political Science CalendarPolitical Science Calendar

Dr. Brian Shaw was awarded the Hunter-Hamilton Love of Teaching Award at Commencement this May. Th e award is Da-vidson’s top teaching honor and is given to a faculty member judged by his/her peers to display an exemplary love of teaching.

Shaw was praised for his unrelenting “Infectious Perkiness,” his passion for teaching students how to think in and beyond the class-room, and his timeless ability to inspire students to reach their utmost potential. In class he constantly plays the devil’s advocate, leading students to the most compelling strengths of the theories of political thinkers... and then poking holes in their arguments.

See the department webpage for the full story .

Davidson Political Science majors were busy this summer participat-ing in study abroad programs that

did more than just boost their resumes.14 majors attended the Davidson in

Washington Program. Th ey took a political science course while also participating in independent internships and are as follows: Liana Corwin ’14, Green America; Michael Diamant ’13, American Enterprise Institute; Paul DiFiore ’13 (Goodell Merit Scholar-ship recipient), Department of State, Offi ce of Central American Aff airs; Emma Finkel-stein ’14, Senior Counsel of Ethics for the

Offi ce of General Counsel; Connor Johnson ’13, Stratitia; Kara Mountcastle ’14, Business Executives for National Security (BENS); Trey Norris ’13, Aetna, Federal Government Aff airs Division; John Papadopoulos ’14, American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association; McKenzie Roese ’13, Catho-lic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC); Charles Sangree ’13, Representative Tim Waltz (D-Mn); Tindall Sewell ’14, Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga); Heather Sims ’14, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tx); Shir-ley Smircic ’13, Representatives John Bar-row (D-Ga) and Jack Kingston (R-Ga); Yuxi Wang ’14, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public.

Our Political Science majors thrived in many other areas of the world, too.

Stephanie Cook ’13 received a Dean Rusk Grant to attend the Rift Valley Institute’s one week intensive Horn of Africa course in Kilifi , Kenya, with Dr. Menkhaus. She also interned with the US State Department in the Politics Section at the US Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for ten weeks.

James Mersol ’14 participated in a 6-week study abroad program in St. Pe-tersburg, with a focus on Post-Soviet Poli-tics and the current electoral systems, and then traveled through China, Mongolia, and Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railroad.

Sun Dragas ‘13 spent her summer in Ser-bia interning with “Meet the State of Serbia”

aft er returning from her semester abroad in St. Petersburg, Rus-sia. At the closing cer-emony in Serbia, she was greeted by HRH Crown Prince Al-exander II and Princess Kath-erine of Serbia!

L a u r a Chuckray ’14, Paige Don-nelly ’14, Ben Gold ’14, Adeyemi Mchunguzi ’13, Elizabeth Mondragon ’14, Anto-nio Rodri-guez ’14, and Daniel S e abro oks ‘14 returned from their spring semester in the Davidson in Peru program led by Dr. Crandall. Th ey spent 14 weeks in Arequipa, Peru, taking cours-es and various cultural trips. Th ey were also hosted at the US Embassy in La Paz by Davidson alum Richmond Blake ’09.

Th is year’s fi ft ieth reunion class spon-sored a lively discussion on the state of the world in 1962 and 2012 centered on pre-sentations by three Davidson political sci-

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Political Scientists and Alumni Look Back to 1962

Poli Sci Majors Return from Abroad with more than just a Resume Boost

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entists: former US senator and ambassador to Saudi Arabia Wyche Fowler ‘62, Harvard political science professor Graham Allison ‘62, and Brown Professor of East Asian Politics Shelley Rigger.

Rigger kicked off the session with the question, “Is China the Soviet Union of today?” Allison called nuclear terrorism the single most signifi cant threat to US national security, though, compared to the Cuban Missile Crisis, today’s nuclear danger is far less. According to Fowler, the eve of the Arab Spring resembled the early 1960s in the US: with massive cultural, economic and political changes just around the corner, few people anticipated what was in store. Drawing on the previous two speakers’ remarks, Fowler observed that the most momentous developments in human history are rarely predicted or predictable.

A string of thoughtful and challenging questions from the audience rounded out the event, which left little doubt that political analysis is an engaging pursuit for Da-vidsonians across generations. (See the department webpage for the full story.)

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SpotlightDavidson at the DNC

For more from the mind of Dr. Putnam,Check out his blog at:

frontloading.blogspot.com

Alumni at Party Conventions

DNC ~Jill Sypult Marcus ‘86 catered the

opening media event. Her catering fi rm, Something Classic, won the DNC catering contract to serve 15,000 guests and was also awarded the Charlotte Business Jour-nal’s Green Action Program Award!

Sam Spencer ‘07 was a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Char-lotte and as President of the Young Dem-ocrats of North Carolina helped 32 Youth Delegates and 4 Alternates win their seats at the convention.

Anthony Foxx ‘93 is mayor of Char-lotte, the host city.

Dan Murrey ‘87 ran the host committee

Both ~Bill Riggs ’05 is working for Public No-

tice in Washington, DC. They were at both conventions urging candidates to address the largest drivers of national debt and in-clude a plan for debt reduction in their plat-forms, in hopes of reigning in government spending and overall debt.

John Boswell ’81 is the Southeast Bu-reau Chief for the Fox News Channel and his team covered both conventions

RNC ~Kerby Teller ‘09 is currently lobbying

and doing business development for Pub-lic Properties in Washington, DC. They are one of the offi cial sponsors of a three-night concert series held during the RNC in Tam-pa and Kerby attended this along with other convention events.

Billy Hackenson Refl ects on his Internship with the DNC Host CommitteeBilly Hackenson

During the last semester, I had the op-portunity to work with the Host Committee for the 2012 Democratic National Conven-tion. I was able to secure the internship through Davidson and I worked closely with the Communication Department for the du-ration of my internship.

The Host Committee is the non-prof-it, non-partisan branch of the committee tasked with putting together all of the events that complement the actual conven-tion. I worked on compiling information about press coverage, tracked journalists who expressed interest in receiving our news, and drafted external press releases. I worked with some great, dedicated people and spent 12 hours a week at the offi ce in Uptown. Throughout my time there, I in-teracted with almost every member of the staff and was able to sit in, and offer sug-gestions, during staff meetings. I felt as if I were truly a member of the team and that I was able to represent the strength of a liberal arts education from Davidson.

I am a huge proponent of internship experiences complementing the academ-ic experiences in the classroom and I am very grateful for holding this position to put together the practical experience with what we are taught at Davidson.

Billy was also featured in the most recent Da-vidson Journal and Th e Davidsonian. He is highly involved in Davidson life as the current SGA presi-dent, a member of Kappa Alpha, a tutor for sever-al diff erent areas, and through service on several college committees.

Th e Waiting GameHow 4 years can make a huge diff erence for DNC credentials

Dr. Josh Putnam

It’s that time again. Th e Summer Olym-pics have come and gone and that oth-er quadrennial rite of passage is upon

us: Another presidential election campaign is once again in the offi ng. In 2012, howev-er, Davidson College is uniquely situated with part of the spectacle – the Democratic convention -- taking place in our backyard.

It was only a month aft er I joined the political science faculty in January 2011 as a visiting pro-fessor that the Democratic National Committee announced its plans to hold its 2012 national convention in Charlotte. Th is has proven to be a boon for not only Davidson but for our de-partment as well. First, it has given us a chance to proudly show off how genuinely fabulous our majors are as several have interned and/or taken positions associated with the Convention.

But also, and if you twist my arm hard enough, you might get me to admit that the convention being in Charlotte was a big deal for me, too. I say that both as someone who grew up in the shadow of Charlotte and as someone who went on to make presidential nomina-

tions and elections the basis of his doctoral research. Presidential elections are fun to me. Fun enough that writing a dissertation on presi-dential primaries was not enough. I had to start a blog – Frontloading HQ – on the subject, too.

It is that blog that has opened the door to both conventions for me in 2012. In 2008, I gained through the site some national media attention as a graduate student, and halfh eart-edly attempted – ultimately unsuccessfully – to gain credentials to the conventions. Th is cycle has been diff erent. I was ahead of the curve in 2011 in tracking the formation of the primary calendar to the point that inquiring media oft en told me they had contacted the RNC for details only to have the party refer them to me. Later on, the Romney campaign utilized the site as a resource in a couple of press releases concern-ing the delegate counts during the primaries.

Self-aggrandizing aside, this newfound at-tention had the impact of making the appli-cation process for credentials much easier this time around. In both Tampa and Charlotte I was anxious to see and cover what both parties do concerning their nomination rules for 2016.

…not that anyone many are thinking that far ahead.

When it was announced that Charlotte was selected to host the 2012 Demo-cratic National Convention, a group

of faculty, staff and students immediately set to work to see how to best incorporate this event into Davidson’s educational mission. Th roughout our deliberations and planning, we remained steadfast to the conviction that our participation and pro-gramming were grounded in our “non-partisan approach to a partisan event.” As chair of our committee, my biggest challenge was to consider the feasibility of our creative and exciting ideas. Wouldn’t it have been nice for Jon Stewart to host his show from Duke Family Performance Hall?!

As detailed in the latest edition of Th e Davidson Journal, Davidson hosted a variety of speakers. Some were more “marquee” guests, such as Kath-leen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg School of Communication who spoke on the state of cam-paign advertising and the distortions that all too oft en accompany these ads. Mark Shields of the PBS News Hour spoke on the Presidency and 2012. Less well-known speakers included Tom Jensen

of Public Policy Polling, and representatives of Americans Elect, a now defunct group of young citizens trying to have an online primary to determine the presidential nominee. Th e con-vention planning committee worked to make sure Davidson stood out in the community while also preparing for the coming convention.

Th roughout the spring and summer, a number of Davidson students interned with both Charlotte’s Host Committee as well as the Democratic National Committee. Many of the opportunities for student participation came at the last minute. Davidson sent groups of students to events such as a forum spon-sored by the Congressional Black Caucus and a town hall meeting “Conversations with the Next Generation” sponsored by the National Journal and Th e Atlantic. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of the DNC in Charlotte was the excitement and enthusiasm exhibited by students like Rahael Borchers (2015) who spearheaded eff orts to include almost 200 stu-dents as volunteers at the Bank of America Sta-dium for the culminating events of the last night of the convention. Democratic and Republican

(continued on page 8 - DNC Planning)

Dr. Roberts is the Chair of Davidson’s convention planning com-mittee and was also recently featured on C-SPAN to discuss the

political dynamic in North Carolina heading into November. (Watch her online at www.c-spanvideo.org/program/SusanRo)

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Planning Committee Helps Davidson Stand OutDr. Susan Roberts

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6 PoliticalScienceSpotlight September 2012 September 2012 PoliticalScienceSpotlight 7

SpotlightFaculty SpotlightAlumni

Wildcats in ElectionsWildcats in Elections

Jean DeOrnellas worked as a research assistant for Dr. Roberts this summer. Her project, the Politics of Contraception, focused mainly on new regulations for insurance coverage of contraceptives under the Afford-able Care Act and the multitude of bills introduced in state legislatures over the past year relating to repro-ductive issues.

Jean compiled and annotated primary and second-ary sources on the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) in order to sketch what the regulations said and how they were received. “It was fascinating to go from reading the regulatory language in the Federal Register to looking through the huge amount of news articles, editorials, and blogs surrounding the issue, “ she said. “I could not only examine how well a fairly technical regulation on insurance policy was transmit-

From articles by William Rupp in the Barrington Patch (April 18 and June 25, 2012), with author permission

Peter Costa Jr. (‘12) has set his sights on representing voters in Barrington and Warren, Rhode Island, for his fi rst

elective offi ce. He formally announced his candidacy for the District 67 seat on June 25th, the fi rst day to fi le declaration papers.

One of his primary reasons for seeking the seat is “accountability,” Costa said. “Look at the incumbent’s record... he missed 355 votes last year – the second highest num-ber in the House.” Costa cites the legislative website, RhodeIslandVotes.org, as his source for that number, which shows 826 roll calls and about 42 percent of those votes missed.

“I will be accountable,” he said. “When legislators don’t vote, it is not representative democracy. You need to be accountable to your constituents. Communication between legislators and their constituents doesn’t end on election day.” People want representatives who serve them, he said. Sometimes they lose sight of whom they serve when they are in of-fi ce too long. Costa said, he favors term limits.

land, such as manufacturing, hospitality and health care, and getting people back to work.

Th e recent Davidson College graduate said he would bring ideas on policy that he has picked up from other states that have lift ed themselves out of the economic recession, such as North Carolina, Indiana, and Texas.

“I don’t think the legislature realizes how much public policy can impact the econo-my,” said Costa, who describes himself as something of a “policy wonk.” “I have had some unique experiences with things that work out of state.” To improve the business climate in Rhode Island, he would elimi-nate the minimum corporate tax and lower the corporate income tax to make Rhode Island more competitive with neighbor-ing states. To help property taxpayers he

Elizabeth Langton ‘07 is working in New York for a US Senator that is up for reelec-tion.*Andrew Wilkins ’11 is Campaign Manager for his father’s campaign for NC’s second

congressional dis-trict.* Sarah Cottrell Probst ‘01 was re-cently elected Pres-ident of the Board of Directors for Conservation Vot-ers New Mexico (CVNM) - a non-partisan, non-profi t 501c(4) organiza-tion that works to

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Maren MilliganTeaching: Intro to the Politics of the Middle East and North Africa

Dr. Milligan joins the department this semester as a Visiting Assistant Profes-sor through a joint appointment with Queens University in a position designed to strengthen Middle East Studies offerings at both institutions. She received her PhD at the University of Maryland in 2010. Her work on institutions, identity and confl ict

appears in Comparative Politics (forthcoming) Middle East Report, ISIM, and the Sada Journal of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She has won a variety of awards and fellowships, including a Ful-bright Islamic Civilizations grant. She has worked for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the National Democratic Insti-tute, and the Middle East Research Information Project, along with others in D.C. and overseas.

Paul-Henri GurianTeaching: Campaign Politics and a seminar on the 2012 Presidential Campaign

Paul-Henri Gurian is this year’s James K. Batten Visiting Professor of Public Policy.

He earned his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is on leave from the University of Georgia, where he has been a professor for 26 years. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses on Campaign Politics, quantitative

methods, and on the 2000 campaign, recount and legal battles. Paul’s research focuses on presidential campaigns. He has pub-

lished a number of studies on presidential primaries, campaign strategy and the electoral college. His current research includes the impact of primaries on general election outcomes, the under-lying structure of state electoral outcomes, and applying American campaign theory to South Korean elections.

Costa believes there is a strong need for more Republicans in the legislature who will focus on the needs of people for jobs, lower taxes and “getting government off our backs.” He considers himself a fi scal conservative but a mod-erate Republican on social issues. “I want a limited government that lets people live their lives” he said.

Costa plans to focus on three ar-eas if he is elected: Common sense reforms of the tax code; relying on industries that work in Rhode Is-

would push for a 1 percent tax cap on resi-dential property and eliminate the car tax. To reform government and improve leg-islator accountability, he would push for zero-based budgeting and term limits forstate legislators.

Costa plans to enroll at Roger Williams University Law School in August. He is on the April 24 ballot as a delegate for Repub-lican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.Costa does know his way around the State House - He was a page for Barrington Sen. David Bates while at Barrington High School, and he spent a couple of months early this year as a policy intern.Why not start his political career on the local level? “I think I can make a big-ger impact as a representative,” he said.

make sensible conservation policies a top priority for elected offi cials, political candi-dates, and voters across the state. Lauren Khater ’12 is an Organizing Fellow for the Obama Campaign.

Doug Jackson ‘06, Finance Director for Janet Cowell for North Carolina State Treasurer.Rand Hartsell ‘86 will be a precinct election judge in Champaign County, Illinois.Bill Ferguson ’05 was elected to the Mary-land State Senate in 2010.Ryan Gough ’10 is the 2012 Iowa Victory Director for the Romney Campaign. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said “Iowa will play a pivotal role in the upcoming election and I’m confi dent that with Ryan Gough at the helm, the RNC will run one of the most com-prehensive voter outreach and voter turnout operations in Iowa’s history.”

*Alumni working for anyone involved in reelections may not be able to comment on their exact function until aft er the election.

Recent Alum Running for Offi cein Rhode Island

ted through the media, but also how a nationwide dis-cussion around insurance, contraceptives, and religious freedom ultimately coalesced into two clear narratives, each supported by a political party. I learned a lot about both contraceptive policy and how to wade through the mountain of analysis produced by a 24/7 news cycle.” She also compiled background on the HPV vaccine and the morning-after pill. “I am honored that Dr. Roberts gave me the freedom to investigate independently un-der a broad research question. We met periodically to discuss our fi ndings and refi ne the plan going forward. “

The other portion of her project culminated in a spreadsheet cataloguing around 500 bills introduced through state legislatures in 2011 on issues of repro-ductive policy. Topics ranged from creating choose-life license plates to providing a civil cause of action for the murder of an unborn child. Some of the bills had made national headlines, such as Arizona’s Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimi-nation Act of 2011 banning sex- or race- selective abor-tions, but many others fl ew under the radar despite their ability to enact big changes. “It was eye-opening to see the amount of work and change that is being done in legislatures across the nation,” Jean said. “As a political science student this project was a remind-er of the sheer amount of information available to us today, but also a reminder of how carefully social sci-ence research must be analyzed since behind almost all statistics there is a person just like me making hundreds of judgment calls as they code their data.”

Student/Faculty Collaboration

Jean DeOrnellas and Susan Roberts Hard at Work on Reproduction Politics

“Working with Dr. Roberts was an incred-ible learning experience, and I hope my small contribution will assist wherever her research leads.” - Jean DeOrnellas

PoliticalScienceSpotlight

Class of 2012 AwardsAshley Augsberger has received a Fulbright English Language Teaching As-sistantship for a year of teaching and research in Malaysia.

Alexandra Francis ’12 has been named a junior fellow at the Carnegie En-dowment for International Peace.

Cheng “Bill” Jin ’12 was off ered a fellowship to attend the Wake Forest Uni-versity Master of Science in Accountancy program, though he has decided to work with a fi nancial company in NY for the time being.

Th is year’s Proctor Award was given to Andrew David Evans. Andrew’s per-formance in political science classes has been consistently excellent. From his earliest forays into political theory to his honors thesis on John Calvin and liberal democracy, Andrew has shown a penchant for digging deeply into texts and articulating his thoughts with clarity an d grace.

Congratulations to all of our recent grads!!

Welcome Back, continued from pg 1

the questions, insights and methods that animate our discipline to a wider audience.

Excitement over the DNC and the presi-dential election may attract students to the courses and lectures we’re off ering this year, but it’s the great teaching and fascinating material in those courses – and many others – that will keep them coming back for more. Interacting with alumni and other friends is also critical to our success, because it en-livens students’ experiences and helps them recognize opportunities to work and serve.

We’re happy to be back at work, and we’re looking forward to a great year. We hope you enjoy the newsletter, and, as al-ways, we look forward to hearing your news and feedback. Keep those emails and Facebook posts coming our way!

Contact UsContact UsSend us your questions, updates, and greetings

PoliticalScienceNews@Davidson.edu

www.Davidson.edu/PoliticalScience

Like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/DavidsonCollege-

PoliticalScienceDepartment

DNC Planning, continued from pg 5

students worked feverishly on details such as transportation and tickets. When weather forced the DNC to keep all of the events in the Time Warner Arena, students were crestfallen, but they just regrouped and watched in the Student Union, exemplifying the go-getter attitude of Davidson.

To keep the election spirit going, students are turning their energies to activities such as debates between the College Republicans and the College Democrats and of course, getting out the student vote on “both sides of the aisle.”

Recent Alums Engaged in the White HouseCongratulations to Alice Phillips ‘12 and Bryce Bancroft ‘11 on their recent engage-ment!! Alice was interning in Washington this summer and Bryce surprised her in the White House one day with a ring and a proposal - and she said “yes!”Th ank you to Lou Ortmayer for sharing this great story (and picture) with us. (Can you tell which famous room this is?)

In our Next Newsletter:

Davidson in India will be led by a Political Science Faculty Mem-ber in Fall of 2013 - the fi rst time the department has had a hand in the program since 1991!

Find out about local businesses that are owned by our own alumni!

Read a profi le of our previous department chair, Tom Kazee (you ask, we deliver!).

We will also highlight other alum successes and campus happenings so stay tuned!