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In The News
September 18, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Program Gives Political Science
Students
Lesson in Politics from Local Representative
(Carson, CA)— Political
science students at California State University, Dominguez Hills
(CSUDH) met this week with Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne
Burke as part of a new program of the on-campus Association of
Political Science Students (APSS) to connect what is being taught
in the classroom with what is done in government.
The “Meet
Your Local Representative/Foreign Dignitary” program’s
first event included talks with Burke, as well as Redondo Beach
Mayor Mike Gin; Del Huff, senior deputy to Supervisor Burke; and
Cynthia Banks, L.A. County director of community and senior services
and a CSUDH alumna (Class of ’76, B.A., behavioral science).
“[The program] really helps us to see our
future in a clearer sense,” says
APSS vice president Henry Fields, a senior majoring in political
science. “It reaffirms that political careers are attainable
for us. When we meet our local representatives and dignitaries,
they explain to us how they got interested in politics. It also
helps us figure out if we want to give back to our communities
by entering politics.”
The CSUDH students, as well as students
from Dorsey High School, were welcomed by Burke’s senior
legislative deputy Gerardo Pinedo, also a CSUDH alumnus (Class
of ’01, B.A., interdisciplinary
studies/public administration).
“They get to interact with the officials
rather than just reading about them in textbooks,” said Pinedo,
who is also a lecturer in human resources and criminal justice
at his alma mater. “What
we’re hoping will happen is that students will take the concepts
and theories they learn in the classroom and be able to formulate
those into questions and productive dialogue with the elected officials,
which will allow them to take something back to share with other
students.”
Supervisor Burke recognized the students with
a proclamation from the County of Los Angeles, and they, in turn,
honored her with
a token of their appreciation. A Q&A session with Banks, Gin
and Pinedo was followed by a tour of the offices and the chance
to watch a portion of the Board of Supervisors meeting.
The Meet
Your Local Representatives program will next visit the Mexican
consulate of Los Angeles, although a date for that has
yet to be set. In the meantime APSS members are gearing up for
a busy election-year semester. The student organization plans a
number of pre-election activities on campus that include a voter
registration drive, viewing of the candidates’ debates on
Sept. 26, a presidential election forum on Oct. 22, and a post-election
forum on Nov. 19, all on campus.
For more information on APSS or
on its pre-election activities at CSUDH, e-mail apss_csudh@yahoo.com.
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---------------------------------------------- About
CSU Dominguez Hills -- California
State University, Dominguez Hills is a highly diverse,
urban university located in the South Bay, primarily
serving the
Los Angeles metropolitan area. The university prides itself
on its outstanding faculty and friendly, student-centered
environment.
Known for excellence in teacher education, nursing, psychology,
business administration, and digital media arts, new degree
programs include computer science, criminal justice,
recreation and leisure
studies, social work, and communication disorders. On campus
is the Home Depot Center, a multi-purpose sports complex
that hosts
world-class soccer, tennis, track and field, lacrosse, and
cycling.
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