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Mia's Meeting Minutes - 02/25/2010

Hello Roosevelters! Happy Friday! Here are the minutes from last night's

meeting. Introductions and Senate Updates: -Our Senator Ashley McCollum is would like more feedback on issues to bring to Senate! If there is an anything you would like the Senate to address, please email her at mccol22a. -Our next Fireside Chat is coming up soon! Next Tuesday, March 2, we will be hosting a lecturer from MHC's Center for the Environment. Please join us in the Cassani Lounge from 4-5 pm for this exciting event! -There is an exciting Roosevelt national conference coming up on Tuesday, April 6 called "Facing the Fracture: Media & Economic Understanding." It will feature big names such as Joseph Stiglitz, Amy Goodman and Arianna Huffington (if you don't know them, Google!) It will be an all-day event at Columbia University, entrance is FREE and carpools will be available. Email Emily at wazla20e for more info, and RSVP for the conference here: http://www.rooseveltinstitute.org/policy-and-ideas/big-ideas/facing-frac... -There's still time to get involved in the Holyoke Economic Development Summit! Check out our chapter page here http://www.rooseveltcampusnetwork.org/holyoke-economic-development-summit for updates, and if you'd like to get involved please email Casey at malis20c. Blogging Workshop: -Blogging for Roosevelt is a quick and easy way to get your ideas out in the open! We went through some blogging basics, and discussed some ideas for members' blogs. Attached to this email is the instruction sheet presented last night. If you have any questions at all, or need some inspiration, please email our Policy Director Katie Brown at brown21k, or any of the leadership team. Happy blogging! Have a great weekend everyone! --The Roosevelt Institute at MHC

Mia's Meeting Minutes - 02/18/2010

Hello Roosevelters! This past Thursday saw a wonderfully informative and thought-provoking presentation by Hooman Hedayati from Students Against the Death Penalty, followed by insightful discussion. Thank you to everyone who came and made it a success, and a huge thank you to Hooman! If you are interested in the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break, the dates are March 15-19, and more information can be found here: http://springbreakalternative.org/deathpenalty/ Updates: -Roosevelt is teaming up with CRUSH for a Holyoke Economic Development Summit, an event which will bring together a variety of Holyoke constituents to discuss economic development policy solutions to revitalize the town of Holyoke. More info at our chapter page here: http://www.rooseveltcampusnetwork.org/holyoke-economic-development-summit If you'd like to get involved, please contact Casey at malis20c. -Also, there is still some time left to apply to the Summer Academy! Applications are due Friday, February 26th. More info here: http://www.rooseveltcampusnetwork.org/projects-programs/summer-academy/ At our next meeting, we will be having a short blogging workshop. Have a great week everyone, and see you on Thursday! --The Roosevelt Institute at MHC

Mia's Meeting Minutes - 02/11/2010

Hello Roosevelters! Happy Friday! Here are the minutes from last night's meeting. Introductions and Senate Elections: -Congratulations to Ashley McCollum, Roosevelt's newly elected Org Senator! Chapter Updates: -At next Thursday's meeting we will be hosting Hooman Hedayati, President of Students Against the Death Penalty. Please join us for a presentation on the criminal justice system and an open discussion on the death penalty (all viewpoints welcome). More on Students Against the Death Penalty at their homepage: http://www.studentabolition.org/ -This Sunday, the Hartford chapter of Roosevelt Institute is sponsoring a rally against domestic violence in Hartford, Connecticut. If you are interested in going, please contact Katie at brown20l. -Currently in the works is a project to tutor Spanish-speaking kids in Holyoke schools. If you would like to get involved, please contact Casey at malis20c. -Applications are open for Roosevelt's Summer Academy! This is a full-time internship focused on developing leadership, in DC and Chicago. Deadline to apply is February 26th!! More info here: http://www.rooseveltcampusnetwork.org/projects-programs/summer-academy/ -Lastly, there are two Roosevelt conferences are coming up in the next few months. More information will be coming! Have a great weekend everyone! --The Roosevelt Institute at MHC

Mia's Meeting Minutes - 02/04/10

Hello Roosevelters!

I hope you all had a fantastic and relaxing (or invigorating) J-term, and are ready to work hard!

This past Thursday, Roosevelt kicked off with our first meeting of the spring semester! We welcomed many returning members, and saw some new faces as well! We talked about what went on last semester, and our policy interests and goals for this semester. And there will be a lot going on--from great guest speakers, to policy writing, and collaborating with other orgs--so keep an eye out for lots of upcoming events!

We are also in need of a new Org Senator! Org Senators attend SGA meetings on Tuesday nights as representatives of Roosevelt and report back to us at our Thursday meetings. It's a great way to get involved on campus! Elections will be held soon, so please email wazla20e for more info.

**Please note that meetings are now in Shattuck 318, which is a change from last semester. Still Thursdays at 7 pm!

We are looking forward to a fabulous semester of Roosevelt! Thank you everyone!

-Roo at MHC

Spring Update- 1/25/09

Hello all,

As the spring semester starts up we are looking at a very exciting second half of our first year of Roosevelt at MHC.  The leadership team spent j-term looking over survey results and we are ready to start off another strong semester.  We have new projects, collaborations and speakers lined up and you will be hearing about them soon.  Till then there are a few end of j-term announcements and things to keep in mind.

10 BIG IDEAS PIECES DUE FEB. 1st

We will be hosting group sessions to work on policy briefs.  If you have been working on a policy brief but have not received an e-mail from Casey about this by tonight please e-mail Casey at malis20c.

J-Term Blogs

Two fantastic blogs were written over J-term by first time bloggers.  Mia Przyborowski with perspectives on health care reform and Thu Nguyen on the underbanked and unbanked.  Both blogs are fantastic reads and have gotten their fair share of traffic on the Roosevelt site.

J-Term class @ Amherst

Roosevelt Institute at Amherst held a J-term class on crafting public policy.  We will have more info on the work participants did with the Springfield Institute.  Till then congrats to all the Mount Holyoke Students who participated!

SUMMER ACADEMY APPS ARE OUT

The Roosevelt Institute Campus Network has summer internships in both Chicago and DC.  These Summer Academy internships combined a full time internship with weekly networking events and a leadership development program.  Plus, it comes with a stipend.  This is by far one of the best politics/policy internships out there ad you can apply here.

Project Update

Last semester a project was formed under the Education Policy Center for a pre-emptive policy analysis on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.  A first draft of this project is well on its way to being polished and finished.  Congrats to all the ladies who worked on this project.  If you would like more info on the project, look here.

Facebook Page

 We are almost at 200 fans!!!  If you haven’t yet, become a fan or invite your friends and help us get to 200, here.  There are regular chapter updates as well as semi-amusing pictures and puns uploaded at a semi-regular basis. 

That’s all for now!  As always thank you for your support of Roosevelt.  This is going to be a great semester.

Best,

Emily

Mia's Meeting Minutes - 12/10/09

Hello Roosevelters!

Here are the minutes from our very last meeting of the semester!

Chapter Updates:
-This past Tuesday, Regional Coordinator Joe Eastman came to MHC to give a Policy 101 Workshop! Thank you to everyone who could make it, and made the workshop a great success! If you would like materials from the workshop please e-mail Emily at wazla20e
-Roosevelt's National Office has sent out a Network Demographic Survey. Your responses will help us better serve you and your chapter! It's short and completely anonymous and confidential. Take the survey here: http://tinyurl.com/yelgh6n Thank you!
-Amherst's J-term course, "Crafting Public Policy" is filling up fast! If you haven't registered and would like to, do so here: 
https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/cce/roosevelt

Elections:
-Each candidate gave a short statement, followed by a Q and A and the opportunity for floor nominations. Here are the results.
--Executive Director: Emily Wazlak
--Deputy Director: Imani Strong
--Administrative Director: Mia Przyborowski
--Financial Director: Melissa White
--Communications Director: Thu Nguyen
--Policy Director: Katie Brown

Congratulations to our new Leadership Team!

Thank you to everyone for a wonderfully successful first semester of Roosevelt! Best of luck to everyone over the exam period, and have a wonderfully relaxing winter break! We look forward to working with you in the spring!

--The Roosevelt Institute at MHC

Mia's Meeting Minutes - 12/3/09

 Hello Roosevelters!

I hope you all had a fun, relaxing Thanksgiving break! Can you believe we have less than three weeks left in the semester? That means only one more Roosevelt meeting, unfortunately. Here are the minutes from our second-to-last meeting tonight.

Chapter Updates:
-Regional Coordinator Joe Eastman is coming all the way to Mt. Holyoke from NYC! Please join us for his policy workshop this Tuesday, December 8th, 7:30 PM in 203 Shattuck (note time and place!)
-Are you interested in co-authoring an op-ed with Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic Policy Research? Please contact Casey at malis20c!
-The Roosevelt National Office needs help fundraising! We are a nonprofit org, and funds help pay for publishing and events. If you know anyone who might be willing to donate, please enter their names here: 
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dHdDb3VUSDM0NzdOTUlTNlFzTTg1VEE6MA 
-The Roosevelt Institute Economic Policy Initiative and the Campus Network will be hosting a roundtable discussion wit Bo Cutter on Friday, January 22nd in Washington DC! Please email Casey at malis20c for application information.
-The American Bar Foundation has a great summer internship for prelaw students! Check out their website here: http://tinyurl.com/5a4xvt or email Kim Parent at the CDC for more info!
-Our chapter elections are next Thursday! Please send a short candidate statement to Alyse at mulle20a by Friday December 4th!
-Need a study break? Join us for a Brain-Drain! Help make a poster to hang in Blanchard for the upcoming policy workshop, and watch a fun movie--in great company! Friday December 4th, 7:00 PM in the Delles common room! See you there!

Policy Work
-The remainder of the meeting was spent in small groups working on policy proposals for 10 Big Ideas. If you would like any help with your own policy work, join us at the next meeting or email Casey at malis20c for advice!

Have a great weekend everyone!

--The Roosevelt Institute at MHC

Mia's Meeting Minutes - 11/19/09

 Hello Roosevelters!

We're only a few days away from break! Just hang in there! Here are the minutes from Thursday's meeting.

Chapter Updates:
-Joe Eastman, our Regional Coordinator, will be conducting a policy training session on Tuesday, December 8th at 6:00 pm. Mark your calendars!
-Elections are coming up! If you would like to run for a position, please email Alyse at mulle20a by this Wednesday, November 25th with a candidate statement. Elections will be held at our meeting on December 3rd.
-There is a strong possibility that we can get independent study credit for Amherst's j-term course "Crafting Public Policy." Sign up here: 
https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/cce/roosevelt
-Do you have an idea for a great summer project, or an unpaid internship, and need funding? The Universal Application Form (UAF) is a great opportunity. The CDC will be holding an information booth in Blanchard on Tuesday, December 1st from 12:00 to 1:-00 PM. Casey is experienced in the application process as well, so feel free to email her at malis20c with any questions! More info on the UAF here:http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cdc/funding.html

Policy Break-Outs
-For the rest of the meeting, we broke up into small groups and worked out strategies for accomplishing various 10 Big Ideas projects.
-Would you like to get published through Roosevelt? Even if you have only the faintest beginning of an idea, we can help! Please email Casey at malis20c and she can tell you how to get started.

Have a relaxing Thanksgiving break everyone!

--The Roosevelt Institute at MHC

Mia's Meeting Minutes 11/12/09

Hello Roosevelters!

Chapter and Senate Updates:
-Joe Eastman, our Regional Coordinator in the National Office, will be giving us a policy training workshop! It has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 8th at 6:00 PM.
-Emails have been going around for 10 Big Ideas policy proposal submissions. If you think you are at all interested, please contact Casey at malis20c ASAP!
-On Tuesday December 1st, at 7:30 PM in CL2, Dale Hennessy the Head of Dining Services will be available to answer questions and take complaints in an open forum.
-Amherst College is offering a policy course over J-term! Non-credit, but still a great opportunity! Follow the link for more information and to register: 
https://www.amherst.edu/campuslife/interterm/courses#Crafting

News Discussion:
-Incarceration was the general theme; is it really the best solution? The BBC reports that the Washington sniper has been executed: 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8352735.stm 
Also, a NY Times article, "Weighing Life in Prison for Youths Who Didn't Kill," reports that over 100 people in the world are serving sentences of life without the possibility of parole for crimes they committed as juveniles in which no one was killed. All are in the United States. Read it here: 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/us/08juveniles.html?_r=1&hp

Policy Proposal Planning:
-Casey is working with the National Office on a preemptive policy analysis, part of her work as an Education Policy Fellow. If you would like to get involved, please email her at malis20c.
-Other members shared their policy proposals. I have again attached the list of what everyone is working on (which went out last week) so if any of those look fun, please don't hesitate to get in contact with those members!

Have a great weekend everyone!

--The Roosevelt Institute at MHC

 Mia's Meeting Minutes 11/9/09 - Update & Election Info

Hello Roosevelters!

Chapter Updates:
-Casey has published a new blog, titled Ongoing Battles to Increase School Attendance Age to Keep Kids in School! Read it here: 
http://www.rooseveltcampusnetwork.org/blog/ongoing-battles-increase-school-attendance-age-keep-kids-school
-Our Policy Workshop from the National Office has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 8th. More information coming.
-Roosevelt is sponsoring a Pakistani Policy Discussion on Thursday, November 19th. More information coming on that as well.
-Emails have been going around for policy proposals for the 10 Big Ideas journals. If you haven't submitted one yet and would like to, please talk to Casey asap!

--The Roosevelt Institute at MHC

---A Note on Elections---

Towards the end of this semester, the Roosevelt Institute at MHC will be holding official elections! Normally, elections will be held once a year at the end of spring semester--but as this is our first year, our first round of elections will be at the end of this semester. Those individuals will serve for the length of the spring semester, at the end of which elections will be held again for the following year.

Please e-mail Alyse Muller at mulle20a for a copy of our Constitution, detailing each position's responsibilities and the requirements to run for each position.

Official positions on the Executive Leadership Team are:
-Executive Director
-Deputy Director
-Administrative Director
-Finance Director
-Policy Director(s)
-Communications Director

If you intend to run for a position, please send an email with your name, the position you are running for, and a short statement about why you would like the position to Alyse Muller at mulle20a by November 25th. Alyse is a member of the Leadership Team, but is not running for a position as she will be abroad next semester. Things will be as fair and impartial as possible!

On November 25th Alyse will send out a list of candidates and their statements by email. Official elections will be held by secret ballot at our meeting on December 3rd. Alyse is the official contact for elections, so please direct any questions to her. Thank you Roosevelters for your attention, and have a great rest of your weekend!

--The Roosevelt Institute at MHC

 Mia's Meeting Minutes 10/22/09 - First Fireside Chat

Hello Roosevelters!

Here are the minutes from our meeting last night.

Announcements:
-EAC's International Day of Climate is tomorrow! Gathe at the Blanchard Lantern tomorrow at 3:30 to show your solidarity.
-Our next Fireside Chat is scheduled for Monday Nov. 2, at 7:00 PM in the Cassani Lounge. Prof. Doug Amy will speak on tools for evaluating policy options. Mark your calendars!
-At the end of this semester, Roosevelt Institute at MHC will be holding official elections. A copy of our Constitution, detailing requirements for positions, will be sent out for your perusal. Something to think about!

Fireside Chat Recap:
-This past Wednesday, we hosted our first Fireside Chat, a smashing success! Prof. Jeremy King led us on in enlightening discussion of the various forms o Affirmative Action. So, what is the political consensus? Four main points:
  1. "Lumping" of policies. There is a broad range of policies within the concept of Affirmative Action, only a small portion of which are discussed in the US.
  2. "No going back." Policies that we don't think of as Affirmative Action today were once controversia (e.g., discussing a job candidate's disabilities).
  3. "Small Potatoes." In the US, Affirmative Action policies really don't have sweeping effects.
  4. "Tokenism." Our current Affirmative Action policies have led to a broadening of class divisions within minority populations.

-Thank you to Prof. King!

Guest Speaker:
-Joining us from the Roosevelt National Office was Tarsi Dunlop! Tarsi is a recent graduate of Middlebury College (a founding chapter of Roosevelt) and the National Network Coordinator. She spoke about opportunities that Roosevelt has to offer, and the process of policy-making. A big thank you to Tarsi!

Next Week's Meeting:
-Next week will be a discussion of the Responsibility Initiative, an attempt to lower the drinking age on college campuses. Bring questions, thoughts an opinions.
-Want to blog on our website, but not sure where to start? Our next meeting will also be a time to kick around ideas, and learn more about resources.

Corrections:
-There was an error in last week's Minutes; it was actually Erin Kvande who brought in the BBC article about world hunger. Apologies Erin!

I hope everyone has a lovely, restful weekend, and enjoy the company of Family and Friends!

--The Roosevelt Institute at MHC

Mia's Meeting Minutes, 10.15 - Internship Panel 

 Hello Roosevelters!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! Here are the minutes from our last meeting.

Announcements:
-The 10 Big Ideas journals are in! These journals are Roosevelt's way of collecting and publishing the best student policy ideas. They will be available at each meeting as well as online!
-The Holyoke Trip that was scheduled for Oct. 16 has been postponed until next Friday. Please email Liz at walsh20e for further details.
-If you would like to purchase a Roosevelt Institute t-shirt, they will be available at each meeting as well as our Blanchard table on Wednesday and Thursday this week, so keep a look-out! Cost is $10.
-Two new blogs have been published on our chapter website: Community Schools in the Spotlight http://www.rooseveltcampusnetwork.org/blog/community-schools-spotlight by Casey Maliszewski, and Same Talking Points, Same Hope http://www.rooseveltcampusnetwork.org/blog/same-talking-points-same-hope by Emily Wazlak. Congratulations to Emily and Casey!
-The first in our Fireside Chat series is this Wednesday, October 21! Please join us in the Clapp Tower Room at 6:00 pm to hear Prof. Jeremy King speak about affirmative action, and the consensus among both sides of the political aisle. (If you don't know where the Tower Room is, please email us!)

News Discussion:
-Imani found a report by the BBC which confirms that more than one billion people, or a sixth of the world's population, are undernourished. What can be done? Read it here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8306556.stm

Internship Panel:
-Emily Wazlak organized a wonderful Internship Panel for us! Several students who have held a variety of policy internships spoke about their experiences and offered advice.
-If you're interested in policy internships, Roosevelt Institute offers a great resource
here: http://www.rooseveltcampusnetwork.org/get-active/opportunities?cat=8Other places to check out include the CDC, Craigslist and MHC Alumnae Networks: 
http://www.alumnae.mtholyoke.edu/find/lifenet.php
-Some advice from our panelists:
--Apply early and often! The more you apply to, the better your chances.
--Pick an internship that will further your goals.
--Be open-minded! You never know what may spark your interest.
--It's not enough to simply have ideals, but be willing to work hard for those ideals.
--Networking is very, very important!

Thank you very much to Kelsey, Lydia, Katie, Kelsey and Casey!!

--The Roosevelt Institute at MHC

Mia's Meeting Minutes 10/8/09 - Guest speaker Ms. Delmarie Griffin-Strong

 Hello Roosevelters!

Introductions and Chapter Updates:
-Roosevelt Institute t-shirts are in! There are a variety of colors and designs, and will be sold at all meetings as well as our Blanchard table the week of October 19th. Only $10, all proceeds go to funding Roosevelt Institute activities here at MHC!
-On October 21, we have booked Professor Jeremy King for a Fireside Chat! It will be held in the Tower Room in Clapp at 6:00 PM. More details to come. Mark your calendars!
-We have also booked Professor Doug Amy for November 2nd! Details to come!
-On Friday, October 16, Liz Walsh has organized a fact-finding mission to Holyoke to gather data on teen pregnancy rates to kick off our policy efforts. Please email her at walsh20e for more info.
-Roosevelt member Erin Kvande has published a blog! "Striving for Comprehensive, Realistic, and Sound Immigration Reform" which can be read here: 
http://www.rooseveltcampusnetwork.org/blog/striving-comprehensive-realistic-and-sound-immigration-reform Congratulations Erin!

News Discussion:
-Imani found an article on the BBC concerned with immigration reform and immigrant detainee healthcare, which are growing concerns. Read the article here: 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8292296.stm

Constitution Vote:
-As a group we reviewed our organization's Constitution. No further alterations were suggested, and a vote was held.
-The Constitution was passed by a vote of 17 to 0. Roosevelt now has an official Constitution!

Special Presentation:
-Ms. Delmarie Griffin-Strong, an experienced legal analyst, spoke to us about her experiences gathering qualitative data on affirmative action, and her work in public policy as a business. It was a great introductory look at careers in public policy. Thank you to Ms. Griffin-Strong!

Next Week's Meeting:
-Our next meeting will be Thursday, October 15th, at 7 PM in Cleveland L1. Emily Wazlak has organized an Internship Panel! Students will discuss their experiences in obtaining public policy internships. Email Emily at wazla20e for more info!

--The Roosevelt Institute at MHC

Mia's Meeting Minutes 10/1/09 - First Policy Training Workshop

Introductions and News Discussion:
-Each week we will begin by discussing something we have heard in the news that relates to public policy. This week Casey mentioned a proposal by a French trade union to institute a suicide tax for companies whose workers commit suicide. Read about it here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113352329&ps=cprs

Senator Elections:
-Senator: Melissa White
-Alternate Senator: Kathleen Zaman
--Congratulations, and thank you both for serving as our representatives in the SGA Senate!

Mission Statement and Constitution:
-As a group we reviewed Roosevelt's Mission Statement and Constitution. Several minor changes were suggested. The documents will be revised and a vote will be held at the next meeting.

Policy 101 Presentation: 
-Policy Director Imani Strong gave a presentation to introduce us all to policy making!
You can find her Powerpoint attached to this email. Highlights include:
1. Clearly define the problem. Start small!
2. Research, and develop a solution based on the evidence.
3. Anticipate alternatives and counter-arguments to your solution.
4. Articulate your message. Keep in mind who is affected by your policy.
5. Roosevelt Institute can help you publish your ideas!

Next Weeks' Meeting:   We will have a special presenter at next week's (October 8th) meeting, with a brief presentation on gathering qualitative data and public policy consulting as a business, followed by a question and answer period. We encourage members to think of questions they might want to ask ahead of time to make the most of the presentation.

We hope to see you at Roosevelt Institute's next meeting on Thursday Oct. 8, at 7:00 PM in Cleveland L1!

Meeting Minutes 9/24/09 - First Meeting

Introduction:
-Roosevelt is a non-profit campus-based network of student think tanks. Members conduct research and write policy proposals regarding pressing political issues facing our nation.
-It was established in 2004 as independent think tanks at Yale and Stanford Universities and now has 85 chapters at campuses across the country.
-We are non-partisan.

Policy Work:
-Roosevelt Institute offers policy training workshops (so you don't need any previous experience!) including researching, writing, and working to enact our policies in government.
-There are numerous opportunities to get published through Roosevelt! This includes our blog, regional and chapter journals, the 10 Big Ideas journal, and more!

Short Term Goals for MHC Chapter:
-Drafting our constitution, mission statement
-Electing officers (at the end of fall semester)
-Policy training
-Establishing our Policy Centers

Long Term Goals:
-Creating our own publication
-Creating a policy course taught by Roosevelt Institute Fellows and Mount Holyoke professors
-Creating a public policy minor or major at Mount Holyoke College
-Holding a regional conference

Important Announcements:
-We need an org senator and alternate senator! If interested, please email Casey (malis20c) and prepare a very short statement about why you want to be senator to present at our next meeting!
-We are looking for anyone interested in blogging on our page! Please contact Casey (malis20c) or Emily (wazla20e) if interested!

Next Week's Meeting:
-Review and vote on the mission statement
-Review and vote on the constitution
-Vote for senators
-Begin Policy 101 training

-Roosevelt Institute at MHC