2016 Munro Seminar for Civic Education

The 2016 Munro Seminar for Civic Education was a rousing success. Professor Danny Hayes of George Washington University treated the audience to an engaging and informative keynote, mixing humor with the very sobering message he had to deliver. One of his main take-away messages was that very little changed in terms of actual voting behavior. Several thousand votes in four rustbelt states (Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin); and lower turnout of young Latino and African American voters, seemed to have swayed the election in Donald Trump’s favor. The audience, which nearly filled the Harold an Irene Walton Theatre, included an even mix of students and community members.

The panels over the next two days featured people knowledgeable in their fields and passionate about what they do. Overall the seminar reached over 250 people. Be on the lookout for videos of all presentations on this site, our Facebook page and TVW. Details of the program:

November 14

"The Role of the Media in The Presidential Campaign"

Keynote Address by Danny Hayes

Professor Danny Hayes of George Washington University gave the keynote address for the 2016 Munro Seminar for Civic Education.  His talk, "The Role of the Media in The Presidential Campaign", was held on Monday, November 14 at 7 pm at Mount Baker Theatre in the Harold and Irene Walton Theatre.  Professor Hayes teaches courses on American politics, political communication, and political behavior. A former journalist, his research focuses on how information from the media and other political actors influences the public. He is the co-author of Influence from Abroad: Foreign Voices, the Media, and U.S. Public Opinion (Cambridge University Press, 2013). His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation and has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Political Behavior, Political Communication, and Politics & Gender, among other outlets. He contributes to the Washington Post's blog The Monkey Cage. In 2014 and 2015, The Hatchet named him GW's best professor.

November 15, Panel Presentations

1:15-2:30 Money in Politics and Campaign Finance

Moderator: Paul Dunn, Senior Executive Assistant to President, Western Washington University
Panelists:

  • Alan Durning, Executive Director, Sightline Institute
  • Todd Donovan, Whatcom County Council, Political Science Department, WWU
  • Dann Smith, President of the Washington Policy Center, WWU alumnus

3:00-4:15 Media, Elections and Public Perception

Moderator: Karen Stout, Director, Karen Morse Leadership Institute, Communication Studies Department, WWU
Panelists:

  • Emily Parkhurst, Editor-in-Chief, Puget Sound Business Journal
  • Joel Connelly, Columnist, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  • Peggy Watt, Journalism Department, WWU

November 16, Panel Presentations

1:15-2:30 The Homelessness Crisis

Moderator: Steve VanderStaay, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, WWUfalse

Panelists:

  • Mike Parker, Director of Whatcom Homeless Service Center
  • Walter Zisette, Associate Director, Capitol Hill Housing, Seattle
  • Riannon Bardsley, Executive Director, Northwest Youth Services, Bellingham
  • Debbi Knowles, Snohomish County Office of Community and Homeless Services, WWU alumna

3:00-4:15 Mass Incarceration

Moderator: Vernon Johnson, Munro Institute director, Political Science Department, WWU

Panelists:

  • Brad Klippert, Washington State House of Representatives, 8th Legislative District
  • Brynn Jacobson, King County Prosecuting Attorney/Future Prosecutors for Social Justice
  • Kathleen Kyle, Snohomish County Public Defender Association/Washington Sentencing Guidelines Commission
  • Ron Helms, Sociology Department, WWU
  • Celina Meza, Yoga Behind Bars