SUNY New Paltz hosts interactive seminar, DebateWatch during presidential debate

NEW PALTZ — The departments of Communication and Media, Political Science and International Programs at the State University of New York at New Paltz will host a live satellite seminar, titled “MTV and the Campaign for the Youth Vote,” from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30. The seminar will be followed by a “DebateWatch,” a voter education program of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).

The events will be held back-to-back in Lecture Center 100 and are open to the public.

The seminar, on the evening of the first presidential debate, will survey the history of the youth vote, examine the issues young people are concerned about, and assess whether voter mobilization efforts have been successful. The panel will include key figures involved in youth voting and get-out-the-vote efforts, including: Rosario Dawson, actress and cofounder Voto Latino; Ben Ferguson, Bush-Cheney campaign representative; Alexis McGill, executive director of Citizen Change; and Matt Catapano, director of MTV Research & Planning.

The seminar will be followed by a screening of the first presidential debate with a facilitated “DebateWatch.” This program brings citizens together to watch the televised debates, talk about what was learned and, if there is an interest, share their reactions with the CPD.

Nancy Kassop, chair, Department of Political Science, and Patricia Sullivan, chair, Department of Communication and Media, will facilitate the “DebateWatch.”

For more information about the events, contact Kassop at (845) 257-3544 or at kassopn@newpaltz.edu; or Sullivan at (845) 257-3456 or at sullivap@newpaltz.edu.