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Just as campaign activity for candidates running in the Nov. 7 elections is coming to a flurry, so are preparations for Lafayette’s first-ever, undergraduate run, live election broadcast.
Updated: Nov. 8: Election Night Coverage Comes Off Without a Hitch
For the last two months, students have written and produced segments, gone through numerous rehearsals and planning meetings, done a large amount of political research, and basically learned the ins-and-outs of putting together a live television show.
The broadcast, which is called ENvision, is sponsored by the College’s new Policy Studies program, and has been guided by consultants at MBC Teleproductions of Allentown. It will be televised from 9-11 p.m. over the internal campus network on Channel 50, on the Fisher Field jumbo scoreboard, and as a web cast, which can be accessed from the College’s homepage. Off campus, it will run on RCN Channel 4.
In conjunction with the telecast, there will be an election party on the patio outside the production studio in the Wilson Room of Pfenning Alumni Center, where students can watch the telecast and track results. A number of student organizations, such as Holla back, are planning their election events to coincide with the party. Food and heaters will be provided.
According to organizer Mark Crain, Simon Professor of Political Economy and chair of Policy Studies, the broadcast will be presented in a fashion similar to coverage on major television stations. There will be up-to-the-minute tracking of results, predictions, and analysis.
Though, the element that sets this coverage apart will be the huge amount of student interaction. A series of student-produced, pre-recorded segments – focusing on various election topics through interviews, discussions with experts, and original research – will be aired throughout the evening. A handful of students, who have dedicated a great deal of time researching certain topics, will comprise several expert student panels. There will also be live, unscripted “student lounge” discussions where groups of students will talk about results and issues important to campus.
The hosts and co-anchors for the broadcast will be Marquis Scholar Megan Zaroda ’07 (Easton, Pa.), who has an individualized major in political communication, and Jayne Miller ’10 (Bethel, Pa.). Meghan Baker ’07 (Medford, N.J.), an English and government & law double major, is taking on the role of election results anchor and Karen Ruggles ’08 (Easton, Pa.), an English and art double major, is coordinating the event as producer.
“With the election night broadcast, the whole purpose is to reach out to the college campus and bring them questions about government and politics and a new way of viewing the world that has been built around them,” says Ruggles. “It is exciting, because of its proactive nature.”
Christian Dato ’07 (Poway, Calif.), a history and government & law double major, and Amanda Pisetzner ’10 (Puyallup, Wash.) will act as facilitators for the student lounge discussions. These groups will consist of a free wheeling, loosely structured conversation among eight students talking about their views on a range of political issues and reactions to the election results.
“If there was one thing I wanted to change about myself in college, it was to be more politically aware and involved,” says Pisetzner, “I’m excited to be a part of election night. Politics are of interest to me so I’m sure that whatever I end up doing after college, this experience will be a great one to take with me.”
Jeffrey D. Robinson ’80, a senior partner in the law firm of Baach Robinson & Lewis PLLC, Washington, D.C. and a Board Associate to the Lafayette Trustees, has also signed on as a political commentator. His role will be to provide additional analysis, background, and insight, and track key issues as the returns come in.
Besides the on-camera personalities, more than 100 other students and faculty have been involved with ENvision. The pre-recorded segments were created by students in classes taught by Crain; Sharon Jones, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering; Nicole Crain, visiting professor of economics and business; John Kincaid, Meyner Professor of Government and Public Service; and James Lennertz, associate professor of government and law.
One segment entitled “Shaping Young Minds” is the result of a survey comparing the political beliefs of Lafayette faculty with a national faculty survey. The student producers from Mark Crain’s Political Economy class consist of senior economics and business majors Julia Smith (Chatham, Mass); Jason Napierski (New Hope, Pa.); Catherine Miervaldis (Basking Ridge, N.J.), who is also an art major; and Marquis Scholar Christine Burke (Rockville Centre, N.Y.), who is also a psychology major.
Smith stresses the point that not only is ENvision designed to be a high quality production, but it is also a learning experience.
“The issue of colleges and schools being liberal in the classroom has been assumed by many and this was the perfect opportunity to prove this ‘myth’ to be true or false,” she says. “I have learned how time consuming and how challenging such an in-depth process can be. The amount of time and analysis that went into this segment was much more than I had ever expected, but in the end it was all worth it. The results themselves answered many of my questions and assumptions about politics in the classroom.”
Miervaldis believes the broadcast will have an effect on the entire community.
“I think that the election night broadcast will give the surrounding community a look at what Lafayette students are capable of creating,” she says. “Hopefully they will learn something from the political segments.”
A team from Jones’ Introduction to Engineering and Public Policy class produced the video “Nanotechnology in American Life.” These students include A.B. engineering majors Matthew Vanderwall ’08 (Webster, N.Y.), Mike Harakas ’07 (Lakewood, Ohio), and Scott Backus ’07 (Hamilton, N.Y.).
“Nanotechnology is something that will continue to be a very important topic of debate in science and politics in the near future,” says Backus. “There are a lot of really exciting possibilities that could come from nanotech development that could dramatically change our lives.”
Students in Nicole Crain’s First Year Seminar “In The Media” made a video spoofing Mission Impossible to illustrate the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of negative campaigning. Amanda Smith ’10 (Henderson, Nev.), Ziad Foty ’10 (Washington, D.C.), Marquis Scholar Jen Kesilman ’10 (North Wales, Pa.), and Ashley Starodab ’10 (Forked River, N.J.) worked on the project.
“We felt that adding comedic relief to negative campaign ads would allow viewers of all ages to gain a new perspective and new understanding for the election process,” says Foty. “Not only is this movie comedic but it also incorporates serious relevant points that could inspire both younger and older Americans to go to the polls and vote. Our intention in doing this was to show people that one should not base their vote on what they see in negative campaign ads, but rather on how the candidate stands on issues.”
Smith hopes the many topics broached during the broadcast will resonate with the student body.
“These segments help explain aspects of politics that I think many college students are not aware of or don’t understand,” she says. “Hopefully after the broadcast more students will think about the information that was televised and want to learn more about politics.”
Michael Kent ’07 (Ambler, Pa.), a double major in economics & business and government & law, will serve as a live expert on negative campaigning and his research will accompany the segment.
“I’ve always been intrigued by the use of negative advertising in political campaigns,” he says. “In some cases, I think the ads can be entertaining or humorous. Other times, negative ads can be provocative or incendiary. Some though are just excessive or tasteless. Finding the right balance between message and content can produce some very effective and memorable ads that do seem to influence voters.”
Other segments will deal with public transportation in the Lehigh Valley, banning of violent video games, the political power of the Internet, and whether or not Democracy is too old of an ideology to function in the modern world.
“This project was especially beneficial in the fact that it got college students more involved in what’s going on in government, both at the local and federal levels,” says Backus. “It’s very easy to become disconnected from current politics when in college and projects like this will help keep us involved.”