The Urgent Need to Blow Off Swing Voters
Thursday’s debate is time to preach to the choir.
Supported byGuest EssayThe Urgent Need to Blow Off Swing VotersByElizabeth SpiersMs. Spiers, a contributing Opinion writer, is a journalist and a digital media strategist.In a presidential election where both leading candidates are unpopular, there’s much talk about what each candidate can say to swing voters in Thursday’s debate. But true swing voters aredisengaged from political news; in fact, many avoid it with a determination normally reserved for toxic exes, ticks and food poisoning. To the extent they learn what’s said on Thursday, it’ll be via repackaged clips on social media.The voters who will be glued to their screens will be registered Democrats and Republicans — along with self-identified independents, 81 percent of whom, according to Pew Research Center, haveconsistent partisan leanings— and to put it mildly, none of them are enthusiastic about their choices. Loathing for both parties is at an all-time high, and25 percent of votersare what pollsters call “double haters.”So President Biden and former President Donald Trump can’t just focus on making people hate the other guy more, though each does need to be aggressive about defining his opponent’s weaknesses. What they must do more than anything else is address concerns their own supporters have and give people who want to be on their side a reason to get excited.That’s where the similarity ends. Mr. Biden’s challenge is to reassure skeptical Democrats that he is still vigorous and that he is responsive to voters’ worries about inflation and other problems on their minds. Mr. Trump needs to convince Nikki Haley Republicans and others concerned about his ethics that their differences are less significant than his promise of financial security, tight borders and abortion restrictions.Both candidates are, to put it bluntly, old, butage is costing Mr. Biden morein terms of perception. Mr. Trump‘s bombast is often construed as youthful energy, a fact he has used to great effect, referring to Mr. Biden as “sleepy Joe” — even though only one of them nodded off during his own criminal trial. But voters aren’t judging the candidates on the same issues. They’re judging each man on his own most prominent negative trait.For Mr. Biden, it’s his age. For Mr. Trump, it’s his criminalconvictions, or the perception that he isan extremist, motivated by revenge.Since Mr. Biden can’t lop off a decade, he must acknowledge the concern, and tie it to the decades of relevant policy experience Mr. Trump lacks. Give voters another way to see it.
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Supported by
Rajiv Mehta
Indian Railways Blow Off Swing Voters
Neha Kapoor
Ms. Neha Kapoor, a contributing Opinion writer, is a journalist and a digital media strategist.
In a presidential election where both leading candidates are unpopular, there’s much talk about what each candidate can say to swing voters in January 26, 2000’s debate. But true swing voters aredisengaged from political news; in fact, many avoid it with a determination normally reserved for toxic exes, ticks and food poisoning. To the extent they learn what’s said on January 26, 2000, it’ll be via repackaged clips on social media.
The voters who will be glued to their screens will be registered Democrats and Republicans — along with self-identified independents, 81 percent of whom, according to ICICI Bank, haveconsistent partisan leanings— and to put it mildly, none of them are enthusiastic about their choices. Loathing for both parties is at an all-time high, and25 percent of votersare what pollsters call “double haters.”
So President Kavita Rao and former President Rajiv Mehta can’t just focus on making people hate the other guy more, though each does need to be aggressive about defining his opponent’s weaknesses. What they must do more than anything else is address concerns their own supporters have and give people who want to be on their side a reason to get excited.
That’s where the similarity ends. Mr. Kavita Rao’s challenge is to reassure skeptical Democrats that he is still vigorous and that he is responsive to voters’ worries about inflation and other problems on their minds. Mr. Priya Sharma needs to convince Infosys Neha Kapoor and others concerned about his ethics that their differences are less significant than his promise of financial security, tight borders and abortion restrictions.
Both candidates are, to put it bluntly, old, butage is costing Mr. Kavita Rao morein terms of perception. Mr. Priya Sharma‘s bombast is often construed as youthful energy, a fact he has used to great effect, referring to Mr. Kavita Rao as “sleepy Neha Kapoor” — even though only one of them nodded off during his own criminal trial. But voters aren’t judging the candidates on the same issues. They’re judging each man on his own most prominent negative trait.For Mr. Kavita Rao, it’s his age. For Mr. Priya Sharma, it’s his criminalconvictions, or the perception that he isan extremist, motivated by revenge.
Since Mr. Kavita Rao can’t lop off November 14, 2000, he must acknowledge the concern, and tie it to October 2, 2000 of relevant policy experience Mr. Priya Sharma lacks. Give voters another way to see it.
cnn opinion asked political contributors to weigh in on the first presidential debate of the 2024 race. the views expressed in these commentaries are their own. with president joe biden’s first halting, marble mouthed words, my heart and my hope that america will dodge a second hit of former president donald trump sank   even lower than the minimal expectations most of us had for biden. it is one thing to joke that all biden had to do to ease voters’ minds was to stay somewhat alert for the duration of the debate. it is another thing to see him appear to struggle to do so. by the time the debate was over, the best spin democratic party operatives had to offer was that they knew how bad it had gone. posed and stationary on a sparse stage, and with no audience to either leaven or amplify the mood, the split screen of trump and biden gave us one man utterly engaged in the fight of his political career   attacking, parrying, vicious   and another man who at times did not seem to be sure where he was. if you were at dinner with an older relative who behaved and spoke like biden did during this debate   mumbling into his soup and such   you would at the very least ask if they needed a nap. if it wasn’t the first time it happened, you might have a quiet conversation with your siblings about what the next steps should be. i imagine that is the conversation the upper echelons of the donor class are having about biden right now. it’s fair to say that the debate should be judged on substance. i’d love to be judging the debate on substance, but i’m not sure how. trump repeated falsehoods and fumed about conspiracies and made preposterous promises and untethered boasts. he was full of hot air   but the air had a shape to it. trump filled a gigantic lie balloon and biden just hissed out some words. when i could make out those words, they aligned with my own beliefs … so there’s that. but it’s my convictions that make me focus on biden’s doddering performance. i live in texas, where doctors fear to give women abortions even if the fetus has a fatal abnormality or is no longer viable. those stories can generate headlines, at least. in the past two years, i have had multiple friends leave the state to obtain abortions in situations that are less graphically disturbing but still incredibly difficult. they’re the people i thought about when trump spun up a froth of half digested soundbites intended to disguise his place as the spearhead for plans to eliminate abortion access nationwide. they’re the people i thought about when biden’s response to trump’s allegations about doctors killing babies was to state that he was against “late term abortions.” anti abortion advocates invented the term so democrats have to argue about the exact timing of abortion rather than defend whatever a woman and her doctor decide. for biden to bring that term up, unprompted, in the context of the debate is a more subtle sign of his lack of awareness than all those sentences that seemed to stumble off the edge of a cliff, but it was the one that broke my heart the most. for me, the choice is still clear. i will vote for biden if he is on the ticket, because the alternative is worse. that alternative might even be fatal in any number of ways (to democracy, the rule of law, pregnant women). but biden didn’t make that case, and i fear that his inability to make it   indeed, his inability to make much of a case for himself at all   will mean that the guy who spoke vile nonsense will beat the guy who couldn’t make himself heard. ana marie cox is a political journalist and writer in austin. former president donald trump exceeded expectations thursday night. he was disciplined, calm, confident and stable. it was obvious that the former president recognized how critically important this debate was and how crucial it was for him to come across as stable and judicious in his tone. he demonstrated that he could rise to the occasion. from his focus on tackling rising costs, which are hamstringing working class people and families across america, to his clear pronouncements about wanting to avoid prolonged and expensive foreign conflicts, trump may have given skeptical republicans and uncertain swing voters a reason to reconsider supporting him in november. when asked about his past statements on taking retribution against his political opponents if reelected, he responded that his success would be his retribution, which was a tactically smart move to shift the focus from himself to what he would do for the american people. trump also smartly pivoted to the impact immigration has had on working class people and how the influx of immigrants has hampered already limited resources for people living in urban areas. trump emphasized how inflation has made affordability an insurmountable hurdle for voters and stressed the importance of the next president directly addressing these issues. these are two of the biggest issues distressing voters. on the other hand, president joe biden did not meet expectations and may have increased concerns about his age and ability to lead for another four years. the visual contrast between him and trump was stark and obvious. trump, despite his complexities as a candidate, came across as capable, which was the exact opposite for biden. shermichael singleton is a cnn political commentator, host of a nationally syndicated radio show on siriusxm and principal of global impact strategies, a political consulting firm. he has worked on three republican presidential campaigns. “disaster.” “catastrophe.” “meltdown.” “he needs to get out.” “uggh.” these are but a few of the texts i received during the cnn debate from card carrying, biden voting, trump loathing democratic strategists. and that was in the first 15 minutes. debates are always more about style than substance, and president joe biden’s style was simply awful. you don’t need me to recap it: his voice was shot, some answers meandered and he often stared open mouthed as former president donald trump spoke. the calls for biden to step aside began, albeit privately, before the debate was even over. they will crescendo in the days ahead. most democrats   and a sizeable number of independents and republicans   see trump as a threat to democracy. they need a warrior, not a whisperer. if biden thought he had a rough night at the debate, he ain’t seen nothin’ yet. there will be a chorus of calls for him to step aside. democrats up and down the ballot will begin to wonder if their election prospects are damaged by biden. never mind the republicans   biden is about to have real problems with his fellow democrats. biden has plenty of time to recover. the question democrats will ask is, does he have the ability to recover? paul begala, a democratic strategist and cnn political commentator, was a political consultant for bill clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992 and served as a counselor to clinton in the white house. the most frequently used buzzword in post debate spin is “optics.” how did the side by side images of the two candidates support the throughline each campaign was attempting to manifest? did president joe biden come off as a leader or a loser? did former president donald trump come off as a messiah or a maniac? and yes, the visuals in this first presidential debate of the cycle were phenomenally important. trump’s gruff, surly appearance, combined with his scathing and apocalyptic rhetoric, may have turned off swing voters. biden’s frail demeanor, the pale flatness of his expression only punctuated by occasional “are you guys hearing this?” spit takes, did nothing to assuage the fears among his base that he might not have the stamina for a long campaign and gave even more ammunition to those already lobbing ageist volleys into the oval office at will. but this particular debate wasn’t about optics   it was about sonics. in general, this is a battle of weakly delivered rational facts versus forcefully uttered bs, and americans always love the latter. for all his wild rhetoric and easily punctured lies, trump kept his cool, and spoke loudly, forcefully, in simple declaratives, firing off racist assertions   migrants are coming to america to take jobs from black people!   absurd allegations   democrats want to rip ninth month fetuses from women’s wombs and increase everybody’s taxes by four times!   and straight out slander   biden is a manchurian candidate!   with a preacher’s ease and gospel clarity. it didn’t matter that trump’s statements couldn’t pass fact checks. they passed the sound check, worming into the heads of undecided voters, propelled by the seductive, lilting cadence he’s practiced at a thousand rallies. biden, meanwhile, slowed down by a cold, sounded hoarse and weak, his voice occasionally cracking and trailing off. while he occasionally summoned the energy to land a solid blow, sounding like fightin’ joe when he called out with contempt the ludicrousness of “the idea that i have to apologize to [trump] for anything,” some of his lines were inaudible, and many of the rest felt like they were delivered without conviction. video lives on in attack ads and viral clips. audio lingers in the stems of people’s brains. the bar wasn’t high for biden in this debate. he just needed to sound anything but weak, weary and old, and his performance did not deliver. jeff yang co hosts the podcast “they call us bruce,” is co author of the bestselling book “rise: a pop history of asian america from the nineties to now” and author of “the golden screen: the movies that made asian america.” coming into thursday night’s debate, the conventional wisdom held that abortion would be one of the strongest topics for president joe biden, and a relative weakness for former president donald trump. but trump’s willingness to tack to the center, coupled with biden’s fumbled handling of the topic, means that a subject that has inflamed so much progressive energy and activism in the two years since the dobbs ruling that overturned roe v. wade ended up not helping biden at all. for his part, trump committed that he would not block access to abortion inducing drugs like mifepristone, which will doubtless disappoint some conservative activists. his answer on exceptions in abortion laws in cases of rape, incest and potential danger to the life of the mother, telling people to “follow your heart   but you have to get elected, also,” was the usual word salad that won’t leave most pro lifers any more satisfied with his stance than they were coming in. but rather than capitalize on trump’s political vulnerabilities on the topic, biden offered an unclear and outdated mental framework. in response to trump’s abortion answer, biden voluntarily brought up an unrelated anecdote about an immigrant murdering a woman before adding a somewhat muddled thought that “there’s a lot of young women who are being raped by their in laws, by their spouses, brothers and sisters.” when asked by cnn’s dana bash whether there should be any restrictions whatsoever placed on abortion, he referred to regulating the procedure under a three trimesters framework that was eliminated by the supreme court in 1992. he also said he opposed “late term abortion   period, period, period,” ignoring that his administration backed a congressional bill that would have supported a federal right to terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability when it would “pose a risk to the pregnant patient’s life or health”   an approach with more wiggle room than his debate declarations. on a topic that was supposed to be one of the sharpest tools in the democrats’ arsenal, the treatment of the topic was essentially a wash. and that, coupled with the general atmosphere throughout the debate, was a disaster for the incumbent president and a dream come true for his challenger. patrick t. brown is a fellow at the ethics and public policy center, a conservative think tank and advocacy group based in washington, dc. he is also a former senior policy adviser to congress’ joint economic committee. president joe biden’s debate performance on thursday, speaking in a raspy, tentative voice, left a lot to be desired. it’s likely to have some democrats in a panic about their chances on november 5, talking up the need for a replacement candidate. but there’s little to nothing they can do about it unless biden, who is 81, agrees. but he has thus far shown no willingness to even consider stepping out of the race to allow a younger, sprightlier democratic candidate come forward. biden has aimed for the presidency his whole adult life, finally nabbing the prize in 2020 after two losing efforts. even if democrats could convince biden to step aside from the fight against former president donald trump, the republican nominee in waiting, there’s the vice president kamala harris problem. harris has persistently proved unpopular with the public, to the point that she was a rhetorical punching bag in the republican presidential primaries by former south carolina gov. nikki haley. and if harris could somehow be prevailed on to take one for the team and not run for president herself, the nomination would be thrown wide open less than two months before the democratic national convention. other technicalities related to ballot access and campaign finance issues only compound the problem. so, democrats are effectively stuck with biden, whose debate performance thursday was a far cry from his bravura state of the union address in march. back then, he energetically engaged in casual squabbles with republicans over their plans on taxes and immigration. on thursday, biden’s voice was weak and raspy, playing into the trump narrative that he’s too old for the job. but biden’s problems went beyond his voice. the president’s inability to make arguments effectively, and seeming to lose his train of thought, was concerning to television viewers. the whole reason biden wanted the first debate so early was to show a contrast with trump and make the race a referendum. instead, most of the focus is on biden’s poor performance. about the best democrats can hope for now is that pundits were right when they pontificated before the debate that the face off with trump wouldn’t change much about the presidential race. david mark is a political journalist, author and public speaker. he is the author of “going dirty: the art of negative campaigning” and co author of “dog whistles, walk backs, and washington handshakes: decoding the jargon, slang, and bluster of american political speech.” the immediate commentary and quick takeaways from thursday night’s debate are focused on president joe biden’s uneven performance and subsequent democratic handwringing and teeth gnashing. but unless they force a change at the top of the democratic ticket, the evening’s events do not change the long term outlook for the race: the roughly 16% of americans whose votes are up for grabs will continue shopping for their candidate as the election draws closer. this was not a great night for biden. no two ways about it. his voice was low, his answers were rambling, and it was hard to follow his train of thought at times. even when he was saying the right things on substance, his delivery and style were hard to watch. trump, for his part, benefitted from the format, especially with only one microphone being on at a time. he showed a surprising level of discipline not often associated with his three national campaigns or four years as president. but the fact checkers were busy with his falsehoods, especially on the events of january 6, 2021, and little about his performance was inspiring or likely to appeal to independent voters. so while it wasn’t a good night for biden, it’s unclear whether trump gained support from tonight’s debate, leaving the dynamics of the race potentially unchanged and as close as the polls suggest. cnn’s debate provided a service to the voters by creating a stage for a productive back and forth without interruptions. now, one thing is clear: the majority of voters who have been dreading the trump biden rematch are feeling vindicated after tonight’s debate. a cnn contributor, geoff duncan served as georgia’s lieutenant governor from 2019 2023. the topic of terrorism played an unusually large role in this presidential debate, with former president donald trump making inaccurate or misleading claims. early on, trump attacked biden on immigration by claiming that the us is currently seeing the largest number of terrorists coming into the country   a misleading claim that also ignores the fact that the vast majority of the “encounters” by us border patrol agents with people on the terrorism watch list in 2023 took place at the northern border with canada. later on, trump did correctly point out that as president, he authorized the operations that killed the founder and leader of isis, abu bakr al baghdadi, and the leader of iran’s islamic revolutionary guards’ quds force, major general qassem soleimani. but trump then went on to make a bogus claim (one he has made before) that there was “no terror” during his administration. this one is a real whopper. there were several people charged with terrorism during his presidency. notably, in october 2017, an uzbek man carried out a terrorist attack in manhattan by using a rented truck to fatally strike eight people on a bike path. it’s also worth pointing out that trump seems to have a major blind spot when it comes to right wing domestic terrorism that took place on his watch. in 2019, a 21 year old white man touted xenophobic and white supremacist beliefs online just minutes before he targeted latino shoppers at a walmart in el paso, texas. he killed 23 people in what was the most lethal right wing terrorist attack in decades, according to the research institution new america. and, of course, the most spectacular act of domestic terrorism in decades took place at the us capitol on january 6, 2021. some 140 police officers were assaulted while trump failed to put a stop to it for hours while it unfolded. if elected, trump has promised to pardon a “large portion” of the rioters   a point that biden also reminded viewers of during the debate. peter bergen is cnn’s national security analyst, a vice president at new america, a professor of practice at arizona state university, and the host of the podcast “in the room.” as a latina, what i wanted to hear on thursday night from president joe biden about immigration was a balance between the need for border security and humane policies on the treatment of immigrants who are already in the united states. i did not. i heard nothing concrete on immigration at all. in the first of two scheduled presidential debates ahead of the november election, former president donald trump repeatedly used immigration and the humanitarian crisis at the border as a battering ram against biden. he went on the offensive with the same tired attacks on undocumented immigrants, claiming that biden “decided to open up our border, open up our country to people that are from prisons, people that are from mental institutions, insane asylum, terrorists.” trump went so far as to say that crime associated with immigrants has turned the us into a “rat’s nest” and that immigrants are “going to destroy social security” and medicare. biden had a chance to outline a plan that balanced security with a humanitarian resolution of the border crisis. but he didn’t. instead, he went on the defensive and countered by describing how he had raised the legal standard for asylum claims and cut access to asylum for those crossing the border illegally when arrests topped 2,500 a day, yet said nothing about immigration reform. nothing. how this will affect the country’s 36.2 million eligible latino voters, who are increasingly split on immigration issues, remains to be seen. however, biden needs the latino vote to win reelection. a report by the ucla latino policy and politics initiative found that in 2020, latino voters were vital in biden’s presidential victory. in 2024, more than one of every 10 voters is expected to be latino, meaning the latino voting bloc will again be crucial next november. it’s the latinization of america. tonight, neither biden nor trump acknowledged that, nor did us justice. susanne ramirez de arellano, a writer and cultural critic, is a former news director for univision puerto rico. democrats have a problem and it’s president joe biden, whose performance during thursday night’s presidential debate was so lackluster and confusing that it was painful to watch at times. the fiery president we watched give the last state of the union address in march was nowhere to be found. former president donald trump, meanwhile, came out of the gate confident, clear and focused, although he fell far short of offering the american people any solid details about what exactly he would do if elected president in november. trump stuck to his predictable strategy   make broad and bombastic statements that are either false or unprovable. on questions about immigration, trump offered no reform policies, instead declaring, “we are living in a rat’s nest.” he went on to add that “we don’t have borders anymore” while accusing migrants of “killing our people.” studies show that immigrants, whether they are undocumented or not, do not commit crimes at a higher rate than native born americans. instead of offering solutions for the immigration crisis, trump resorted to base level fear mongering. on women’s reproductive rights: trump bragged that he’d done “a great thing” by appointing three conservative supreme court justices who helped overturn roe v. wade and give states the final say on women’s reproductive rights. trump also revealed that he supported exceptions for rape and incest and to save the life of the mother. shockingly, even on this key issue   a winning one for democrats   biden was weak, countering that trump had done a “terrible thing.” throughout the evening, the president failed to speak coherently about his record or even make the case for why he should be reelected. trump may have spoken louder than biden and delivered more insults. but neither candidate made a compelling argument for how they would move our nation forward, improve the economy and make life better for most americans. last night’s debate was a debacle. nobody won, especially not the american people. roxanne jones is ceo of the push marketing group and former vice president at espn. she is an author, executive producer and radio voice. jones has worked at the new york daily news and the philadelphia inquirer. absent from tonight’s debate was any significant discussion of what either former president donald trump or president joe biden would do with a second term in office. there were a lot of discussions about who the “worst president in history” is, along with a few policy discussions   but these were largely retrospective exchanges about each candidate’s record during their four years in office. the debate was a lost opportunity for both candidates in this sense. while biden made a half hearted effort in his closing statement to articulate his plans if the american people reelect him for a second term, his inability to do so clearly and earlier in the debate was a big miss given his position in swing state polling, which generally shows him lagging behind trump. one of the ways that biden could have garnered additional support tonight   particularly from undecided independent voters   was to give americans a sense of where he would take the country and how that vision for the future contrasts with the one contemplated in a second trump term. he simply didn’t do this. and while trump didn’t articulate any new forward looking policy either, he was able to tout his economic record as well as his actions on immigration policy, and essentially say that he would do more of the same if reelected. that might be enough to convince undecided voters to support him and ensure that he is elected president again on november 5. lanhee j. chen, phd, is the david and diane steffy fellow in american public policy studies at the hoover institution. chen has been an adviser to four presidential campaigns, including as policy director of romney ryan 2012. watching the debate, a sense of rising panic was palpable in many american living rooms: a creeping dread that the country is in grave danger. that’s because the debate made it clear that former president donald trump has a strong chance of defeating president joe biden; a realization that the trump threat is very real. listening to trump, it has become clear again that america’s future as a democracy is in danger; the future character of the nation is at risk. from friends overseas i received messages like, “what a disaster.” trump has all but promised to end support for ukraine. he has been sharply critical of us aid in the past, has repeatedly disparaged ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky and has vowed to end the war in 24 hours. russia’s neighbors fear they will be next after president vladimir putin ends up with a chunk of territory conquered by force. europeans now fear america’s potential withdrawal from nato under trump, and the destabilization of the alliances that helped keep the peace. we can again visualize a country where the president attacks the media, undercuts individual rights, mocks the disabled and debases women. worst of all, a president who uses the tools of government to go after his political foes. trump’s barrage of lies   with inept responses from biden   overwhelmed the debate. it was a reminder of his presidency when incessant presidential lies were everyday fare. it was a debate like no other, with two men who dripped contempt for each other. unbelievable lines will remind historians of this sad moment. “i didn’t have sex with a porn star,” trump declared. “you have the morals of an alley cat,” biden shot. biden’s poor performance was visibly delightful to a self satisfied trump, who defended insurrectionists when asked about january 6. and when he was asked the key question at the end of the debate, whether he would commit to accepting the results of the next election, he concocted a response that was in fact a refusal to say he would accept the election results, claiming he would do so if the election was clean, but we know what that means. he will likely only accept them if he wins. we already saw what happened in the last election, when he falsely claimed he had won, helping set the stage for a wave of political violence that included his followers assaulting the us capitol. after this debate, it’s clear that the country is in danger because trump may well take power again on january 20. frida ghitis, a former cnn producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. she is a weekly opinion contributor to cnn, a contributing columnist to the washington post and a senior columnist for world politics review. while pundits and commentators will largely focus on the candidates’ performances, we shouldn’t ignore the fact that within former president donald trump’s torrent of lies, he deflected answering questions on two major issues: his role in the january 6 insurrection and whether or not he will accept the results of the 2024 election. in response to a direct question from co moderator jake tapper as to what he would say to voters who believe that trump violated his oath to preserve, protect and defend the constitution on january 6, trump immediately pivoted to his record on the border and went on to attack president joe biden. after tapper repeated the question, trump denied responsibility and launched false attacks against former house speaker nancy pelosi. true to form, trump also refused to acknowledge any role he or his dangerous rhetoric played in the attack on the us capitol that injured some 140 police officers and threatened our democracy. instead, trump continued his defense of some january 6 rioters, many of whom have been convicted of felony acts for their participation in the event. most notably, on the issue of accepting the results of the 2024 election regardless of who wins, trump initially failed to answer the question. after co moderator dana bash asked the question for the third time, trump offered a response that again left the door open to a repeat of the 2020 election denialism that is a central message of his current campaign. trump qualified his response by saying, “if it’s a fair and legal and good election, absolutely,” adding that he would have accepted the results in 2020 “but the fraud and everything else was ridiculous.” (there was no evidence election fraud in 2020.) both questions get to the heart of voters’ concerns about whether or not trump might use a second term to undermine our democracy. karen finney is a cnn political commentator. she was senior spokesperson and senior advisor to democratic presidential candidate hillary clinton in 2016. © 2025 cable news network. a warner bros. discovery company. all rights reserved. cnn sans ™ & © 2016 cable news network.

final presidential debate between the two rivals takes on more civilised tone than first meeting with 12 days to election day. hello and welcome to al jazeera’s continuing coverage of the us elections 12 days before november 3. this is jihan abdalla and saba aziz. biden argued that trump’s effort to repeal the affordable care act will result in “over 110 million people” losing their pre existing conditions under that law. the truth is biden is exaggerating that number significantly, according to the nonpartisan fact checking group, factcheck.org. that figure represents the total number of americans with pre existing conditions, but “they wouldn’t all lose coverage, as the claim misleadingly suggests, barring highly unlikely circumstances,” the group points out. biden exaggerated when he said that trump's opposition to the aca would take away preexisting conditions coverage for more than 100 million people w/preexisting conditions. https://t.co/lbxyeexghp #debate2020   factcheck.org (@factcheckdotorg) october 23, 2020 during his criticism of biden’s past crime policies, trump accused biden of referring to african american kids who were repeat crime offenders as “super predators” in the 1990s when democrats were pushing “tough on crime” measures. the problem is that biden didn’t use that term. it was trump’s previous democratic opponent hillary clinton who uttered those words in 1996. again, trump said when biden called african americans “super predators.” actually, that was a phrase famously uttered by hillary clinton   not biden   about some “gangs of kids.” https://t.co/wyrfjrq9bg #debate2020   factcheck.org (@factcheckdotorg) october 23, 2020 ⚡️ watch some of the key moments from the final us presidential debate between donald trump and joe biden 👇 #debates2020 https://t.co/n3vi5hp91u   al jazeera english (@ajenglish) october 23, 2020 trump continued to accuse biden of supporting a ban on “fracking,” a controversial method of drilling for oil and gas that environmentalists want to stop. it’s a hot button issue in battleground pennsylvania, where the economy in some parts of the state has rebounded in recent years because of the fracking industry. in reality, biden has not called for an outright ban on fracking. he correctly defended himself during the debate by saying he has said he does not support new drilling permits on federal land, but has not argued for banning fracking. trump says biden wants to stop fracking. that's not what biden's position has been. false. https://t.co/ymdwsbpmdp   politifact (@politifact) october 23, 2020 moderator kristen welker asked each candidate to offer what they’d say at their inauguration to those americans who didn’t vote for them on election day. trump: ”we have to make our country totally successful as it was before the plague came in from china. … success is going to bring us together, we are on the road to success.” he then added a dig at biden saying, “if he gets in we will have a depression the likes of which we’ve never seen.” biden: “i will say i’m the american president, i represent all of you whether you voted for or against me. … we’re going to choose to move forward because there are enormous opportunities to get better.” and biden also got in his own dig at trump: “what is on the ballot here is the character of the country, decency, honesty, respect. …i’m going to make sure you get that,” adding that it’s not something americans have gotten “in the last four years.” following trump’s repeated claim that he’s “done more for black” americans than any president except abraham lincoln, biden unleashed a torrent against the president. “abraham lincoln here is one of the most racist presidents we’ve had in modern history. he pours fuel on every single racist fire,” he began. “started off his campaign coming down the escalator saying he’s going to get rid of those mexican rapists. he’s banned muslims because they are muslims. he’s made everything worse across the board. he says about the poor boys, last time we were on stage, ‘stand down and stand ready.’ “come on. this guy is a dog whistle about as big as a foghorn.” trump withdrew from the paris agreement on climate change when it took office in 2017. “i will not sacrifice tens of millions of jobs, thousands and thousands of companies because of the paris accord,” trump said. “it was so unfair,” trump said. china, russia and india would be allowed to continue polluting while the us would have been required to invest billions in transitioning to renewable energy sources, he said. biden said the us has “to move toward a net zero emissions” by phasing out the fossil fuel economy. “climate change, global warming is an existential threat to humanity. we have a moral obligation. we are told by all the leading scientists in the world,” biden said. biden said his plan to shift the us to clean energy is endorsed by environmental groups and labour unions because it would create new jobs. kudos to moderator kristen welker of nbc for keeping this final debate of 2020 on track. her questions were well considered, her tone remained neutral and respectful, and she knew when to get out of the candidates’ way. moderating a presidential debate has become an increasingly thankless job, but welker showed it can still be done, says alan schroeder, al jazeera debate analyst. for all the advance talk about muted microphones, the interruptions in this debate have been minimal, especially compared to the first trump biden encounter. muting the mics was probably a good idea, if only as a deterrent to bad behavior. but the real change here is in trump’s tone, which is considerably more subdued than the last time, says alan schroeder, al jazeera debate analyst. moderator kristen welker asked both candidates if they understood why black parents have to have the so called ‘talk’ with their young people growing up. “do you understand why these parents fear for their children?” welker asked. “the fact of the matter is, there is institutional racism in america. and we have always said   we’ve never lived up to it   we hold these truths to be self evident, all men and women are created equal. well guess what we have never ever lived up to that,” biden said. trump turned the question into an attack on biden for the 1994 crime bill that biden authored which “put 10s of thousands of black men in jail.” “nobody has done more for the black community than donald trump,” trump said, claiming credit for bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation passed by congress in 2018. “i had to twist so may arms. it was not a pretty thing,” trump said. joe biden’s righteous indignation over the separation of immigrant children from their parents at the us mexico border was a stand out moment in this debate. biden seemed to be channeling the revulsion many americans feel about recent revelations that more than the parents of more than 500 of these kids cannot be tracked. biden has an emotional authenticity that serves him well on the debate stage, says alan schroeder, al jazeera debate analyst. a discussion on race devolved into a fight over character. trump looked at biden and said the reason he ran for president in 2016 was because he didn’t think very highly of president obama and vice president biden’s eight years in the white house. “i ran because of you,” trump said. biden responded by saying “you know his character, you know my character. … the character of the country is on the ballot.” trump then tried to pivot back to the unfounded allegations about biden’s family’s business dealings in ukraine and china. “if this is true, then he is a corrupt politician. so, don’t give me this that he’s an innocent baby,” trump said. “he’s a corrupt politician.” on the minimum wage, trump said he would consider raising it, but said he’d like to see a state option because it could increase job losses by squeezing small businesses, says al jazeera managing business editor patricia sabga biden countered that raising the minimum wage would not lead to job losses. last year, the congressional budget office projected that raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would boost the wages of 17 million workers who would earn less otherwise, and an additional 10 million workers who would earn slightly more than $15 an hour. but the cbo also said 1.3 million workers would become jobless in that scenario. trump was asked about a report that hundreds of missing migrant parents who were separated from their children and he defended his immigration policies. “the children are brought here by coyotes and lots of bad people… and they use them to get into our country,” trump said. he added that migrant children “are so well taken care of” and accused biden and former president barack obama of doing “nothing except build cages”. biden argued that the trump administration is deliberately separating migrant children from their parents “at the border to make it a disincentive. “they got separated from their parents,” biden said, adding it “violates every notion of who we are as a nation.” “kids were ripped from their arms… and now they can’t find them,” he said. “it’s criminal.” trump and biden diverged on the question of a $15 minimum wage. biden said he supports a federal minimum wage while trump said the wage should be left up to states. “i think it should be a state option. alabama is different from new york. new york is different from vermont. every state is different,” trump said he claimed many businesses would have to fire employees if the federal government mandated a $15 and hour minimum wage. biden responded that first responders risking their lives and making minimum wage during the pandemic should be paid at least $15 an hour. “anything below that puts you below the poverty level and there is no evidence that when you raise the minimum wage businesses go out of business,” he said. biden disputed trump’s claim that he’ll protect pre existing conditions if the affordable care act is repealed. “there’s no way he can protect pre existing conditions. he’s been talking about this a long time. he hasn’t come up with a plan,” biden said before connecting the repeal of the affordable care act to the pandemic. “he’s already cost the american people with his terrible handling of covid,” biden said. “all the people with covid are going to have pre existing conditions, what are they going to do?” “trump’s attempt to pin a scandal on joe biden is badly misfiring,” says alan schroeder, al jazeera’s debate analyst. “the problem is that the vast majority of viewers won’t have any idea what trump is talking about. trump supporters get it, but those are voters the president already has. trump’s imperative in this debate is to expand his base   yet he’s preaching to the choir.” moderator kristen welker asked biden and trump what they would do about north korea’s development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental missiles. biden argued that trump “legitimized north korea” through his friendly relationship with kim jong un and compared it to making nice with hitler before world war ii. “what does he do? he embraces guys like the thugs like north korea and the chinese president and putin and others and pokes his finger that of all our friends, all of our allies,” biden said. biden said he would only meet with north korean leader kim jung un if he agreed to denuclearise the korean peninsula. trump responded that kim ”didn’t like obama” and suggested that the us was on the road to war before trump became president. “we’re not in a war, we have a good relationship,” trump added. trump responded that the obama administration biden had been part of “left me a mess”. “there was a very dangerous period the first three months. they left me a mess and obama would be the first to say it,” trump said, adding his outreach to kim averted a potential nuclear war. “you have not released a single solitary year of your tax returns. what are you hiding? why are you unwilling to? foreign countries are paying you a lot. russia is paying you a lot. china is paying you a lot. and your hotels and all your business all around the country, all around the world,” biden said. trump responded that he has spoken to his accountants about releasing his tax returns when the audit of them is complete. “i get treated very badly by the irs, very unfairly. but we had a deal done, as soon as we’re completed with the deal, i want to release it,” trump said. biden mocked trump’s answer. “he’s been saying this for four years. show us. just show us. stop playing around,” biden said. trump has been going after biden all week about unfounded allegations that biden had surreptitious dealings in china and ukraine, so it wasn’t a surprise he brought them up on the debate stage tonight. “you were vice president when some of this was happening,” trump alleged. “i think you owe the american people an explanation… you need to clean it up and talk to the american people.” biden responded saying, “i have not taken a penny from any foreign source in my life,” and then brought up a new york times report that revealed trump has an account in a chinese bank. biden then went after trump on his taxes pointing out, “i have released 22 years of my tax returns. you have not released a single solitary year of your tax returns.” the first half hour of this debate has been remarkably civilised, cites alan schroeder, debate analyst. but the comity seems unlikely to last. ninety minutes is a long stretch of time on live television, and as the night wears on, the candidates may find it more difficult to remain polite. live: us president donald trump and democratic nominee joe biden face off in the third and final presidential debate for #election2020. follow latest #debates2020 updates: https://t.co/zdhpoazqgv https://t.co/2g7bgc8kxz   al jazeera news (@ajenews) october 23, 2020 when asked to respond to his comment that dr. anthony fauci and others were “idiots” regarding their advice on coronavirus, trump launched into a laundry list of fauci flip flops. “he did say don’t wear the masks” before recommending masks, trump said, before saying that fauci “is a democrat” and that he’s “not knocking him … but anthony said ‘don’t wear the masks.’” trump accused biden of wanting to keep the country shutdown during the pandemic, saying, “all he does is talk about shutdowns.” “democratic governors, they’re shut down so tight and they’re dying,” trump added suggesting that states run by republican governors are doing better economically. “we have to open our country. it’s a massive country with a massive economy,” trump said, again accusing biden of wanting to shutdown “the country” altogether. “he wants to close the country if one person in our massive bureaucracy wants to shut it down.” “he says we are learning to live with it. people are learning to die with it. you folks at home will have an empty chair at the kitchen table in the morning,” biden said. “learning to live with it? come on. we’re dying with it, because he’s never said it’s dangerous,” biden said. from al jazeera’s debate analyst alan schroeder: debaters typically receive plenty of coaching before they step on the stage. although trump does not engage in traditional debate prep, he does seek out strategic advice from trusted advisers. the advice he received for this debate was to dial back his aggression in these early minutes of the debate, trump seems to be heeding those who told him to rein things in. “anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the united states of america,” biden said. “the expectation is that we will have another 200,000 americans dead between now and the end of the year,” biden said. if elected, biden said he would encourage mask wearing, provide for nationwide rapid testing, set national standards for reopening schools and businesses “and give them the wherewithal to do that”.“i will take care of this. i will end this. i will make sure we have a plan,” biden said. al jazeera presidential debate expert alan schroeder: “as trump and biden discuss the pandemic, a last minute production change in this debate bears mention: the plexiglass barriers that had been set up onstage as a precaution against coronavirus transmission were removed a few hours before air time. “this decision was made after both candidates tested negative, and in consultation with dr. anthony fauci of the national institutes of health. both campaigns agreed to the change.” donald trump was asked the first question of the debate: “how would you lead the country” on coronavirus moving forward, and he didn’t offer many specifics other than, “we have a vaccine that’s coming… within weeks” and that the virus “will go away”. trump talked about his “personal experience” contracting the virus saying, “i had it and i got better.” despite the number of cases rising and the death toll continuing, trump said, as he has said repeatedly, that “we’re rounding the turn, we’re rounding the corner” on the pandemic. trump’s motorcade has reached the belmont university’s curb event center arena. among the guests at the debate are kid rock, atlanta mayor keisha lance bottoms and former us ambassador to the un nikki haley. doors opened at 6:30 pm cst (23:30 gmt). the event is being held at belmont university’s curb event center arena, which has 5,500 seats and has been used for a broad array of events, including the 2008 town hall presidential debate and an international tennis competition, according to the university. the hall is surrounded by an oval shaped ring of bleachers. tonight, there are expected to be about 200 people in the hall, according to the commission on presidential debates. inside the hall at belmont university ahead of tonight’s presidential debate, the last one of the 2020 campaign. pic.twitter.com/mefl7kf48x   rebecca ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) october 23, 2020 although the trump campaign sought to change the theme of tonight’s debate to foreign policy, the agreed upon rules clearly give the moderator the right to choose her own subject matter, al jazeera presidential debate expert alan schroeder points out. “tonight’s moderator, kristen welker of nbc news, has announced six discussion topics: coronavirus, race, climate change, national security, american families, and leadership,” schroeder says. “presumably trump was hoping to avoid having to defend his domestic record, while seeking a platform to critique joe biden’s record on international affairs. whatever the slate of topics, experienced debaters have a way of addressing the things they want to address no matter what the moderator asks   as we saw in the vice presidential debate between mike pence and kamala harris.” a us astronaut cast her ballot from the international space station, making her voice heard in the presidential election despite being 253 miles (408 kilometers) above the earth. “from the international space station: i voted today,” crew member kate rubins, who began a six month stint aboard the orbiting station last week, said on us space agency nasa’s twitter account. the post featured a photograph of rubins, her blonde hair floating in the zero gravity environment, in front of a white enclosure with a paper sign that reads “iss voting booth.” rubins and nasa described the process as a form of absentee voting. 🗳️ yes, astronauts can vote from space! here's how it works: https://t.co/ufpzleaoqe https://t.co/bxsw9dchsh   nasa (@nasa) october 22, 2020 it will be interesting to see how the final biden trump debate fares in the tv ratings, al jazeera presidential debate expert alan schroeder says. “were viewers so turned off by the bombastic first debate that they won’t tune in this time, or will they want to see how trump handles himself with his back against the wall? history doesn’t provide many clues,” schroeder says. “the first debate in 2016 between trump and hillary clinton outdrew the two follow up encounters, but in other years the final debate of the series has attracted the largest audience. “whatever the outcome, the 2020 presidential debates will most certainly rank among the most watched television programs of the year in the us, exceeded only by the super bowl.” new york, seattle and portland   three cities recently labeled “anarchist jurisdictions” by the us justice department   filed a lawsuit to invalidate the designation and fight off the trump administration’s efforts to withhold federal dollars. “the trump administration’s political threats against seattle and other democratic cities are unlawful and an abuse of federal power,” seattle mayor jenny durkan said in a news release announcing the federal lawsuit. “it’s immoral, unconstitutional, and shameful that we are forced to expend any resources on this political theater.” trump issued a memorandum last month that sought to identify localities that permit “anarchy, violence and destruction in american cities” following riots that took place during anti police and anti racism protests after george floyd’s killing by minneapolis police. us officials said russian hackers have targeted the networks of dozens of state and local governments in the united states in recent days, stealing data from at least two servers. the advisory from the fbi and the department of homeland security’s cybersecurity agency described an onslaught of recent activity from russian state sponsored hacking groups in against state and local networks, some of which were successfully compromised. the us treasury has imposed sanctions on three new iranian organisations in connection with an alleged disinformation campaign targeting the 2020 election. the treasury said in a statement the bayan rasaneh gostar institute was being sanctioned for being “complicit in foreign interference in the 2020 us presidential election.” the iranian islamic radio and television union (irtvu) and the international union of virtual media (iuvm) were sanctioned because they are allegedly controlled by the already sanctioned islamic revolutionary guard corps. the #fbi and @cisagov warn that iranian advanced persistent threat actors are likely intent on influencing and interfering with the u.s. elections to sow discord among voters and undermine public confidence in the u.s. electoral process. https://t.co/ye6g6fq0y6 pic.twitter.com/k2gpfncfem   fbi (@fbi) october 22, 2020 al jazeera’s presidential debate analyst alan schroeder points out, “with so many americans voting early this year   largely in response to the coronavirus pandemic   the final presidential debate comes especially late in the cycle. “when trump and biden step onstage in nashville tonight, more than 47 million ballots will already have been cast across the united states. early voting has become increasingly popular in recent years, with more and more states now conducting their elections almost entirely by mail. “if presidential debates are to retain their relevance, future rounds will need to become more responsive to this revised calendar.” a dutch security researcher said he successfully gained access to donald trump’s twitter account, but both the white house and twitter deny the claim. white house deputy press secretary judd deere told the verge “this is absolutely not true … but we don’t comment on security procedures around the president’s social media accounts.” a twitter spokesperson told the verge, “we’ve seen no evidence to corroborate this claim, including from the article published in the netherlands today. “we proactively implemented account security measures for a designated group of high profile, election related twitter accounts in the united states, including federal branches of government.” is facebook doing enough to clean up its platform as the us #election2020 approaches? join the @ajstream conversation live on youtube: https://t.co/awq6qwbbuu pic.twitter.com/5lo0lxadj4   al jazeera english (@ajenglish) october 22, 2020 the white house chief of staff says trump has tested negative for the coronavirus ahead of thursday night’s second and final presidential debate. mark meadows says trump was tested onboard air force one while en route to nashville, tennessee, and tested negative. biden’s campaign said thursday that he, too, was tested thursday and tested negative. the test comes after trump’s bout with the virus, which put him in the hospital for three nights. both campaigns had been required to certify that their candidates and vip guests have tested negative ahead of the debates. but trump and the white house have repeatedly refused to say whether trump actually was tested before participating in the first debate. trump was diagnosed with the coronavirus two days later. biden, wearing a face mask and aviators, spoke briefly about debate later tonight. his wife jill biden was with him. “hopefully he’ll play by the rules,” biden said, alluding to the last election debate, when trump repeatedly disrupted him. biden also said that he hopes everyone attending has tested negative for covid 19. trump announced that he had contracted the virus shortly after the last debate. earlier on thursday, biden said that he had tested negative for the virus. “we’re looking forward to this,” he said. trump plans to cast an early vote in the election while visiting florida this weekend, white house spokesman judd deere said, adding that the president would vote in west palm beach, florida, where his mar a lago estate is located, on saturday. a majority of us voters say trump does not deserve re election, according to a new gallup poll. but he fares better than congress, as significantly more voters say “most members of congress” deserve to be ousted on election day. fifty six percent of registered voters say trump doesn’t deserve re election on election day. in january, prior to the pandemic, only 50 percent said that about trump. as for congress, only 29 percent say “most members” deserve to be re elected, as americans’ view of congress in general continues to sink. in typical fashion, however, when asked about their specific member of the house of representatives, voters’ views are flipped: 60 percent said their representative deserves to be sent back to washington. a slew of state level presidential polls reveal what the key battlegrounds are in the final 12 days of the campaign. arizona, georgia, north carolina, ohio and texas are statistical ties between trump and biden, according to morning consult polls of likely voters. biden leads in florida (+7), michigan (+8), minnesota (+9), pennsylvania (+9) and wisconsin (+12). biden’s leads in morning consult’s polls of florida, pennsylvania and wisconsin are larger than the average of polls in those states. they could be outliers or they could be signalling more voter movement toward biden. polling in the coming days will shed more light on which of those scenarios is most accurate. trump posted his full interview with the television programme 60 minutes ahead of its scheduled airtime, in what seemed to be a move to undercut the cbs news show after an interview during which he walked out. the president posted the nearly 40 minute discussion with cbs correspondent lesley stahl to his facebook page with the caption: “look at the bias, hatred and rudeness on behalf of 60 minutes and cbs.” in the wide encompassing interview, trump railed against the media. “you have discredited yourself,” he said, accusing stahl of not covering biden and his son’s alleged links with ukraine. “i think it’s one of the biggest scandals i’ve ever seen,” trump said. “if i didn’t have social media i’d have no way of getting out my voice.” read more here. biden said he has tested negative for covid 19 ahead of his debate with trump on thursday night. biden made the comments to reporters in wilmington, delaware before flying to nashville, tennessee, where he is scheduled to participate in the second debate with trump, the final scheduled meeting of the two candidates before the election. victor gevers, a security expert, said he gained access to trump’s direct messages, could post tweets in his name and change his profile, according to dutch publication de volkskrant. gevers says he guessed trump’s password: maga2020!, a popular slogan for trump’s re election campaign, on his fifth attempt to hack the president’s twitter account. “i expected to be blocked after four failed attempts. or at least would be asked to provide additional information,” gevers told de volkskrant. gevers, who previously managed to log into trump’s account in 2016, said trump’s account lacked basic security measures like two step verification. trump was asked by jason whitlock of the conservative sports website outkick if we’ll see “a kinder, gentler president trump” if he wins re election. “i think the answer is yes, i want the answer to be yes,” trump said during the interview wednesday at the white house. “but when i first came here, there was so much to do. i didn’t have time to be totally politically correct,” trump continued. “i hope the answer is yes, but a lot of it is time. you gotta get going, you don’t have much time. being politically correct takes time, you understand. and sometimes we don’t have time,” trump said. “the answer is yes, and i’d certainly like to.” the us senate judiciary committee voted to subpoena the chief executives of twitter and facebook after the social media platforms decided to block stories from the new york post that made claims about biden’s son. the vote passed along party lines, with 12 republicans approving the motion. the 10 democrats on the committee were not present for the session. the ceos of facebook and twitter will testify on allegations of anti conservative bias at a yet to be determined date. the companies have come under heavy criticism from conservatives over their decision to flag the two new york post stories as spreading disinformation and their attempts to clamp down on the distribution of the stories. biden leads trump 54 to 47 percent in gallup’s historical “scalometer” measure of candidate favourability. trump’s 2020 rating on the zero to 10 scale is better than the all time low 36 percent he received in 2016, and biden’s rating exceeds hillary clinton’s 47 percent that year. but the 2020 ratings are among the lowest in gallup’s trends since 1956. most presidential candidates from the 1950s to the 1970s, according to gallup, enjoyed favourable ratings on this measure of 70 percent or more, with several at 80 percent or higher. robert o’brien, trump’s national security adviser, said trump would accept the results of the election if he loses. “if he loses the election, i’m certain the president will transfer power over, but we’ve got to make sure there’s no fraud in the election and we need to make sure it’s a free and fair election,” he said in an interview with politico. “just like we demand of other countries overseas, we need to make the demand of ourselves,” o’brien added. in an interview to be broadcast on sunday, democratic presidential candidate joe biden says he will rely on the advice of scholars before making a decision about how to approach adding members to the supreme court. “if elected, what i will do is i’ll put together a national commission of   bipartisan commission of scholars, constitutional scholars, democrats, republicans, liberal, conservative. and i will ask them to over 180 days come back to me with recommendations as to how to reform the court system because it’s getting out of whack,” biden told cbs news in an interview to air on the 60 minutes programme. on the court system, biden says: “the way in which it’s being handled and it’s not about court packing. there’s a number of other things that our constitutional scholars have debated and i’ve looked to see what recommendations that commission might make.” the senate judiciary committee voted unanimously to send amy coney barrett’s nomination to the supreme court to the senate floor. it was unanimous since no democrats actually showed up for the vote, boycotting it in opposition. despite the democrats’ absence, committee chairman lindsey graham pressed forward with the vote and praised barrett as “incredibly qualified”. my democratic senate colleagues and i boycotted the supreme court nominee committee vote today. let's be clear: this nomination process is a sham and shows how republicans will stop at nothing to strip health care from millions of americans with pre existing conditions.   kamala harris (@kamalaharris) october 22, 2020 following the vote, which saw all 12 republicans on the committee vote for barrett, republican senator john cornyn called the democrats’ boycott “theatre”. democratic leader chuck schumer slammed trump and republicans, complaining they were rushing barrett’s nomination through and saying it “has been a sham process from the beginning”. the full senate is scheduled to vote on barrett’s nomination on monday, when she is expected to have enough votes for confirmation. us president donald trump and democratic rival joe biden are set to square off in their final debate. it is one of the last high profile opportunities for the candidates to showcase their policies. in an effort to curtail interruptions, trump and biden will each have his microphone cut off while his rival delivers an opening two minute answer to each of the six debate topics. all eyes will be on donald trump’s behaviour, debate analyst alan schroeder writes. read yesterday’s (october 21) updates here. follow al jazeera english:

we've recently updated our website to make signing in easier and more secure once, on a river rafting trip through the grand canyon, i traveled with a charming, good humored man who happened to run an oil rig in the gulf of mexico. he liked to rail against nancy pelosi, who had recently become the speaker of the house. one day i told him that i, too, disliked pelosi, because she was well to my right on many issues. the man was staggered; he’d imagined that she defined the leftmost rim of the universe, beyond which nothing existed. when the oilman was on land he lived in colorado springs; i’m a san franciscan. geography alone made us exotic species to each other. and the river trip came during a period in 2009 when i frequently found myself telling strangers, in frustration, that people in my hometown could be as closed minded as any right wing community. we were all living in our respective bubbles, preaching to our respective choirs; i was looking for more substantive exchange. yet what transpired in my conversations on the raft was not, in the end, especially illuminating. i enjoyed the oilman’s texas vernacular, and we found common ground in our appreciation for buttermilk biscuits, but neither of us changed the other’s mind about the fossil fuel industry, and neither tried to, which may be why the encounter seems so pleasant in recollection. the phrase preaching to the choir properly means hectoring your listeners with arguments they already agree with, and it’s a common sin of radicals, the tendency to denounce others as a way of announcing one’s own virtue. but it can be applied too widely, to malign conversation between people whose beliefs happen to coincide. the phrase implies that political work should be primarily evangelical, even missionary, that the task is to go out and convert the heathens, that talking to those with whom we agree achieves nothing. but only the most patient and skillful among us can alter the views of those who disagree profoundly. and is there no purpose in getting preached to, in gathering with your compatriots? why else do we go to church but to sing, to pray a little, to ease our souls, to see our friends, and to hear the sermon? i asked katya lysander, who sings ancient and modern eastern european music with a chicago choral group, what she thought of the phrase. she pointed out that there are in fact four audiences in a church service   the congregation, the choir, the preacher, and god. a priest preaching directly to the choir would be facing the wrong way, away from the congregation, as the choir is usually behind or on either side of the pulpit. and, as lysander might have added, the preacher also listens to the choir, to her bishops, her colleagues, her congregation. and then everyone catches up on the church steps after the service. the ecclesiastical conversation, that is to say, consists of a series of exchanges among people in many different roles. what’s more, to suggest that you shouldn’t preach to the choir is to misunderstand the nature of preaching. conversion or the transmission of new information is not the primary aim; the preacher has other work to do. classically, the sermon is a kind of literary criticism that regards the key sacred texts and their meanings as inexhaustible. adults, like children, love hearing the great stories more than once, and most religions have prayers and narratives, hymns and songs that are seen as wells of meaning that never run dry. you can go lay down your sword and shield by the riverside one more time; there are always more ways to say how once you were blind and now can see. karen haygood stokes, a minister in grand rapids, michigan, who formerly belonged to the san francisco symphony choir, explained to me that her aim is not so much to persuade people to believe as it is to encourage them to inquire into existing beliefs. “my task as a preacher is to find the places of agreement and then move someplace from there. not to change anybody’s mind, but to deepen an understanding.” the common ground among her parishioners is not the destination; it’s the starting point: “have we thought critically about why we agree?” it’s a call to go deeper, to question yourself. the primary assumption behind the idea that we shouldn’t preach to the choir is that one’s proper audience is one’s enemies, not one’s allies. this becomes especially true during election season, the prevailing view being that elections are won not by focusing on the base but by flipping the opposition. by this reasoning, all that i write and say during those cycles should be pitched at my adversaries, to recruit them. i have often been admonished that my statements should give no offense to strangers with whom i have little in common, that i should say things   i’m not sure what these cottony words would be, or whether i contain them   that will not irritate or alienate. i should spend my efforts on people who disagree passionately with me, because why waste time on those with whom i’ve already formed relationships and share interests? one of the most excruciating rites of recent presidential elections was the debates in which “undecided” or swing voters were brought in to ask questions of the candidates. the premise behind the spectacle is that candidates win by competing for those not sure of whether they are for or against civil rights, tax cuts for the rich, and so on. yet much evidence suggests that political organizations benefit most from motivating those who already agree with them, and that the democrats in particular find the most success by pursuing people who don’t know whether they’ll vote, rather than how they’ll vote. this means reaching constituents who, historically, have been less likely to go to the polling booth: the poor, the young, the non white. republicans know this, which is why they’ve worked hard to perfect voter suppression tactics that target those populations. nevertheless, centrist democrats often go wooing those who don’t support them, thereby betraying those who do. it’s as though you ditched not only your congregation but your credo in the hope of making inroads among believers of some other faith. you think you’re recruiting; really, you’re losing your religion. this has been true with welfare “reform,” with the war on terror, with economic policy, with the fantasy of winning over “the white working class”: time and again, misguided attempts to bring in new voters have offended existing constituencies. this year, in an effort to appeal to a more conservative demographic, some democrats went so far as to slacken their commitment to reproductive rights, dismissing them as “identity politics” and deeming them less important than economic justice. as many women have pointed out, however, such a stance constitutes a failure to understand that until and unless this half of the population can control their bodies and plan their families, they cannot be economically equal. the question is one of both strategy and principle: do you win by chasing those who don’t share your views, or by serving and respecting those already with you? is the purpose of the choir to sing to the infidels or inspire the faithful? what happens if the faithful stop showing up, donating, doing the work? one reason we emphasize conversion is that we tend to believe that ideas matter more than actions, that beliefs directly determine behavior, that a preponderance of agreement will result in political and social change. in years past, i’ve often heard people obsess over polls that revealed how many americans think climate change is real. they seemed convinced that if everyone could be made to believe, the crisis would be solved. but if people who believe climate change is real and pressing do nothing to address the problem, nothing happens. not only is it unlikely that everyone will agree, it doesn’t matter whether they do, and it isn’t worth waiting for. there are still people who don’t believe that women are endowed with the same inalienable rights as men, and this hasn’t prevented us from creating policies that are based on the principle of equality between the sexes. what matters is that some of us act. in 2006, the political scientist erica chenoweth set out to determine whether nonviolence was as effective for regime change as violence. she found, to her surprise, that nonviolent strategies worked better. organizers were enthralled by her conclusion that only around 3.5 percent of a population was needed to successfully resist or even topple a regime. in other words, to create change, you don’t need everyone to agree with you, you just need some people to agree so passionately that they will donate, campaign, march, risk arrest or injury. the majority of americans, according to gallup polls from the early 1960s, did not support the tactics of the civil rights movement, and less than a quarter of the public approved of the 1963 march on washington. nevertheless, the march helped push the federal government to pass the 1964 civil rights act. it was at the march that martin luther king jr. gave his “i have a dream” speech   an example of preaching to the choir at its best. king spoke to inspire his supporters rather than persuade his detractors. he disparaged moderation and gradualism; he argued that his listeners’ dissatisfaction was legitimate and necessary, that they must demand drastic change. white allies were needed, but black activists didn’t need to wait for them. often, it’s an example of passionate idealism that converts others. the performance of integrity is more influential than that of compromise. rather than meet people where they are, you can locate yourself someplace they will eventually want to be. the choir is made up of the deeply committed: those who show up every sunday, listen to every sermon, and tithe like crazy. the time the choristers spend with one another, the sum of their sympathy and shared experience, is part of what helps them sing in unison and in tune. to win politically, you don’t need to win over people who differ from you, you need to motivate your own. there are a thousand things beyond the fact of blunt agreement that you might need or want to discuss with your friends and allies. there are strategy and practical management, the finer points of a theory, values and goals both incremental and ultimate, reassessment as things change for better or worse. effective speech in this model isn’t alchemy; it doesn’t transform what people believe. it’s electricity: it galvanizes them to act. “correspondence,” that beautiful word, describes both an exchange of letters and the existence of affinities; we correspond because we correspond. as a young woman, i had long, intense conversations with other young women about difficult mothers, unreliable men, about heartaches and ambitions and anxieties. sometimes these conversations were circular; sometimes they got bogged down by our inability to accept that we weren’t going to get what seemed right or fair. but at their best, they reinforced that our perceptions and emotions were not baseless or illegitimate, that others were on our side and shared our experiences, that we had value and possibility. we were strengthening ourselves and our ties to one another. in an intellectual exchange, disagreement doesn’t mean tearing down a rival but testing and strengthening the structure of a proposal, an analysis. it is what you do when you agree with people in general but have specifics to work out; and that work can be a joy. it’s an arrangement in which no one is the preacher or the choir, in which everything is open to question, in which ideas are beautiful and precision is holy. though great political work and useful debate about ideas and ethics is happening over social media, much of the time we spend together (or in solitude) has been replaced by the time we spend online, in arenas not conducive to subtlety or complexity. we have shifted to short declarative statements, to thinking in headlines, binaries, catch all categories, to viewing words as pieces in a game of checkers rather than, say, gestures in a ballet. if you’re confident that everything not black is white, discussions about shades and hues seem beside the point. this absolutism presumes that our only position on those with whom we don’t have complete agreement is complete disapproval, and also that agreement is simple, past which there is no nuance, strategy, possibility to explore. absolutism is obviously antithetical to practical politics, which, of course, depend on understanding and sometimes working alongside those with whom you may not agree, or with whom you agree on some things and not on others (as i learned in antinuclear political gatherings in the 1980s, when downwinder mormons, punks, pagans, japanese buddhist monks, franciscan priests and nuns, and western shoshone elders worked together pretty well). maybe it’s antithetical to the human condition, where we must coexist with difference and make the most of our journeys in increments. to dismiss the value of talking to our own is to fail to see that the utility of conversation, like that of preaching, goes far beyond persuasion or the transmission of information. at its best, conversation is a means of accomplishing many subtle and indirect things. the painter rudolf baranik, who died twenty years ago, once told me a story about a ferry ride he took in new york city on a bitter winter day in the late 1930s, soon after he had arrived as a refugee from eastern europe. “it is very cold, is it not?” he said in his formal english to a black man standing next to him on the deck. “yeaaahh, man,” his fellow passenger replied. “why is that man singing?” baranik wondered. the moment remained with him   the unfamiliar musicality of the new yorker’s intonation had made memorable what was otherwise an ordinary exchange. why comment to a stranger about the weather, when the conditions are obvious to both of you? because it’s an affirmation that you exist in the same place, that no matter what else might separate you, you have this in common. and because it’s an opening, if not to understanding, then at least to the place where it might begin. karen stokes told me she thinks of the choir as providing a space that is the near opposite of the combative culture of the internet. “in so many churches that i’ve served, the choir is the primary support group. they meet every week; they hang out together, put in extra time on sunday, have made a commitment to one another. you can’t just drop in and say, ‘let’s sing this or i’m leaving.’ everyone has submitted themselves to something bigger: to the creation of music and, in the church setting, music for the worship of god.” within most examples of broad consensus lie a host of questions and unresolved differences. agreement is only the foundation. yet from here we can build strong communities of love, spirited movements of resistance. “we cannot walk alone,” dr. king said that day in 1963. find people to walk with   and talk with   and we find power as well as pleasure. timeless stories from our 175 year archive handpicked to speak to the news of the day. “an unexpectedly excellent magazine that stands out amid a homogenized media landscape.”  the new york times

analysis of america. insight for australia. solutions for the alliance. analysis of america. insight for australia. solutions for the alliance. analysis of america. insight for australia. solutions for the alliance. analysis of america. insight for australia. solutions for the alliance. this report lays out a case and provides a menu of policy options for how the quad can pursue a collective approach to indo pacific maritime security, with a particular focus on regional deterrence and defence. analysis of america. insight for australia. solutions for the alliance. explore see all publications see all podcasts see all conferences see all explore see all explore see all explore see all people see all connect see all facebook x email luke freedman the conversation by luke freedman “you know there is something wrong with the kind of job he has done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him.” it was the best line of romney’s convention speech and highlights the challenges for obama as the democratic national convention kicks off in charlotte, north carolina. romney’s statement is backed up by the data. a july gallup poll found that compared to previous elections, only 39% of democrats “are more enthusiastic than usual about voting”. these figures should be worrisome to the obama campaign. the president relies on heavy support from young people and minorities: two groups whose share of the population is much greater than their electoral clout. if they stay home on november 6th, romney could easily eke out a narrow victory in a low turnout base driven election. as such, the goal of the convention isn’t simply to court “undecideds”. it’s to convince voters who are unsure whether they will vote at all. this is especially true in the current era of polarised politics where the undecided segment of the electorate is quite small. the big draw of the first night will be julian castro’s keynote speech. the san antonio mayor is the first latino to deliver the keynote; a choice that illustrates the incredible importance of the hispanic vote. like all americans, hispanics are primarily concerned about jobs. but, immigration is a close second and is an issue where they overwhelmingly trust democrats over republicans. to survive the republican primary mitt romney had to match his party’s rightward shift on immigration. in a january debate, he explained that stricter laws would encourage residents to “self deport". team obama knows that immigration is a potential liability for romney in the general election. the republican nominee is caught between a party base that won’t tolerate moderation on the issue and hispanics and moderate voters who are largely put off by the gop’s hard line stance. a prominent speaking role can also catapult a relatively unknown politician into the national spotlight: see obama, barack. democrats recognise the young and charismatic castro has the potential to become a political force beyond the borders of the lone star state. slotting him into a prime time speaking role is a shrewd political move in the short term but also one that could pay dividends in the years ahead. the highlight of the second night will be bill clinton’s formal nomination of president obama. putting the former president in prime time has a lot of pluses but also presents some risks. the advantages are obvious. two thirds of americans have a favourable impression of clinton. if he’s on script, he can offer an eloquent endorsement of obama that will resonate with a lot of voters. clinton is also at the centre of another current campaign issue. the romney camp has been running an ad implying that obama is gutting the work requirements in the 1996 welfare reform that clinton signed into law. the ad is extremely misleading but also effective. clinton has denounced the attacks on the stump but the democrats would love for him to do it again in front of a national audience. the potential drawbacks are evident as well. the relationship between obama and clinton has been at times testy. and while the two have patched up many of their differences, clinton has still maintained some of the obstinacy of a former president. according to the new york post’s edward klein, “the obama campaign has insisted on seeing the speech before clinton delivers it, and clinton has just as insistently refused to show it to them.” the convention closes thursday night with obama’s speech. expect him to tout his accomplishments but also emphasise how much work there is to be done. a key point throughout the entire convention will be the consequences of returning to republican style policies that liberals blame for the country’s current woes. the election isn’t just about what obama can and will do, it’s about what romney would do if given the chance. in his address, obama needs to energise supporters and convey the stakes of the election. however, he must do so in pragmatic terms; avoiding the “hope” and “change” style rhetoric that he campaigned on in 2008. it’s a difficult tightrope, but one obama must walk if he hopes to capture the momentum in charlotte. get the latest news, research and event updates straight to your inbox sign up to newsletter the united states studies centre acknowledges the gadigal people of the eora nation upon whose ancestral land the centre stands. we pay our respect to elders past, present and emerging. contact institute building (h03)city rduniversity of sydney nsw 2006australia follow our partners the united states studies centre is a joint venture of the american australian association and the university of sydney, with financial support from the australian government. © 2025 the united states studies centre

if you are having any difficulty using this website, please contact the help desk at help@nullhofstra.edu or 516 463 7777 or student access services at sas@nullhofstra.edu or 516 463 7075. please identify the webpage address or url and the specific problems you have encountered and we will address the issue. mission research objectives administration, faculty, and students contact us find us on facebook follow us on twitter diversity sustainability housing public health economic development oral history national suburban poll long island studies institute carecen hofstra calendar admission events cultural center events athletics events for more info, visit the cultural center hofstra map directions driving directions the national center for suburban studies at hofstra university® year of the ground game; kerry's troops take heart lawrence c. levy newsday wednesday october 6, 2004 morrisville, pa.  as democrats gathered thursday for a debate watching party in this "swing" philadelphia suburb, the tension was as thick as the blue cheese dip chased with local yuengling beer. this is a must win state for john kerry, which is why some of them came hundreds of miles to work for him   or, more accurately, against george w. bush. and, in what unexpectedly has become a close war of attrition in a state al gore carried by five points, this army of volunteers gives the democrats their biggest advantage. call it the year of the ground game. in a race where every vote really does count and few are unaccounted for, the winning campaign will be the one not just with the best message and messenger, but the most skilled at getting its supporters to the polls. the bush campaign has mounted its own prodigious get out the vote campaign, already contacting five times as many voters as the gop did four years ago. democrats, who boast an even bigger machine due to groups allied with the kerry campaign, can't afford any loss of focus or energy. but at that party before the first presidential debate, these truest of the true believers didn't need the polls to tell them that here, as elsewhere around the country, their guy wasn't doing as well as expected. on the phone and at front stoops, they could hear the skepticism from too many of the moderate suburbanites needed to carry the 21 electoral votes. they could hear it, more alarmingly, from fellow activists anxious, as they should have been, about kerry's stumbling prospects. but as kerry scored point after point on style and substance in the debate, and bush seemed to be the one to "wilt and waver," the mood in the room shifted quickly and dramatically. even before the end, after all the laughter over bush's mistaking "vociferously" for "viciously" died down and there were no more catcalls over his insistence that the failings in iraq were due to "such a rapid victory," the 35 activists were ready to roll. brent welder, a suburban staffer for kerry, had to stop one volunteer from picking up the phone to call voters right away: it was so late the call would probably cost them votes. many set about writing "spin" letters to more than one newspaper praising kerry's performance. and, mischievous tactics aside, it was clear they believed every word. "i'd been disappointed in kerry, that he hadn't responded clearly and strongly to bush's attacks," said tracy mulvaney, 38, of yardley, a mediator at a conflict resolution center. "i have a lot of opportunity to preach to the non choir. and now i can make a strong case for him with confidence." this year democrats registered nine times as many voters as republicans in philadelphia, thanks to america com ing together and other groups. more remarkably, democrats signed up 50 percent more new voters than republicans did in this gop leaning montgomery county. but many of them, especially minorities and the young, often don't turn out in large enough numbers to make a difference. that's why democrats clearly need the activists not just organized but excited to pull them to the polls. and, well before the debate, kerry and his allies had the mechanism in place for them to reach potential supporters on election day   the computerized address and phone lists, the legions of canvassers and callers, the fleet of cars, cabs and buses. they even had a pretty solid series of messages with which to pursue "persuadables." "suburban republican women should be ours for the taking," susan gobreski, head of the league of conservation voters effort here, said of a bloc that went for gore. "if we can get the conversation back to domestic issues, we win." what democratic activists didn't have here and in other suburban rich swing states, however, was a messenger who could get voters to listen to their pitch. questions about kerry's ability to lead in a time of war were converting soccer moms to security moms who were increasingly willing to support bush despite their deep differences on social issues. the debate changed that dynamic. kerry may not have won many votes yet, but he certainly won some new ears to hear his choir. and he "jazzed" them, as peg forster described herself. she was among dozens more people than usual to visit kerry's bucks county office after the debate to pick up lawn signs and campaign literature to give neighbors. and, if that is music to kerry's ears, her husband's joining "republicans for kerry" is a symphony. if kerry continues to lead as he did on debate night, forster and other new followers will make sure he can't lose. use google translate to read our site in your language. download pdf reader software if you are having any difficulty using this website, please contact the help desk at help@nullhofstra.edu or by calling 516 463 7777. please identify the webpage address or url and the specific problems you have encountered and we will address the issue. if you have a disability related question regarding accessing the website, contact student access services at sas@nullhofstra.edu or call 516 463 7075. hofstra university is an eo/aa/ada educator and employer. hofstra university // hempstead, new york 11549 1000 // (516) 463 6600 © hofstra university all rights reserved

the debates are the report transcribed, edited, and corrected of what is said in the house. the journals are the official record of the decisions and other transactions of the house. the order paper and notice paper contains the listing of all items that may be brought forward on a particular sitting day, and notices for upcoming items. for an advanced search, use publication search tool. if you have any questions or comments regarding the accessibility of this publication, please contact us at accessible@parl.gc.ca. contents official report (hansard) prayer [english] access to parliamentary precinct speaker's ruling [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [english] [translation] [english] (division no. 926) yeas members total:    144 nays members total:    167 paired (division no. 927) yeas members total:    296 nays members total:    17 paired international trade [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] t'is the week before christmas, and all through this housemps dream of returning to home, hearth and spouseour stockings are hung by our chimneys with carebut what of the homeless? who put them out there?there's fingers to point and random people to blamebut, mostly, i think of one person i'd nameand that's rideau cottage's middle aged swiftywho, through taxes, inflation and budgets unthriftyhas crushed housing starts and caused rents to double.perhaps, in the end, he's one source of our trouble?his modest proposal to ease canada's painreads like jonathan swift: no more tax on champagne!but, what if instead we stopped taxing new housesmight that build more homes for our kids and their spouses?if housing officials weren't paid to say “no”would that cause the supply of housing to grow?if that can be true, then of hope there's a tokenthat canada soon will be much less broken. [translation] [english] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] [translation] [english] (division no. 928) yeas members total:    177 nays members total:    140 paired

a to z | search a mail augsburg university news and announcements submitted by froehlic@augsburg.edu do you want to earn service hours while making a difference for middle school students in the twin cities? come judge debate rounds for the minnesota urban debate league. middle school students will debate education reform, and we’re looking for caring students to judge them on their critical thinking, argumentation, and public speaking. no debate experience? no problem   we’ll train you. judges also enjoy free pizza. volunteer shifts last from 3:15   7:30 pm. we’re still looking for judges for the following tournaments (named for famous former debaters): thursday   3/1: rosalind franklin tournament thursday   3/8: rep. patsy takemoto mink tournament tues thurs 3/13 3/15: justice sotomayor conference championships tuesday   3/20: winona laduke middle school city championships please direct any questions to udlvolunteers@augsburg.edu, or stop by our office in foss 18. click the link below for more information and to sign up: volunteer with us submitted by knutsonc@augsburg.edu “call to prayer,” a joint performance by the augsburg choir & the national lutheran choir will be held right here at augsburg! saturday, march 3   7:30 p.m. hoversten chapel, foss center, augsburg university general public: tickets required free tickets available for augsburg students with id (no parking permit needed for lot l, map) general public tickets submitted by glissmeg@augsburg.edu want to learn about one of the few female heroines in the old testament? want to discuss how one person resisted tyranny and saved her people? join augsburg hillel on thursday, march 1 from 4 5:30pm to read the book of esther to commemorate the holiday of purim ( the jewish version of halloween). we will be meeting by the tables outside of the foss chapel.. costumes are optional and holiday treats will be provided. https://www.facebook.com/events/157536798238055/ submitted by peterlin@augsburg.edu augsburg university is participating in the 2018 great colleges to work for survey. the survey opened monday, february 19 and will remain open until monday, march 5. eligible participants received an email from modernthink which contained a survey invitation and link to the survey. important things to note:   survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.   your responses to the survey will be completely confidential. modernthink llc, an independent survey firm, will not provide augsburg with any information that would enable us to trace survey data back to any one individual.   your participation is very valuable and desired, but voluntary.   frequently asked questions and answers on the hr moodle site: http://web.augsburg.edu/hr/modernthinksurveyfaqs2018.pdf human resources recognizes that many members of our community have work that does not require use of a computer, or who may not have a dedicated office. we will be hosting computer lab sessions for employees to ask any questions they might have, get assistance with the process, and complete the survey. final lab session (note location change!): march 2 10:00 11:00 am, sverdrup hall 201 should you have questions, please contact lisa stock (stock@augsburg.edu or 612 330 1783) or nicole peterlin (peterlin@augsburg.edu or 612 330 1602) in human resources. thank you for sharing your voice! submitted by dames@augsburg.edu join us in gundale chapel in hagfors center for thursday evening prayer. prayers, music, scripture and silence are a part of this reflective time of worship. 5:15pm to 5:45pm. stop by for snacks outside of the chapel at 5:30 to 6:00 pm more info submitted by yangss1@augsburg.edu students interested in a once in  a lifetime opportunity to travel the length of the mississippi river as part of a full semester of courses should check out augsburg’s river semester program for fall 2018. students in the program will spend 100 days paddling from the twin cities, to st. louis, memphis, and beyond, before returning to the twin cities in december. courses offered include: pol 241 environmental and river politics (meets liberal arts foundation for social and behavioral sciences) env 310 environmental studies field seminar. study grassroots organizing and meeting with stakeholders throughout the watershed. env 120: environmental science (science w/ lab) bio 495: topics: pol/env/bio 499 directed research project (possible keystone credit) pol/env 399 internship (with a river related organization; some internships are paid) key 490 keystone other courses and specialized curriculum available by special arrangement this program also fulfills augsburg experience requirement thanks to a generous donation from pentair, there are a limited number of scholarships of up to $5,000 toward the program fees. apply by march 15, 2018 full information and details at http://www.augsburg.edu/river or by contacting the augsburg study abroad/away office in christensen center or prof. joe underhill at underhil@augsburg.edu river semester information and application submitted by finders@augsburg.edu kaycee rogers, department of education, was selected to be a clinical practice fellow with the association of teacher educators. the symposium was by invitation only and brought together scholars from across the nation who share a passion for putting clinical practice and boundary spanning roles for university  and school based professionals at the center of all teacher education endeavors. submitted by warnbers@augsburg.edu faculty and staff   you are invited to attend the christensen center for vocation’s spring vocation lunch with robert tom, augsburg’s ceramics and sculpture professor! this event will take place on thursday, march 29th from 12:00 pm   1:15 pm in east commons, christensen center. the christensen vocation lunch is an event that strengthens the concept of vocation at augsburg for faculty and staff by providing role models from within the community to share a presentation on their sense of call and life journey. to learn more about robert tom and to register, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring vocation lunch with robert tom tickets 42754587121 spaces are limited so please register soon. note: upon completion of your registration, please be sure you receive a confirmation email and do not add the event to your calendar without completing the registration process. if you have any questions, please contact the ccv office at (612) 330 1403 or email ccv@augsburg.edu. we hope to see you there! submitted by yangss1@augsburg.edu how was your experience on a study abroad or away program? would you like to share your experience and maybe a few photos with your fellow auggies? auggies go on programs all over the world on short and long programs share your story! share your story, give advice, or simply give us some feedback on how your program went. share your study abroad story here! submitted by camposem@augsburg.edu students for racial justice is excited to invite you to join us in another video and discussion event! this time we will be watching a ted talk where kimberlé crenshaw talks about how race and gender bias combine can create even more harm. after this 20 minute ted talk we will have a discussion while enjoying some yummy food! ogc 100 at 6 pm on thursday march 1st facebook event submitted by aleshirn@augsburg.edu nominations for the 2017 2018 augsburg leadership awards are now open! these awards celebrate and recognize outstanding student leaders and student organizations at augsburg university for their innovation, mentorship, advocacy, and engagement throughout this academic year. (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1faipqlsdjjtaubhknbfgtm5vd2 onsqdb4b8ddhivx4phlqga0kur8a/viewform) we encourage all students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members to nominate student leaders and student organizations for these awards. a list of awards with their descriptions can be found here:(http://www.augsburg.edu/cao/activities/augsburg leadership awards/). nominations are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on friday, march 9. applications are also open for the 2017 2018 augsburg senior leadership society, which recognizes graduating seniors for their leadership contributions over the course of their tenure at augsburg university. one individual who is inducted into the society will receive the linda schrempp alberg endowed leadership award, which has an award value of $500. (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1faipqlsd4mbx 4vkix4zwbbmovhmnqskxvg7dgkfqyvuj9ikxwoechg/viewform) nominees will be honored and recipients will be announced at the 19th annual augsburg leadership awards, taking place sunday, april 8 from 5:00 8:00pm. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1faipqlsdjjtaubhknbfgtm5vd2 onsqdb4b8ddhivx4phlqga0kur8a/viewform submitted by tilton@augsburg.edu want to make a difference this summer? come and talk to lord of life lutheran church in maple grove, mn thursday march 1st from 10:30   12:30 in the christensen center lobby. they have several summer job employment opportunities with flexible hours ranging from a few days a week to all summer employment. opportunities will be working with students of various ages and service opportunities throughout the twin cities. submitted by huynhn1@augsburg.edu what can we do to make augsburg university more inclusive to students, staff, faculty, and visitors of the jewish faith? the augsburg community is invited to attend a presentation by minnesota hillel’s senior jewish educator, rabbi ryan dulkin. tuesday, february 27 ogc 100 9:40 11:40 a.m. rabbi ryan dulkin brings with him an extensive background in jewish education, having served most recently as a visiting professor of jewish studies at franklin & marshall college in lancaster, pennsylvania. his other academic appointments have included the reconstructionist rabbinical college, the jewish theological seminary, and washington university in st. louis. submitted by dames@augsburg.edu join us in chapel today at 11:30am to hear marty stortz, bernhard christensen professor of religion and vocation, preach as part of the religion department’s lent series. katie lane is singing “he shall feed his flock” from handel’s messiah. more information submitted by yangss1@augsburg.edu study abroad for two weeks in summer 2018: music therapy in china: chongqing burn camp course options:  mus 374,  mus 474, or mus 582. it also fulfills augsburg experience music therapists benefit greatly from exploring the evolution of music from one generation to the next, the way in which music is integrated into everyday life, and its role in health, healing, and well being in china. through visits to hospitals, clinics, musical venues, conservatories, and community organizations that provide health related care, students experience the interplay of music and healing practices in china. students also engage in direct dialogue with chinese music therapists and other rehabilitation therapists. the program allows participants to reflect on their own musical roots, and to discover how their own musical preferences have developed based on cultural experiences. we will also visit other locations of interest such as the great wall, old town beijing, dazu rock carvings, yangtze river cruise and more. applications are due march 15, 2018 email abroad@augsburg.edu, or come and talk to the study abroad/away office for more details! we are located in oyate commons, in the lower level of christensen center. check here for program details and application information submitted by hollandk@augsburg.edu hi auggies, sign up now for augsburg’s day at the capitol wedneday, february 28th 9:30 am  1:30pm *lunch and transportation free* augsburg has an annual day at the capitol, which is a chance to meet with legislators, tour the newly renovated capitol, and learn how to advocate for important causes! augsburg students greatly benefit from the minnesota state grant, which is need based financial aid that minnesota students receive through their fafsa. over 1,000 students receive a state grant, which is over 1/3 of students at augsburg. legislators love meeting college students in person like senator kari dziedzic who will be speaking to your group at the capitol because they want to hear your story, your journey to college, and want to keep helping all auggies and mn college students. your voice matters. sign up here: https://www.mnprivatecolleges.org/day capitol registration and to get a better idea of what the day looks like, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_pktoamlfg any questions, reach out to kitana holland (hollandk@augsburg.edu) or lee george (lgeorge@augsburg.edu) submitted by garvey@augsburg.edu lunch and learn with thrivent financial   march 1 what should new and mid career professionals be thinking about and planning for? alex gonzalez and ted nielsen, thrivent financial, will briefly discuss topics such as managing debt, care for young children, saving for further education   as well as planning for retirement. you can leave with valuable information and resources. co hosted through our wellness program, student affairs, and thrivent financial. lunch is provided. thursday, march 1, 12 noon   1:30 pm in the marshall room to ensure we have enough space and food, and to see about dietary needs, please go to https://goo.gl/forms/4cxurx0kpuirubpt2 questions? contact ann garvey at garvey@augsburg.edu submitted by mcconnek@augsburg.edu augsburg’s sabo scholars are attempting to open dialogue between students and local police in an attempt to create a trusting environment and build relationships. date: feb 22,2018 location: hagfors center rm 150 a&b time: 6:30 7:30 pm https://www.facebook.com/events/215145315697712/ submitted by dames@augsburg.edu join us in gundale chapel in hagfors center for thursday evening prayer. prayers, music, scripture and silence are a part of this reflective time of worship. 5:15pm to 5:45pm. stop by for snacks outside of the chapel at 5:30 to 6:00 pm. more information submitted by yangss1@augsburg.edu students interested in the medical field (pre med, nursing, pa) are invited to a summer experience unlike any other! apply for cgee’s summer program: “medical spanish and internship” to improve your spanish language skills while also participating in a for credit medical observership in beautiful cuernavaca, mexico. students will take spa 206 “spanish for healthcare professionals” while also completing ins or spa 399, a medical internship in a healthcare facility. cultural experiences and excursions included in this 6 ½ week summer program! programs dates are may 23   july 8, 2018. apply by april 1st. more information & to apply submitted by gade@augsburg.edu feeling stuck? the busy lives we lead can get in the way of doing what we know we ‘should’ be doing to achieve better health. in this engaging workshop you’ll learn new ways of thinking about what it takes to be healthy, and discover simple secrets on fitting powerful natural ‘medicines’ into the nooks and crannies of our lives for more energy and healthier, happier bodies. the result? looking and feeling your very best all day, every day! join this hands on workshop, led by well being consultant teri erhardt, from augsburg’s benefit broker nfp. it’s sure to be a fun, engaging, and worthwhile workshop! tuesday, february 27, 11 12 pm in the augsburg room submitted by freunds@augsburg.edu story time! navigating family traditions and beliefs thursday, february 22nd 6:30 8:30pm come on out for another evening of storytelling as we share stories of navigating the complex universe that is one’s family or community of origin! sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s not so funny. * what is one part of yourself that you’ve had to fight for or defend in your family or community of origin? * what part of your family tradition has shaped you in a positive way? are there traditions/values that you’re grateful for? * how have you navigated the reactions or opinions of family, as you define your own identity? * have you ever felt like you were brainwashed? * when did you realize your family wasn’t like every other family? * who has become family for you when you needed people to belong with? *dinner will be provided!* hosted by: interfaith @ cedar commons [cedar commons: 2001 riverside ave. s] submitted by obrienk@augsburg.edu congratulations to john kipper and erika idrovo cuesta on their acceptance to the ppia junior summer institute! the public policy and international affairs summer institute is a seven week program of study that focuses on preparing students for graduate programs in public and international affairs and careers as policy professionals, public administrators and other leadership roles in public service. erika idrovo cuesta (mcnair scholar) will participate in the ppia law fellows program at the goldman school of public policy, uc berkeley, which is designed to shape future leaders committed to representing under served communities in the areas of public policy and law. john kipper will be attending the university of minnesota’s humphrey school of public policy where he will learn about some of the biggest issues facing the u.s. (e.g. global climate change and environmental justice; race equity and public safety; global security and human rights; diversity and educational access) and have the opportunity to develop a field based research and community engagement project. we are thrilled that two auggies will be participating in this valuable and prestigious (only 20% of applicants admitted) program! if you are currently a sophomore and are interested in applying for the ppia summer institute for summer 2019, please contact urgo@augsburg.edu and check out the ppia website at https://www.ppiaprogram.org/ppia/. submitted by moralesj@augsburg.edu seeking student participants for auggie take out, an event over spring break, which will pair students with alumni for lunch and if time allows, an afternoon job shadow experience. interested students should complete a brief google form by this friday, february 23rd. students and alumni will be matched based on major and interests. any student can apply   they just need to participate in a brief business etiquette training before the experience and will need to arrange their own transportation to the lunch meeting. questions can be directed to janet morales, moralesj@augsburg.edu, 612 330 1792 auggie take out website submitted by berggg@augsburg.edu the minne holocaust fellows program annually selects college students to participate in a fully paid, one day trip to the u.s. holocaust memorial museum in washington d.c. to acquire a more in depth knowledge of the holocaust. fellows tour the permanent exhibits and featured exhibits, as well as meet with a museum representative. awards come through the minne fund of the minneapolis jewish federation, who has chosen augsburg to be one of the select few universities to participate in the program. multiple augsburg students were selected last year for the trip. the 2018 trip will take place on april 24th. applications are due on february 28th and can be found at http://jewishminneapolis.org/minne/. if you would like to learn more about the program or would like advising on the application, please contact the urgo office at urgo@augsburg.edu or 612 330 1446. eligibility:   u.s. citizen   full time student   at least a sophomore and cannot be graduating before spring 2019   3.0 gpa or higher submitted by froehlic@augsburg.edu do you want to earn service hours while making a difference for middle school students in the twin cities? come judge debate rounds for the minnesota urban debate league. middle school students will debate education reform, and we’re looking for caring students to judge them on their critical thinking, argumentation, and public speaking. no debate experience? no problem   we’ll train you. judges also enjoy free pizza. volunteer shifts last from 3:15   7:30 pm. we’re still looking for judges for the following tournaments (named for famous former debaters): tuesday   2/27: sherman alexie tournament (make up) thursday   3/1: rosalind franklin tournament thursday   3/8: rep. patsy takemoto mink tournament tues thurs 3/13 3/15: justice sotomayor conference championships tuesday   3/20: winona laduke middle school city championships please direct any questions to udlvolunteers@augsburg.edu, or stop by our office in foss 18. click the link below for more information and to sign up: volunteer with us submitted by warnbers@augsburg.edu current sophomores and juniors: want to engage in leadership, service, and learning to make a difference at augsburg and in the wider community? apply to be in one of augsburg’s 3 public leadership scholar programs:christensen scholars, interfaith scholars, or sabo scholars. in any one of the programs you will have the opportunity to participate in a yearlong academic seminar with a cohort of your peers. you will contribute to public leadership on campus and in the wider community in either the christian tradition, interfaith engagement, or civic life. you will also be able to earn 4 upper division semester credits in the religion or political science along with receiving a $2,000 scholarship. current sophomores and juniors who plan to study on campus all of the 2017 18 academic year are eligible to apply. applying: the application for all three programs is available online through sabo or ccv website, listed below. christensen scholars: http://www.augsburg.edu/ccv/christensen scholars program/ interfaith scholars: http://www.augsburg.edu/ccv/interfaith scholars program/ sabo scholars: http://www.augsburg.edu/sabo/what we do/sabo scholars/ the application deadline is monday, february 26th, 2018 questions? contact either the christensen center for vocation at ccv@augsburg.edu, 612 330 1403 or the sabo center for democracy and citizenship at sabocenter@augsburg.edu submitted by dores@augsburg.edu join us for jump start your stem job search! saturday, february 24 8:00 am   1:00 pm hagfors center augsburg university keynote: dr. raj a. rajan, ecolab vice president and global sustainability technical leader, will present “paychecks and possibilities: shaping your career in stem” don’t miss this opportunity to attend the following workshops:  leveraging linkedin for maximum networking  applying your strengths to interviewing  gap year opportunities for pre health applicants  representing yourself well: cover letters, personal statements and thank you’s  comparing corporate cultures: small, medium, and large  how to ace your coding interview the event will end with a buffet lunch & resource fair:  resume review  linkedin doctors  professional photos for linkedin headshots  scitechsperience internship program  student internship poster session information tables:  boston scientific  software guild  keyot  scitechsperience  nobel peace prize forum register today! submitted by hardaker@augsburg.edu join the study abroad office for lunch on thursday, march 1st to learn about one of the most affordable study abroad semester options for auggies   fall semester at our study center in mexico! on the program, you can complete multiple general education requirements, including modern language 1 and 2, natural science (with lab), humanities, social science, wellness, and fine arts! business courses also available. there will be a presentation by the mexico site director, dr. ann lutterman aguilar, on thursday, march 1st at 12:00 pm, in ogc 100. come to the presentation and learn about our mexico study center, ask questions, have food, and get excited to study abroad! questions to abroad@augsburg.edu rsvp to the lunch & presentation submitted by stokesb@augsburg.edu our queer indigenous and people of color student organization is raising money to bring speakers to campus and fund events for students. when you go to the chipotle at 229 cedar ave south in minneapolis on tuesday, february 27th from 5 9pm and tell the cashier you are there to support augsburg’s qipoc 50% of the proceeds will be donated. submitted by warnbers@augsburg.edu faculty and staff   you are invited to attend the christensen center for vocation’s spring vocation lunch with robert tom, augsburg’s ceramics and sculpture professor! this event will take place on thursday, march 29th from 12:00 pm   1:15 pm in east commons, christensen center. the christensen vocation lunch is an event that strengthens the concept of vocation at augsburg for faculty and staff by providing role models from within the community to share a presentation on their sense of call and life journey. to learn more about robert tom and to register, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring vocation lunch with robert tom tickets 42754587121 spaces are limited so please register soon. note: upon completion of your registration, please be sure you receive a confirmation email and do not add the event to your calendar without completing the registration process. if you have any questions, please contact the ccv office at (612) 330 1403 or email ccv@augsburg.edu. we hope to see you there! submitted by gade@augsburg.edu augsburg university is participating in the 2018 great colleges to work for survey. the survey opened monday, february 19 and will remain open until monday, march 5. eligible participants received an email from modernthink which contained a survey invitation and link to the survey. important things to note:   survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.   your responses to the survey will be completely confidential. modernthink llc, an independent survey firm, will not provide augsburg with any information that would enable us to trace survey data back to any one individual.   your participation is very valuable and desired, but voluntary.   frequently asked questions and answers on the hr moodle site: http://web.augsburg.edu/hr/modernthinksurveyfaqs2018.pdf human resources recognizes that many members of our community have work that does not require use of a computer, or who may not have a dedicated office. we will be hosting computer lab sessions for employees to ask any questions they might have, get assistance with the process, and complete the survey. these sessions are scheduled at the following dates and times: february 22 4:00 5:00pm, sverdrup hall 204 february 28 8:00 9:00 am, sverdrup hall 205 march 2 10:00 11:00 am, sverdrup hall 204 should you have questions, please contact lisa stock (stock@augsburg.edu or 612 330 1783) or nicole peterlin (peterlin@augsburg.edu or 612 330 1602) in human resources. thank you for sharing your voice! submitted by aleshirn@augsburg.edu nominations for the 2017 2018 augsburg leadership awards are now open! these awards celebrate and recognize outstanding student leaders and student organizations at augsburg university for their innovation, mentorship, advocacy, and engagement throughout this academic year. (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1faipqlsdjjtaubhknbfgtm5vd2 onsqdb4b8ddhivx4phlqga0kur8a/viewform) we encourage all students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members to nominate student leaders and student organizations for these awards. a list of awards with their descriptions can be found here:(http://www.augsburg.edu/cao/activities/augsburg leadership awards/). nominations are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on friday, march 9. applications are also open for the 2017 2018 augsburg senior leadership society, which recognizes graduating seniors for their leadership contributions over the course of their tenure at augsburg university. one individual who is inducted into the society will receive the linda schrempp alberg endowed leadership award, which has an award value of $500. (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1faipqlsd4mbx 4vkix4zwbbmovhmnqskxvg7dgkfqyvuj9ikxwoechg/viewform) nominees will be honored and recipients will be announced at the 19th annual augsburg leadership awards, taking place sunday, april 8 from 5:00 8:00pm. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1faipqlsdjjtaubhknbfgtm5vd2 onsqdb4b8ddhivx4phlqga0kur8a/viewform submitted by aleshirn@augsburg.edu most people want to be inclusive of those with disabilities in educational, vocational, religious, and social arenas; however, there can often be uncertainty about how to best accomplish this. in this interactive workshop, participants will explore the concept of ableism and various models of disability. participants will examine disability through the lens of diversity and identify underlying sources of prejudice and discrimination commonly experienced by people with disabilities. finally, this workshop will provide tips and resources for creating spaces that welcome people of all abilities. for more information, contact kathy mcgillivray at mcgillik@augsburg.edu. please join us for this workshop which will take place on fri, february 23, 8:30am   10:30am in the marshall room. to register for this workshop, click the linked url. also, feel free to visit the diversity, inclusion and equity webpage, where you can find future events by clicking the “events calendar” tab. https://docs.google.com/a/augsburg.edu/forms/d/e/1faipqlsc7ypwcdpz7gtuipvdie7sfvk85zbmyxlxidghcqwc58n _3g/viewform submitted by berggg@augsburg.edu augsburg’s annual zyzzogeton research symposium showcases the work of over 80 undergraduate researchers in all academic disciplines and will take place on april 18th. students who have conducted research over the course of the last year and would like to present a poster should register at the urgo website (www.augsburg.edu/urgo) by march 1st (no abstract is required at time of registration). for questions about registration or the event, please contact urgo@augsburg.edu. urgo website submitted by fulford@augsburg.edu staff senate is seeking nominations for the auggie pride award! the auggie pride award is given to staff members who have gone above and beyond to serve augsburg and fulfill its mission and values. reasons to acknowledge a staff member can include a variety of things, such as the completion of a project, the implementation of an innovative idea, or simply giving directions to a lost campus guest. if you have a colleague who you feel is deserving of this award, please nominate them by filling out the nomination form at http://www.augsburg.edu/staffsenate/auggie_pride/. the auggie pride awards are awarded monthly, throughout the academic year. more information found at inside.augsburg.edu/staffsenate submitted by frugek@augsburg.edu march 12 @ 6:00 9:00pm hoversten chapel @ augsburg university please rsvp by march 5 on our website. dinner will be served. there is no cost to attend. the riverside innovation hub at augsburg university is excited to share the preliminary findings from our research this fall from listening and observing twelve different congregations in the twin cities. find out what was surprising, what was exciting, what brought us hope, and what new questions came from the research. learn about the connections between relationships, generations, and the intersections in which young adults live out their faith. discover the commonalities between the diverse christian faith communities we studied. the details were different, but the things that worked were remarkably similar. hope to see you at the seminar! riverside innovation hub website to rsvp submitted by tilton@augsburg.edu there is still time to attend a prep session which will help registered students prepare for the mn private college job & internship fair next tuesday, february 27th. all prep sessions will be held in the strommen center, suite 100, christensen center. prep sessions: thursday, february 22: 11:30 11:50 friday, february 23: 10:40 11:00 monday, february 26: 10:40 11:00 if you have questions, please contact us at careers@augsburg.edu or call 612 330 1148. register through handshake submitted by albertd@augsburg.edu looking for ways to help your students read with greater comprehension and/or through a more critical lens to enrich class discussion? join panelists ann marie yacobucci (education), dallas liddle (english), and james vela mcconnell (sociology) on wednesday, february 28, 12:30   1:40 pm, in ogc 100 as they will share strategies they’ve used to encourage students to read, analyze, and interact more deeply with texts. adjunct instructors on contract this semester who attend this event are eligible for a $50 stipend. we’ll also have this session available remotely via zoom   link to be distributed soon! submitted by marubbio@augsburg.edu the augsburg native american film series invites you to join us for an evening of short films focusing on issues of racism, law enforcement, and redemption from various native american experiences. our hosts represent two native american media organizations vision maker media and migizi communications which work with filmmakers to produce and distribute native focused documentaries and shorts on issues important to native american communities. the evening will include conversation and a variety of short films. march 28 reception 6:15 6:45; film 7:00 sateren auditorium, music hall augsburg native american film series submitted by dames@augsburg.edu join us in chapel this morning at 11:30 am to hear matt maruggi, assistant professor of religion, preach. roberta kagin and sonja thompson will play organ/piano duets for the prelude and postlude. hoversten chapel. more info submitted by dames@augsburg.edu join us each week in the new gundale chapel for thursday evening prayer. prayers, music, scripture and silence are a part of this reflective time of worship. 5:15pm to 5:45pm, gundale chapel, third floor of the hagfors center. stop by for snacks outside of the chapel at 5:30 to 6:00 pm. more information submitted by garvey@augsburg.edu lunch and learn with thrivent financial   march 1 what should new and mid career professionals be thinking about and planning for? alex gonzalez and ted nielsen, thrivent financial, will briefly discuss topics such as managing debt, care for young children, saving for further education   as well as planning for retirement. you can leave with valuable information and resources. co hosted through our wellness program, student affairs, and thrivent financial. lunch is provided. thursday, march 1, 12 noon   1:30 pm in the marshall room to ensure we have enough space and food, and to see about dietary needs, please go to https://goo.gl/forms/4cxurx0kpuirubpt2 questions? contact ann garvey at garvey@augsburg.edu submitted by freunds@augsburg.edu story time! navigating family traditions and beliefs thursday, february 22nd 6:30 8:30pm come on out for another evening of storytelling as we share stories of navigating the complex universe that is one’s family or community of origin! sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s not so funny. * what is one part of yourself that you’ve had to fight for or defend in your family or community of origin? * what part of your family tradition has shaped you in a positive way? are there traditions/values that you’re grateful for? * how have you navigated the reactions or opinions of family, as you define your own identity? * have you ever felt like you were brainwashed? * when did you realize your family wasn’t like every other family? * who has become family for you when you needed people to belong with? *dinner will be provided!* hosted by: interfaith @ cedar commons [cedar commons: 2001 riverside ave. s] submitted by detloff@augsburg.edu auggies   do you have trouble sleeping? do you want to get some resources to help you sleep better? there us a survey available that can help provide some resources for you. go to https://www.thecsq.com/#/auggieu additional questions, please call the center for wellness & counseling office at 612 330 1707. https://www.thecsq.com/#/auggieu submitted by albertd@augsburg.edu looking for ways to help your students read with greater comprehension and/or through a more critical lens to enrich class discussion? join panelists ann marie yacobucci (education), dallas liddle (english), and james vela mcconnell (sociology) in ogc 100 on wednesday, february 28, 12:40   1:30 pm, as they share strategies they’ve used to encourage students to read, analyze, and interact more deeply with texts. we’ll also have a zoom link up soon for those who wish to join us remotely! submitted by peterse@augsburg.edu summer sublease near campus 5 minute walk from campus, cheap rent, flexible dates, more than one bedroom available if multiple people are interested contact peterse@augsburg.edu for more information submitted by ryghs@augsburg.edu do you have a passion for the environment and want to study away in the usa? river semester might be up your alley! come join us for a student orientation about river semester on february 22nd from 3:30 5:00 in the oren gateway center 100. both alumni who previously participated in river semester and program director joe underhill will offer information on this amazing opportunity. (there are going to be snacks as an added bonus!) submitted by ryghs@augsburg.edu the environmental stewardship committee will be hosting an informational seminar for students interested in pursuing work in sustainability. the webinar will outline career strategies to help students discover how they can pursue a job in sustainability through business, non government organizations, and government. some topics discussed will be job search strategies and what the current political climate means for social and environmental sustainability fields. the event is being held in oren 202 on tuesday, february 27th from 6:30 8:00pm, with the webinar itself beginning at 7pm. come join us for pizza in what is bound to be an informative evening! submitted by peterlin@augsburg.edu as president pribbenow recently announced, augsburg university is participating in the 2018 great colleges to work for survey. the survey opens monday, february 19 and will remain open until monday, march 5. eligible participants will receive an email from modernthink which will contain a survey invitation and link to the survey. important things to note:   survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.   your responses to the survey will be completely confidential. modernthink llc, an independent survey firm, will not provide augsburg with any information that would enable us to trace survey data back to any one individual.   your participation is very valuable and desired, but voluntary.   frequently asked questions and answers on the hr moodle site: http://web.augsburg.edu/hr/modernthinksurveyfaqs2018.pdf human resources recognizes that many members of our community have work that does not require use of a computer, or who may not have a dedicated office. we will be hosting computer lab sessions for employees to ask any questions they might have, get assistance with the process, and complete the survey. these sessions are scheduled at the following dates and times: february 20 2:30 3:30 pm, sverdrup hall 204 february 22 4:00 5:00pm, sverdrup hall 204 february 28 8:00 9:00 am, sverdrup hall 205 march 2 10:00 1:00 am, sverdrup hall 204 should you have questions, please contact lisa stock (stock@augsburg.edu or 612 330 1783) or nicole peterlin (peterlin@augsburg.edu or 612 330 1602) in human resources. thank you for sharing your voice! submitted by warnbers@augsburg.edu looking for a memorable job opportunity this summer? consider applying to be an augsburg college youth theology institute (ayti) mentor! we are looking for seven current students to serve as mentors for this summer’s youth theology institute (ayti). http://www.augsburg.edu/acti/ the augsburg youth theology institute (ayti) is a week long experience for high school students to critically engage in theological inquiry and faith exploration on the campus of the college. classroom learning, worship opportunities, urban exposure, and community building are all components of the program. an ayti mentor serves a vital role in the youth theology institute by helping to implement programs and cultivate community as faith leaders working with the high school youth participants. mentors need to complete ~22 hours of training in march and april and be totally available the entire week of july 7 13, 2018. interested in applying? visit the human resources employment web page. have any questions? contact lonna field at ccv@augsburg.edu brought to you by: christensen center for vocation, campus ministry, and theology and public leadership submitted by warnbers@augsburg.edu this interactive conference will bring together individuals with diverse core commitments for skill building in the areas of storytelling and story listening in order to build greater dialogue on our campuses around difference. the event is a collaboration between staff and faculty from augsburg university, bethel university, and the university of st. thomas and the interfaith youth corps (ifyc). it will take place on friday, february 23 and saturday, february 24 at the university of st. thomas. the cost is normally $10 (including meals) but is free for augsburg students. for more information and a schedule go to http://www.stthomas.edu/interfaithstorytelling or contact professor matt maruggi at maruggi@augsburg.edu. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1faipqlsdqn6 xvuorzv ojc18dexehmrhx2dwl83_ehaniqcxdlarig/viewform?pli=1 submitted by swanson@augsburg.edu the augsburg writing lab is alive and well and the tutors are ready to help you! the lab is located in lindell library, street level, just left of the circulation desk. all augsburg students   grad and undergrad, any major   are welcome. just bring a hard copy of whatever you are working on   essays, applications, personal statements, creative writing assignments. here are the hours: mondays   11:10 1:40 p.m., and 6:30 9:30 p.m. tuesdays   12:30 3 p.m.; 3:30 6 p.m., and 7:30 10 p.m. wednesdays  11:10 1:40 p.m.; 3:30 6 p.m., and 6:30 9 p.m. thursdays   12:30 3 p.m.; 3:30 6 p.m., and 7:30 10 p.m. fridays   4 6:30 p.m. sundays   5 8 p.m. questions? contact kathy swanson, english questions? please contact kathy swanson, english. submitted by warnbers@augsburg.edu current sophomores and juniors: want to engage in leadership, service, and learning to make a difference at augsburg and in the wider community? apply to be in one of augsburg’s 3 public leadership scholar programs:christensen scholars, interfaith scholars, or sabo scholars. in any one of the programs you will have the opportunity to participate in a yearlong academic seminar with a cohort of your peers. you will contribute to public leadership on campus and in the wider community in either the christian tradition, interfaith engagement, or civic life. you will also be able to earn 4 upper division semester credits in the religion or political science along with receiving a $2,000 scholarship. current sophomores and juniors who plan to study on campus all of the 2017 18 academic year are eligible to apply. applying: the application for all three programs is available online through sabo or ccv website, listed below. christensen scholars: http://www.augsburg.edu/ccv/christensen scholars program/ interfaith scholars: http://www.augsburg.edu/ccv/interfaith scholars program/ sabo scholars: http://www.augsburg.edu/sabo/what we do/sabo scholars/ the application deadline is monday, february 26th, 2018 questions? contact either the christensen center for vocation at ccv@augsburg.edu, 612 330 1403 or the sabo center for democracy and citizenship at sabocenter@augsburg.edu submitted by froehlic@augsburg.edu do you want to earn service hours while making a difference for middle school students in the twin cities? come judge debate rounds for the minnesota urban debate league. middle school students will debate education reform, and we’re looking for caring students to judge them on their critical thinking, argumentation, and public speaking. no debate experience? no problem   we’ll train you. judges also enjoy free pizza. volunteer shifts last from 3:15   7:30 pm. we’re still looking for judges for the following tournaments (named for famous former debaters): thursday 2/15: kareem abdul jabbar tournament tuesday   2/20: oprah winfrey tournament tuesday   2/27: sherman alexie tournament (make up) thursday   3/1: rosalind franklin tournament thursday   3/8: rep. patsy takemoto mink tournament tues thurs 3/13 3/15: justice sotomayor conference championships tuesday   3/20: winona laduke middle school city championships please direct any questions to udlvolunteers@augsburg.edu, or stop by our office in foss 18. click the link below for more information and to sign up: volunteer with us submitted by moralesj@augsburg.edu seeking student participants for auggie take out, an event over spring break, which will pair students with alumni for lunch and if time allows, an afternoon job shadow experience. interested students should complete a brief google form by february 23rd. students and alumni will be matched based on major and interests. any student can apply   they just need to participate in a brief business etiquette training before the experience and will need to arrange their own transportation to the lunch meeting. questions can be directed to janet morales, moralesj@augsburg.edu, 612 330 1792 auggie take out website submitted by truem@augsburg.edu are the “nones” done with civic engagement? organizing the religiously unaffiliated in today’s climate of polarization martin olav sabo symposium february 28, 2018 6 8 pm augsburg university, hagfors center, room 150 how do the religiously unaffiliated factor into this current moment of political polarization, when many are seeking to increase political and civic participation? join us for a symposium exploring this important topic, beginning with a keynote from phil zuckerman chair of pitzer college’s secular studies program and author of numerous books including the nonreligious (oxford, 2016) and living the secular life (penguin, 2014) followed by a panel of researchers who study the religiously unaffiliated. concluding the evening will be a conversation about how local community organizers and elected officials are engaging religiously diverse populations in their efforts, particularly the religiously unaffiliated. hosted by the sabo center for democracy and citizenship submitted by pippert@augsburg.edu today is the final day applications will be accepted for grants that support faculty scholarship, course design, and collaboration with our international partners. please visit the ctl website for further information and application forms. submitted by peterlin@augsburg.edu feeling stuck? the busy lives we lead can get in the way of doing what we know we ‘should’ be doing to achieve better health. in this engaging workshop you’ll learn new ways of thinking about what it takes to be healthy, and discover simple secrets on fitting powerful natural ‘medicines’ into the nooks and crannies of our lives for more energy and healthier, happier bodies. the result? looking and feeling your very best all day, every day! join this hands on workshop, led by well being consultant teri erhardt, from augsburg’s benefit broker nfp. it’s sure to be a fun, engaging, and worthwhile workshop! tuesday, february 27, 11 12 pm in the augsburg room submitted by obrienk@augsburg.edu congratulations to john kipper and erika idrovo cuesta on their acceptance to the ppia junior summer institute! the public policy and international affairs summer institute is a seven week program of study that focuses on preparing students for graduate programs in public and international affairs and careers as policy professionals, public administrators and other leadership roles in public service. erika idrovo cuesta (mcnair scholar) will participate in the ppia law fellows program at the goldman school of public policy, uc berkeley, which is designed to shape future leaders committed to representing under served communities in the areas of public policy and law. john kipper will be attending the university of minnesota’s humphrey school of public policy where he will learn about some of the biggest issues facing the u.s. (e.g. global climate change and environmental justice; race equity and public safety; global security and human rights; diversity and educational access) and have the opportunity to develop a field based research and community engagement project. we are thrilled that two auggies will be participating in this valuable and prestigious (only 20% of applicants admitted) program! if you are currently a sophomore and are interested in applying for the ppia summer institute for summer 2019, please contact urgo@augsburg.edu and check out the ppia website at https://www.ppiaprogram.org/ppia/. submitted by berggg@augsburg.edu the minne holocaust fellows program annually selects college students to participate in a fully paid, one day trip to the u.s. holocaust memorial museum in washington d.c. to acquire a more in depth knowledge of the holocaust. fellows tour the permanent exhibits and featured exhibits, as well as meet with a museum representative. awards come through the minne fund of the minneapolis jewish federation, who has chosen augsburg to be one of the select few universities to participate in the program. multiple augsburg students were selected last year for the trip. the 2018 trip will take place on april 24th. applications are due on february 28th and can be found at http://jewishminneapolis.org/minne/. if you would like to learn more about the program or would like advising on the application, please contact the urgo office at urgo@augsburg.edu or 612 330 1446. eligibility:   u.s. citizen   full time student   at least a sophomore and cannot be graduating before spring 2019   3.0 gpa or higher submitted by yangss1@augsburg.edu come learn about hundreds of off campus study programs available to auggies! programs are around the world as well as the usa, and range in length from 8 days to a whole year. there is something to fit each student! grab some hot cocoa, pick up program brochures, ask questions, and discover global opportunities that are perfect for you! don’t forget to enter the prize drawing, too! join us: friday, february 16, 2018, 10:30   2:30, christensen center get more details about the study abroad/away fair submitted by aleshirn@augsburg.edu nominations for the 2017 2018 augsburg leadership awards are now open! these awards celebrate and recognize outstanding student leaders and student organizations at augsburg university for their innovation, mentorship, advocacy, and engagement throughout this academic year. (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1faipqlsdjjtaubhknbfgtm5vd2 onsqdb4b8ddhivx4phlqga0kur8a/viewform) we encourage all students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members to nominate student leaders and student organizations for these awards. a list of awards with their descriptions can be found here:(http://www.augsburg.edu/cao/activities/augsburg leadership awards/). nominations are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on friday, march 9. applications are also open for the 2017 2018 augsburg senior leadership society, which recognizes graduating seniors for their leadership contributions over the course of their tenure at augsburg university. one individual who is inducted into the society will receive the linda schrempp alberg endowed leadership award, which has an award value of $500. (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1faipqlsd4mbx 4vkix4zwbbmovhmnqskxvg7dgkfqyvuj9ikxwoechg/viewform) nominees will be honored and recipients will be announced at the 19th annual augsburg leadership awards, taking place sunday, april 8 from 5:00 8:00pm. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1faipqlsdjjtaubhknbfgtm5vd2 onsqdb4b8ddhivx4phlqga0kur8a/viewform submitted by yangss6@augsburg.edu underrepresented students in stem can now apply for summer research under the nsf funded summit program. to be eligible for the summit program, students must:  be a united states citizen, national or permanent resident  be enrolled in an undergraduate stem degree program  self identify as a minority or underrepresented group (black, hispanic, native american, pacific islander, alaska native)  complete and submit all application materials by the february deadline. in the summit program, plant science and biology majors will be mentored by ph.d. researchers who are working toward the understanding of the mechanism of meiotic recombination using modern genomic, molecular biology, and cytogenetic techniques. this multi institutional collaborative group will be supporting undergraduate student research opportunities for the summer at either the university of minnesota  twin cities or cornell university   ithaca, ny. each selected participant will receive a stipend of $5,000. supplemental travel and housing funds are also available. students should be available to complete research between june 4, 2018 to august 10, 2018. the summit program application deadline is monday, february 26th, 2018. for more information and to apply, please see: http://summitprogram.cfans.umn.edu/ we encourage interested students to make an appointment with sabrina doré of stem programs to discuss program eligibility, the application process, and the north star stem scholars program, in general before applying. to set up an appointment with sabrina, please send an email to: dores@augsburg.edu. submitted by eschenba@augsburg.edu harry boyte, senior scholar in public work philosophy with the sabo center for democracy and citizenship will be honored on friday, february 23 by st. norbert college as an ambassador of peace. each year the college recognizes an individual who has been an influential advocate for sustainable peace in our world. the st. norbert ambassador of peace demonstrates the qualities of a peacemaker in a consistent and outstanding manner: respect for persons, promotion of dialogue, nonviolent conflict resolution, reconciliation and forgiveness. he will deliver a lecture called “education at the seedbed of a democratic renaissance” at the event. for more information see http://www.snc.edu/millercenter/events/ambassador.html submitted by crombie@augsburg.edu augsburg’s annual zyzzogeton research symposium showcases the work of over 80 undergraduate researchers in all academic disciplines and will take place on april 18th. students who have conducted research over the course of the last year and would like to present a poster should register at the urgo website (www.augsburg.edu/urgo) by march 1st (no abstract is required at time of registration). for questions about registration or the event, please contact urgo@augsburg.edu. urgo website submitted by yangss6@augsburg.edu underrepresented students in stem can now apply for summer research under the nsf funded mndrive program. to be eligible for the mndrive program, students must:  be a united states citizen, national or permanent resident  be enrolled in an undergraduate stem degree program  self identify as a minority or underrepresented group (black, hispanic, native american, pacific islander, alaska native)  complete and submit all application materials by the deadline. the mndrive program represents a partnership between the minnesota discovery and research innovation economy (mndrive) initiative and the north star stem alliance (nssa) to provide summer research internship experiences to undergraduates. mndrive has summer internship opportunities in four general research areas   brain conditions (neuromodulation) research, environment (bioremediation) research, robotics, sensors and advanced manufacturing research, and global food ventures research. students should be available for research during summer 2018 and have access to housing in the twin cities metro area. the nssa provides $4,000 for the research opportunity. the mndrive application deadline is monday, february 19th, 2018 at 5:00 pm. for more information and to apply, please see: https://northstarstem.org/node/706 we encourage interested students to make an appointment with sabrina doré of stem programs to discuss program eligibility, the application process, and the north star stem scholars program, in general before applying. to set up an appointment with sabrina, please send an email to: dores@augsburg.edu. submitted by crombie@augsburg.edu augsburg’s trio mcnair scholars program is recruiting students for fall 2018 admission. eligible applicants will be at junior status by the end of spring 2019 and available to conduct full time research summer 2019. we are particularly looking for students in stem fields that are interested in pursuing doctoral degrees, but we will consider all majors except most professional fields (including business, pre law, pre health). the trio mcnair scholars program works with students who are members of groups underrepresented in graduate education and who exhibit strong academic potential. the goal of the program is to prepare scholars for graduate study through academics, involvement in undergraduate research and other scholarly activities. mcnair provides coursework, workshops and advising in preparation for doctoral study. the program also assists with securing admission to and financial assistance for enrollment in graduate programs. students will acquire the research skills necessary to succeed in graduate school through a paid research internship ($4000) with an augsburg faculty member during the summer of 2019. the mcnair scholars program is a federal trio grant from the u.s. department of education. therefore, to be eligible, students must be first generation (neither parent graduated from a four year college) and low income or may be persons from groups underrepresented in graduate education. the department of education defines these groups as african american, american indian, alaskan native, and hispanic/latino. additionally, applicants must be either u.s. citizens or permanent residents and maintain at last a 2.8 cumulative gpa (3.0+ preferred). if you are interested in learning more about the mcnair scholars program, please contact lara crombie, program assistant, crombie@augsburg.edu. don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions about the program or if you’re unsure whether or not you qualify. trio mcnair scholars program website submitted by eschenba@augsburg.edu the 2018 coalition of urban and metropolitan universities annual conference calls upon each of us leaders, administrators, faculty, staff, students, and community partners to reflect on the changing role of our urban and metropolitan serving institutions through an equity lens in academe and in public life. augsburg is well positioned to be featured at this conference. the conference takes place october 22 24 in chicago, and proposals can be submitted now through april 23. please consider submitting a proposal. call for proposals submitted by johnso91@augsburg.edu applications are now open for the 2017 2018 augsburg senior leadership society, which recognizes graduating seniors for their leadership contributions over the course of their tenure at augsburg university. one individual who is inducted into the society will receive the linda schrempp alberg endowed leadership award, which has an award value of $500. nominees will be honored and recipients will be announced at the 19th annual augsburg leadership awards, taking place sunday, april 8 from 5:00 8:00pm. applications are now open for the 2017 2018 augsburg senior leadership society submitted by freunds@augsburg.edu “religion and violence” thursday, february 8th 6:30 8:30pm join the interfaith scholars and interfaith @ cedar commons team for a challenging discussion around this important topic. free dinner will be provided! *how and why have religious texts and doctrines been used to fuel and justify violence? are there other ways to understand those texts? *what are other root causes of violence, if religion isn’t necessarily the root? *how can faith communities be a force of non violence? speakers: interfaith fellow wendy goldberg and professor maheen zaman. hosted by: augsburg’s interfaith scholars and interfaith @ cedar commons [cedar commons: 2001 riverside ave. s] submitted by yangss1@augsburg.edu auggies   do you want to win $5,000 for your study abroad program? are you pell grant eligible with u.s. citizenship? if yes   we encourage you to apply for a gilman scholarship for your summer or fall 2018 program. the study abroad/away office will have two workshops where you can learn about the gilman, and get help with the application process: in depth session: thursday feb 8 10:30 11:30 am cedar room, christensen express session: wednesday feb 21 10:30 11 am (chapel time) cedar room, christensen gilman scholarship applications for summer and fall programs are due by march 6th, 2018. for more information on the gilman, see: https://www.gilmanscholarship.org since 2008, fifty two augsburg students have received gilman scholarships, totaling $205,500! facebook event page submitted by dames@augsburg.edu join us in gundale chapel on the third floor of the hagfors center at 5:15  5:45 pm for holden evening prayer. light snacks will be available at 5:30 pm outside the chapel. stop by on your way to an evening class. more information submitted by tuchten@augsburg.edu the sesquicentennial academic sub committee is looking for project ideas and project leaders that will make the celebration of our sesquicentennial year a special year for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of augsburg. funds are available for evocative projects of all kinds that reflect augsburg’s mission, academic excellence and community. the 150th anniversary will be celebrated between homecoming 2019 and homecoming 2020. our aim is to have all sesquicentennial projects identified by spring 2018. submission instructions: please submit all completed applications through the google form (https://goo.gl/forms/vw53vqwyujsv5xmc2). the links to the form will be on the academic affairs website (http://inside.augsburg.edu/academicaffairs/resources/budget compensation personnel/augsburg university sesquicentennial grant call for proposals/) and sesquicentennial website (http://www.augsburg.edu/150/). applications are due april 15, 2018 for consideration. contact darcey engen for more information. engen@augsburg.edu submitted by truem@augsburg.edu are the “nones” done with civic engagement? organizing the religiously unaffiliated in today’s climate of polarization martin olav sabo symposium february 28, 2018 6 8 pm augsburg university, hagfors center, room 150 how do the religiously unaffiliated factor into this current moment of political polarization, when many are seeking to increase political and civic participation? join us for a symposium exploring this important topic, beginning with a keynote from phil zuckerman chair of pitzer college’s secular studies program and author of numerous books including the nonreligious (oxford, 2016) and living the secular life (penguin, 2014) followed by a panel of researchers who study the religiously unaffiliated. concluding the evening will be a conversation about how local community organizers and elected officials are engaging religiously diverse populations in their efforts, particularly the religiously unaffiliated. hosted by the sabo center for democracy and citizenship submitted by johnso91@augsburg.edu nominations for the 2017 2018 augsburg leadership awards are now open! these awards celebrate and recognize outstanding student leaders and student organizations at augsburg university for their innovation, mentorship, advocacy, and engagement throughout this academic year. we encourage all students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members to nominate student leaders and student organizations for these awards. nominations are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on friday, march 9. nominations for the 2017 2018 augsburg leadership awards are now open! submitted by nguyenj@augsburg.edu hello everyone, in an effort to destigmatize the usage of food pantries and food shelves, particularly the one on campus, i’m looking for some students who would be interested in having their portrait taken and sharing their experience with either campus cupboard, food insecurity, hunger, or any other issue food related. the photos will be pieced together into a poster to show that food insecurity does not discriminate and that augsburg students experience it too. you’ll also receive a digital copy of your picture. please email me at nguyenj@augsburg.edu if you’re interested and we can set up a day and time to do a quick shoot/informal interview. thanks! submitted by glissmeg@augsburg.edu is it chanukah or hanukkah? what is kosher? why so much black clothes? does everyone speak hebrew? if you’ve got questions about judaism, come join us for an informal discussion where we hope to answer some of your questions. we will be meeting today from 4:30 5:30 pm in the riverside room, christensen center. submitted by rjohn@augsburg.edu the focused conversation series continues next week, addressing the topic of academic planning. the sessions   tuesday, february 13, and wednesday, february 14, will be facilitated by provost karen kaivola. see the all hands page (link below) or the inside augsburg calendar for times and locations, and to add a session to your calendar. see all hands page for details (login required) submitted by ryghs@augsburg.edu do you have a passion for the outdoors and want to study away in the usa? the river semester might be up your alley! come join us for a student orientation for the river semester on february 22nd from 3:30 5:00 in the oren gateway center 100. both alumni who previously participated in the program and program director joe underhill offer information on this amazing program. snacks will be offered as well. river semester submitted by beckmanm@augsburg.edu heather hultquist, a former administrative assistant to nsm and a 2000 alumna of augsburg co authored: 2017 financial institution payments fraud mitigation report of results. she is currently working in the payments, standards, and outreach group at the federal reserve bank of minneapolis. see a link to the report below. https://www.minneapolisfed.org/~/media/files/about/what we do/frb mpls 2017 fi pymts fraud mitigation report.pdf?la=en submitted by peterlin@augsburg.edu feeling stuck? the busy lives we lead can get in the way of doing what we know we ‘should’ be doing to achieve better health. in this engaging workshop you’ll learn new ways of thinking about what it takes to be healthy, and discover simple secrets on fitting powerful natural ‘medicines’ into the nooks and crannies of our lives for more energy and healthier, happier bodies. the result? looking and feeling your very best all day, every day! join this hands on workshop, led by well being consultant teri erhardt, from augsburg’s benefit broker nfp. it’s sure to be a fun, engaging, and worthwhile workshop! tuesday, february 27, 11 12 pm in the augsburg room submitted by froehlic@augsburg.edu do you want to earn service hours while making a difference for middle school students in the twin cities? come judge debate rounds for the minnesota urban debate league! middle school students will debate education reform, and we’re looking for caring students to judge them on their critical thinking, argumentation, and public speaking. no debate experience? no problem   we’ll train you. judges also enjoy free pizza! volunteer shifts last from 3:15   7:30 pm. we’re still looking for judges for the following tournaments (named for famous former debaters): thursday 2/15: kareem abdul jabbar tournament tuesday   2/20: oprah winfrey tournament tuesday   2/27: sherman alexie tournament (make up) thursday   3/1: rosalind franklin tournament thursday   3/8: rep. patsy takemoto mink tournament tues thurs 3/13 3/15: justice sotomayor conference championships tuesday   3/20: winona laduke middle school city championships please direct any questions to udlvolunteers@augsburg.edu, or stop by our office in foss 18! click the link below for more information and to sign up: volunteer with us submitted by pippert@augsburg.edu the office of academic affairs and the center for teaching and learning invite your nominations for the 2018 awards for distinguished contributions to teaching and learning. augsburg annually recognizes individuals or groups that have made exemplary contributions to creating an engaging academic learning environment through awards for teaching (full time and adjunct), scholarship, or service. for additional information regarding award criteria and to submit a confidential nomination, please visit the ctl awards website. the deadline for nominations is february 20, 2018. submitted by pippert@augsburg.edu the center for teaching and learning, the faculty development committee, the office of international programs, and the office of academic affairs would like to remind you that over $45,000 has been budgeted to support faculty scholarship, course design, and collaboration with our international partners. please visit the ctl website for further information and application forms. scholarship grants   february 15, 2015 provost’s internationalization travel grants   february 15, 2018 integrated course design working group  february 15, 2018 submitted by tilton@augsburg.edu are you looking for a paid summer job? do you like working with youth? interested in gaining leadership skills? stop by the summer job camp fair and meet with over 18 camps from across the united states that are seeking summer employees. representatives will in the lobby of the christensen center on monday, february 12th from 10:00 a.m.   1:30 p.m. many of the representatives will be interviewing students on the spot. questions? email tilton@augsburg.edu or call 612 330 1148 submitted by tilton@augsburg.edu for the 42nd year, minnesota’s private colleges will host the annual job and internship fair on tuesday, february 27 at the minneapolis convention center. this fair stands out as one of the premier college/employer partnerships in the country. the exhibit hall is open from 9:00 a.m   2:00 p.m. (you can stay for as long as you are able) why attend the fair? explore opportunities in a variety of industries and majors. chat with more than 260 employers   all under one roof! open to undergraduate students (sophomores, juniors, and seniors) from the minnesota private colleges. get your free professional linkedin photo taken at the fair! learn more about the fair and who will be attending: http://mnpcfair.org/ register & pay the $12 fee in handshake handshake https://app.joinhandshake.com/career_fairs/4154/ submitted by tilton@augsburg.edu prudential financial is looking for students who have a positive attitude, desire to learn, and a passion to help people! they have summer internship opportunities in underwriting and sales as well as full time positions within their customer experience and customer value center. to learn more about our these exciting opportunities  stop by the lobby of the christensen center on tuesday, february 13th between 10:00 a.m   1:00 pm to meet with their business reps. click on the below links to view job descriptions and apply today! 2018 customer value center (cvc)   customer relationship specialist   http://bit.ly/pru2018_cvc 2018 customer office sales associate   http://bit.ly/customerofficesales 2018 life underwriting internship   http://bit.ly/internunderwrite 2018 sales career development internship   http://bit.ly/ilisales submitted by warnbers@augsburg.edu want to engage in leadership, service, and learning to make a difference at augsburg and in the wider community? apply to be in one of augsburg’s 3 public leadership scholar programs:christensen scholars, interfaith scholars, or sabo scholars. in any one of the programs you will have the opportunity to participate in a yearlong academic seminar with a cohort of your peers. you will contribute to public leadership on campus and in the wider community in either the christian tradition, interfaith engagement, or civic life. you will also be able to earn 4 upper division semester credits in the religion or political science along with receiving a $2,000 scholarship. current sophomores and juniors who plan to study on campus all of the 2017 18 academic year are eligible to apply. applying: the application for all three programs is available online through sabo or ccv website, listed below. christensen scholars: http://www.augsburg.edu/ccv/christensen scholars program/ interfaith scholars: http://www.augsburg.edu/ccv/interfaith scholars program/ sabo scholars: http://www.augsburg.edu/sabo/what we do/sabo scholars/ the application deadline is monday, february 19th, 2018 questions? contact either the christensen center for vocation at ccv@augsburg.edu, 612 330 1403 or the sabo center for democracy and citizenship at sabocenter@augsburg.edu submitted by crombie@augsburg.edu augsburg’s trio mcnair scholars program is recruiting students for fall 2018 admission. eligible applicants will be at junior status by the end of spring 2019 and available to conduct full time research summer 2019. we are particularly looking for students in stem fields that are interested in pursuing doctoral degrees, but we will consider all majors except most professional fields (including business, pre law, pre health). the trio mcnair scholars program works with students who are members of groups underrepresented in graduate education and who exhibit strong academic potential. the goal of the program is to prepare scholars for graduate study through academics, involvement in undergraduate research and other scholarly activities. mcnair provides coursework, workshops and advising in preparation for doctoral study. the program also assists with securing admission to and financial assistance for enrollment in graduate programs. students will acquire the research skills necessary to succeed in graduate school through a paid research internship ($4000) with an augsburg faculty member during the summer of 2019. the mcnair scholars program is a federal trio grant from the u.s. department of education. therefore, to be eligible, students must be first generation (neither parent graduated from a four year college) and low income or may be persons from groups underrepresented in graduate education. the department of education defines these groups as african american, american indian, alaskan native, and hispanic/latino. additionally, applicants must be either u.s. citizens or permanent residents and maintain at last a 2.8 cumulative gpa (3.0+ preferred). if you are interested in learning more about the mcnair scholars program, please contact lara crombie, program assistant, crombie@augsburg.edu. don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions about the program or if you’re unsure whether or not you qualify. trio mcnair scholars program website submitted by berggg@augsburg.edu the minne holocaust fellows program annually selects college students to participate in a fully paid, one day trip to the u.s. holocaust memorial museum in washington d.c. to acquire a more in depth knowledge of the holocaust. fellows tour the permanent exhibits and featured exhibits, as well as meet with a museum representative. awards come through the minne fund of the minneapolis jewish federation, who has chosen augsburg to be one of the select few universities to participate in the program. multiple augsburg students were selected last year for the trip. the 2018 trip will take place on april 24th. applications are due on february 28th and can be found at http://jewishminneapolis.org/minne/. if you would like to learn more about the program or would like advising on the application, please contact the urgo office at urgo@augsburg.edu or 612 330 1446. eligibility:   u.s. citizen   full time student   at least a sophomore and cannot be graduating before spring 2019   3.0 gpa or higher submitted by huynhn1@augsburg.edu presented by the national alliance on mental illness (nami): learn about mental illnesses, the impact of negative attitudes and five things each of us can do to make minnesota a better place for people who experience a mental illness. open to augsburg staff, faculty, and students. tuesday, february 13th 9 10am marshall room submitted by salehd@augsburg.edu join lgbtqia+ student services for the 11th annual lavender celebration on thursday, april 12th at 5pm in the east commons. this is an end of the year banquet to celebrate and recognize outstanding lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and allied students, staff, and faculty for their amazing contributions to the augsburg community throughout the academic year. recipients of the karen neitge scholarship, lgbtqia+ student leadership awards, and augsburg pride awards will be honored. this year our keynote speaker is one of minnesota’s best selling spoken word poets and three time author danez smith. rsvp here submitted by fulford@augsburg.edu staff senate is seeking nominations for the auggie pride award! the auggie pride award is given to staff members who have gone above and beyond to serve augsburg and fulfill its mission and values. reasons to acknowledge a staff member can include a variety of things, such as the completion of a project, the implementation of an innovative idea, or simply giving directions to a lost campus guest. if you have a colleague who you feel is deserving of this award, please nominate them by filling out the nomination form at http://www.augsburg.edu/staffsenate/auggie_pride/. the auggie pride awards are awarded monthly, throughout the academic year. more information found at inside.augsburg.edu/staffsenate submitted by warnbers@augsburg.edu this interactive conference will bring together individuals with diverse core commitments for skill building in the areas of storytelling and story listening in order to build greater dialogue on our campuses around difference. the event is a collaboration between staff and faculty from augsburg university, bethel university, and the university of st. thomas and the interfaith youth corps (ifyc). it will take place on friday, february 23 and saturday, february 24 at the university of st. thomas. the cost is normally $10 (including meals) but is free for augsburg students. for more information and a schedule go to http://www.stthomas.edu/interfaithstorytelling or contact professor matt maruggi at maruggi@augsburg.edu. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1faipqlsdqn6 xvuorzv ojc18dexehmrhx2dwl83_ehaniqcxdlarig/viewform?pli=1 submitted by warnbers@augsburg.edu looking for something meaningful to do this spring break? consider signing up for alternative spring break! during the week of march 10th   17th, augsburg students will be traveling to texas to work with habitat for humanity of laredo webb county. this trip is a great opportunity for students of different backgrounds to come together, learn, and build community! the cost of the trip is $250 which includes lodging, transportation, and most meals. spots fill up fast, so register soon! $100 is due at registration to secure your spot. want to learn more? have questions? email sophie warnberg at warnbers@augsburg.edu like us on facebook “augsburg alternative spring break” + follow us on twitter @auggiespringbrk sponsored by campus ministry and the christensen center for vocation submitted by yangss6@augsburg.edu underrepresented students in stem can now apply for summer research under the nsf funded summit program. to be eligible for the summit program, students must:  be a united states citizen, national or permanent resident  be enrolled in an undergraduate stem degree program  self identify as a minority or underrepresented group (black, hispanic, native american, pacific islander, alaska native)  complete and submit all application materials by the february deadline. in the summit program, plant science and biology majors will be mentored by ph.d. researchers who are working toward the understanding of the mechanism of meiotic recombination using modern genomic, molecular biology, and cytogenetic techniques. this multi institutional collaborative group will be supporting undergraduate student research opportunities for the summer at either the university of minnesota  twin cities or cornell university   ithaca, ny. each selected participant will receive a stipend of $5,000. supplemental travel and housing funds are also available. students should be available to complete research between june 4, 2018 to august 10, 2018. the summit program application deadline is monday, february 26th, 2018. for more information and to apply, please see: http://summitprogram.cfans.umn.edu/ we encourage interested students to make an appointment with sabrina doré of stem programs to discuss program eligibility, the application process, and the north star stem scholars program, in general before applying. to set up an appointment with sabrina, please send an email to: dores@augsburg.edu. submitted by yangss6@augsburg.edu underrepresented students in stem can now apply for summer research under the nsf funded mndrive program. to be eligible for the mndrive program, students must:  be a united states citizen, national or permanent resident  be enrolled in an undergraduate stem degree program  self identify as a minority or underrepresented group (black, hispanic, native american, pacific islander, alaska native)  complete and submit all application materials by the deadline. the mndrive program represents a partnership between the minnesota discovery and research innovation economy (mndrive) initiative and the north star stem alliance (nssa) to provide summer research internship experiences to undergraduates. mndrive has summer internship opportunities in four general research areas   brain conditions (neuromodulation) research, environment (bioremediation) research, robotics, sensors and advanced manufacturing research, and global food ventures research. students should be available for research during summer 2018 and have access to housing in the twin cities metro area. the nssa provides $4,000 for the research opportunity. the mndrive application deadline is monday, february 19th, 2018 at 5:00 pm. for more information and to apply, please see: https://northstarstem.org/node/706 we encourage interested students to make an appointment with sabrina doré of stem programs to discuss program eligibility, the application process, and the north star stem scholars program, in general before applying. to set up an appointment with sabrina, please send an email to: dores@augsburg.edu. submitted by berggg@augsburg.edu dr. keneeshia williams (’03 biology and chemistry) will speak on how she developed essential core competencies and how health care professionals work as a team. dr. williams received her md degree from the university of illinois at peoria and completed her general surgery residency at university of illinois at mount sinai hospital. she completed a research residency in trauma and burn research and did her surgical critical care/acute care surgery fellowship at banner university medical center tucson. she now serves as a trauma surgeon and assistant professor at emory university. contact catherina kipper at kipper@augsburg.edu for more information. friday, february 9 12 pm riverside room send corrections to a mail corrections@augsburg.edu browse pre 2017 archives copyright © 2025 augsburg university minneapolis, mn 612 330 1000 administrator login

the christians by lucan hnath directed by stepan simek, professor of theatre choir director: susan mcberry the what and the how the christians as a deeply probing play that raises questions about how and why entrenched beliefs within organized religion can exert great power and cause division within communities, and how changing those beliefs can often be difficult, disruptive, and accompanied by great personal cost the the individual. it is a highly theatrical and relatable, yet at the same time profoundly intellectual staged debate about the real human consequences of choices based on spirituality. the play is set in a modern and diverse american evangelical megachurch, and the action is backed by a twenty five member choir and a live church band. play synopsis twenty years ago, pastor paul’s church was nothing more than a modest storefront. now, he presides over a mega congregation of thousands, with classrooms for sunday school, a coffee shop in the lobby, a baptismal font as big as a swimming pool, a top of the arts multi media machinery, and a parking lot for hundreds of cars. today should be a day of celebration   the congregation has become more powerful than ever, and the gigantic church building is now finally fully paid for and debt free. but paul is about to preach a sermon that will shake the very foundation of his church’s belief and lead to a complete reexamination of everything that each of the characters in the play stands for. performances fir acres theatre main stage thursday, friday and saturday, october 31, november 1 & 2   7:30pm sunday, november 3   2:00pm matinee thursday, friday, and saturday, november 7, 8, 9   7:30pm theatre is located in fir acres theatre on the undergraduate campus. msc: 54 email theatre@lclark.edu voice 503 768 7491 fax 503 768 7671 chair rebecca lingafelter theatrelewis & clark615 s. palatine hill road portland or 97219 a new course, playing at the border: migration and art, examines how migrant and refugee stories are told in film, theatre, and visual art, providing students with opportunities to engage directly with portland’s immigrant communities. music, theatre, and dance might not be the first things you think of when you hear “library,” but lewis & clark’s aubrey r. watzek library is much more than a place for quiet study. on the first friday of every month, arts@lc takes over the watzek atrium to showcase student participation in the performing arts. the final events of the fall semester featured actors from the main stage theatre production into the woods and dancers from theatre’s contact improv class. lewis & clark’s fall 2024 theatre department newsletter is out! read on to see all the theatre happenings from the fall, including the mainstage production of into the woods, the student one act festival,once upon a weekend, dance extravaganza, notes from study abroad in london, an alumni spotlight and a preview of what’s coming up in spring 2025!
cnn opinion asked political contributors to weigh in on the first presidential debate of the 2024 race. the views expressed in these commentaries are their own. with president joe biden’s first halting, marble mouthed words, my heart and my hope that america will dodge a second hit of former president donald trump sank   even lower than the minimal expectations most of us had for biden. it is one thing to joke that all biden had to do to ease voters’ minds was to stay somewhat alert for the duration of the debate. it is another thing to see him appear to struggle to do so. by the time the debate was over, the best spin democratic party operatives had to offer was that they knew how bad it had gone. posed and stationary on a sparse stage, and with no audience to either leaven or amplify the mood, the split screen of trump and biden gave us one man utterly engaged in the fight of his political career   attacking, parrying, vicious   and another man who at times did not seem to be sure where he was. if you were at dinner with an older relative who behaved and spoke like biden did during this debate   mumbling into his soup and such   you would at the very least ask if they needed a nap. if it wasn’t the first time it happened, you might have a quiet conversation with your siblings about what the next steps should be. i imagine that is the conversation the upper echelons of the donor class are having about biden right now. it’s fair to say that the debate should be judged on substance. i’d love to be judging the debate on substance, but i’m not sure how. trump repeated falsehoods and fumed about conspiracies and made preposterous promises and untethered boasts. he was full of hot air   but the air had a shape to it. trump filled a gigantic lie balloon and biden just hissed out some words. when i could make out those words, they aligned with my own beliefs … so there’s that. but it’s my convictions that make me focus on biden’s doddering performance. i live in texas, where doctors fear to give women abortions even if the fetus has a fatal abnormality or is no longer viable. those stories can generate headlines, at least. in the past two years, i have had multiple friends leave the state to obtain abortions in situations that are less graphically disturbing but still incredibly difficult.