Westfield State students to participate in national political conventions

Westfield State College students will participate in the Democratic and Republican national conventions this summer, thanks to support from President Evan S. Dobelle and the Westfield State College Foundation, Inc.

The 11 students had the option of selecting which convention to attend. One recent graduate and seven political science students chose the Democratic National Convention in Denver.  They are Bruce W. Jackson of Southwick, Henrietta Doe of Lowell, John Petty III, of Uxbridge, Samantha M Shrader of Fairhaven, Felipe Vazquez of Ware, Sean M. White of Weymouth, and Colleen W. Murphy and Meaghan Sheehan, both of Haverhill. Three chose the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis. They are Timothy R. Linnehan of Springfield, Natasha C. Ludwig of Seekonk, and Gregory R. Nuttelman of Easthampton.

The Convention Program, sponsored by The Washington Center for Internships, features a self-contained two-week seminar beginning one week prior to the conventions. Formal instruction, guest lectures, panels, host city tours, site visits and fieldwork assignments are integral parts of the program.  Students learn the history of political campaigns and conventions, the nomination process, party organization, campaign finance and media coverage, while witnessing history in the making. During the week of the convention, the focus turns to the keynote address, party platform, party factions, selection of the presidential and vice presidential nominees, campaign strategies and related topics.

Marsha Marotta, chair of the Political Science Department, organized the initiative and will lead the academic seminar at the Democratic convention, spending two weeks with the student contingent. Headquarters and housing for this program will be on the campus of Regis University in Denver. Marotta is collaborating with the Springfield Republican to offer students the opportunity to share their experiences through blogs on MassLive. “This is such an exciting opportunity for our students, not only because this will be an historic convention but also because they will be able to meet students and convention attendees from all over the country,” Marotta said. “They will work hard, but there will be lots of opportunities for networking. Students at both conventions will even have some opportunities for exploring the Denver and Minneapolis areas.”

Dobelle has encouraged the undergraduates to return to campus and share their experiences with the college community in the fall.

Maureen McCartney, coordinator of the Westfield State Washington Internship program, said that some of the students will extend their convention learning opportunity with semester-long internships in Washington D.C. in the fall and spring.

Meaghan Sheehan, Sean White and Henrietta Doe will each spend 15 weeks in the Capitol this year in full-time positions in the political environment.

The Westfield State College Foundation, Inc., provides significant funding for these field experiences. Robert Ziomek, executive director, said the Foundation has offered long-standing support for participation in Washington Center programs. “The Foundation is proud to help make these rich learning opportunities available to Westfield State students,” he said.