4A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2008
EDUCATION
Law fair brings 70 schools to campus
BY SACHIKO MIYAKAWA
smiyakawa@kansan.com
Students interested in law school can explore the offerings of many universities at tomorrow's Pre-Law Day.
The annual event, sponsored by the University of Kansas Pre-Law Office and Phi Alpha Delta, a co-ed law fraternity, will bring representatives from 70 law schools and 30 states to the University.
The law schools represented will include local schools, such as Washburn University, as well as coastal schools, such as Columbia University and the University of Oregon.
Preston Nicholson, assistant director and pre-law coordinator at the University Advising Center, said about 700 undergraduates at
Pre-Law Day information
When: Sept. 3, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
"Attending this fair may open
the University showed interest in going to law school after graduation. He said the fair would be open to anybody, and encouraged students of all ages to attend.
"Attending this fair may open their eyes to schools that they are not aware of."
Attending their eyes to schools that they are not aware of." Nicholson said.
E a c h school will have an information table where students can get brochures, applications
needed for admission and the study abroad programs available at different schools. She said she planned to ask recruiters at the fair if their schools would help students find summer intern-
PRESTON NICHOLSON Assistant director at the University Advising Center
Where: The Kansas Union Ballroom
A n n a Kowalewski, Overland Park law student at the University, said she encouraged students to ask about the cost of law school when they spoke to recruiters. She
and other information from recruiters.
Nicholson said students could learn which schools offered specific law courses in which they might be interested.
ships.
Rhianna Hoover, St. Louis junior and director of public relations for Phi Alpha Delta, said she wanted to study international law after graduating from the University. She said she hoped representatives from schools at the fair would provide information such as the LSAT test score
Kowalewski also said when choosing a school that students should consider where they would want to work after getting a law degree. She said employers were often more familiar with schools in the same region as their law firms and it could be difficult for students to find a job far from their school.
said financial packages, including scholarships and loans, varied depending on the school.
Edited by Mary Sorrick
HURRICANE GUSTAV Republican convention takes backseat to Gustav
ST. PAUL, Minn. — First Lady Laura Bush has told Republican National Convention delegates that America's priority has shifted to those in Hurricane Gustav's path, rather than politics.
Bush says such events are a reminder that people are Americans first and that "our shared American ideals will always transcend" politics.
money.
Cindy McCain, the wife of GOP presidential candidate John McCain, also made a brief appearance on the opening day of a shortened convention. She asked delegates to visit hurricane-relief Web sites and donate
Bush also introduced videos by Republican governors from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana who had to miss the convention because of the storm.
GOP urges public to help Hurricane Gustav victims
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Republican Party has kicked off its 2008 national convention, ready to have Sen. John McCain carry the party's banner this fall against Democrat Barack Obama.
The party stuck with its plan to proceed with the long-planned convention despite the distraction of Hurricane Gustav's strike along the Gulf Coast earlier
Monday, President Bush, who had been expected to appear at the convention Monday night, called that off so he could go to Texas to monitor the storm developments.
Party chairman Robert Duncan told delegates that Monday's session would be abbreviated and he urged them and people watching at home to help people whose lives have been disrupted by the hurricane. His first formal word was an explanation of how people can make donations on their cellular phones. Duncan said: "Through a simple text message, you can give help to your countrymen."
Associated Press
New courses talk politics
CAMPUS
BY JESSE TRIMBLE
jtrimble@kansan.com
New classes designed to examine issues related to the 2008 election season are popping up in a variety of departments all over campus this fall.
David Perlmutter, professor at the School of Journalism, teaches the "New Media and Political Communication" for graduate students, which is offered this semester only. The course focuses on the way new media and communications have been used within Sen. Barack Obama's (D-III.) and Sen John McCain's (R-Ariz.) presidential campaigns.
Many of the courses will only be offered this semester.
"I wanted to see how political campaigns in general and the race for presidency specifically were changing with all these new innovative technologies." Perlmutter said. "There are all of these new ways of reaching out to potential voters, including text messaging,
Perlmutter said the main focus of his class of seven graduate students is to look at how traditional political campaigns are changing.
blogging and Facebook."
The communication studies and political science departments offer other classes geared toward political campaigns.
Mary Banwart, associate professor in communication studies, teaches "Communications in Political Campaigns." Students taking the course examine political communication as it evolves through a political campaign, which includes the influence of mass media and the use of technology to communicate the messages of a campaign.
Several new forms of technology have been used in campaigns this election year, such as the Obama campaign's use of text messaging.
Banwart said a candidate must be careful with how the message is used and how it will affect the audience when using new technology for political communication.
"2004 and 2006 were the years
Political courses offered this semester include:
J840 Seminar: New Media and Political Communication Instructor: David Perlmutter, professor of Journalism Course Description: Course will survey the interplay of new
Course Description: Course will survey the interplay of new media technologies in the elections of 2008. Focus on how innovations such as weblogs, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, text messaging and others are being used in campaigns, candidates and media. Among the topics will be the changes in: voter outreach, campaign communications, campaign organization, message development, advertising and fundraising.
COMS 553: Communications in Political Campaigns
Course Description: Course examines political communications as it evolves throughout a political campaign and includes such topics as theories and strategies, stages in political campaigns, influence of the mass media, television advertising, candidate debates and the use of new technologies in delivering campaign communications. Selected examples from recent campaigns illustrate the strategies and effects of political communication as students examine how politicians persuade us to vote for them.
POLS 615: Campaigns and Elections
Instructor: Mary Banwart, associate professor of communication studies
Instructor: Mark Joslyn, associate professor of political science Course Description: Course examines the behavior of candidates, campaigns and voters in the electoral process Topics will include the role of media,the impact of money, the operations of political campaigns and the effect of campaign laws.
Instructor: Mark Joslyn, associate professor of political science
Course Description: Course examines the behavior of
Source: University course catalog
where a lot of the innovations were tried and experimented with," Perlmutter said. "So far, within 2008, rather than just one or two people using these, we've seen tactics used by campaigns regularly and almost on a massive scale."
Although politicians have been using new technology in recent years, Banwart said they couldn't forget the importance of traditional communication.
"Advertising drove the media dialogue for campaigns and are part of what still currently drive them," Banwart said. "There's always a message component and it's placed on interaction and engagement with the audience. Candidates want to know, 'How do we get you to vote? How do we get your friends to vote?' And I think that's what's interesting about what new technology brings to us."
In addition to Perlmutter's and Banwart's courses, several courses are also offered through the political science department, including the course "Campaigns and Elections," offered by Mark Joslyn, associate professor of political science.
Brandon Schwager, Lawrence sophomore and political science and economics major, said new technology was a double-edged sword.
"It makes it easier for information to be spread around whether it's true or not," Schwager said. "You can just go to Web sites and look it up versus listening to every single debate."
"Students are realizing that this is a conversation they want and need to be a part of and understand what's taking place at this level of communication. I think that's very important. I want students to be active and not passive about these issues."
Banwart is excited to see how her classes will unfold while closely watching the elections this year.
Edited by Andy Greenhaw
"I've been talking to students about what has sparked their interests in politics and I am seeing it more and more," Banwart said.
ELECTION
Palin announces daughter's pregnancy
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY LIZ SIDOTI ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. PAUL, Minn. — John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, said Monday her 17-year-old, unmarried daughter is five months pregnant.
McCain aides said the announcement was aimed at rebutting Internet rumors that Palin's youngest son, born in April, was actually her daughter's.
Bristol Palin, 17, holds his brother Bristol Trig during the campaign rally where Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced Bristol and Trig's mom, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, as his vice president running mate in Dayton, Ohio, Friday. Sarah Palin said Monday that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is five months pregnant. With Bristol is, left to right, their father Todd and sisters Piper and Willow.
The Republican national convention already had been relegated to a distant second on TV to Hurricane Gustav, in newspapers and on Internet Web sites.
Monday's statement, attributed to Sarah and Todd Palin and released by the campaign, said that Bristol Palin would keep her baby and marry the child's father, identified only as a young man named Levi. The baby is due in late December.
"We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents." Sarah and Todd Palin said in their brief statement.
The disclosure came on the opening day of the Republican National Convention and three days after McCain named Palin as his vicepresidential running mate.
Palin told McCain's team about the pregnancy during lengthy discussions about her background, and the senator knew about it when he made her his surprise pick Saturday, aides said. At several points during the discussions, McCain's team warned Palin that the scrutiny into her private life would be intense and that there was nothing she could do to prepare for it.
"Life happens," McCain adviser Steve Schmidt said.
Prominent religious conservatives, many of whom have been lukewarm toward McCain's candidacy, predicted that the announcement would not diminish conservative Christian enthusiasm for the vice-presidential hopeful, who is a staunch abortion opponent. In fact, there was talk that it might help.
The convention opened on time, though shortened out of concern that the party did not want to be seen whooping it up in St. Paul while thousands of Americans along the Gulf Coast were threatened by the hurricane. From the convention podium, GOP officials asked delegates to take out their cell phones and text-message contributions to help in the relief effort.
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