11/01/2008
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Contributed photofrom the Kennebec Journal
QUESTIONS REMAIN
No complaints from those who switched to Somerset County center
Vote on 1 may hurt some in election
Steeple at center of debate in Whitefield
VETERANS REQUIRE ASSISTANCE: Homelessness takes center stage
J.P. DEVINE: Overcome sadness with hope
BASKETBALL: NBA Hall of Famer Barry doles out advice at Thomas College
HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY: Maranacook sophomore Mace dominates Class B field
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Kennebec Journal
from the Morning Sentinel
A year later, families await answers on fatalities
Owner of topless coffee shop on the comeback trail
Officials report cheaper, better service after switch
Two people in critical condition
Young Marines stick to program
Issue of homeless veterans at center stage
GIRLS SOCCER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Winslow falls to York in Class B
Bard hits her marathon stride
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
UNITY -- When it came to politics, Heidi Kowalski considered herself "kind of jaded" and not very knowledgeable about policies.
Not anymore -- especially concerning environmental conservation.
Kowalski, 29, has spent more than two months diving into the proposals and records of presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama, compiling mountains of information. Then, she and her classmates distilled the research onto posters, which were displayed for the campus this week.
"I was really proud it came out like it did," Kowalski said. "I do feel more informed, especially on these issues and that's a very important thing for me, being at an environmental college."
The project is part of a top-level natural resource policy class taught by associate professor Nancy Ross. Ross, who has taught at the college for eight years, says she saw an opportunity this semester with the presidential election: "To carry out natural resource policy research that will make a difference."
"I am so proud of my students," Ross said. "I wanted to get it more close to home."
The posters, plastered in a hallway in the student activities center on campus, include bullet points of the candidates' policy positions, voting records, and a question the students would ask of each candidate. There are five posters -- one per a specific topic -- plus a sixth that lists citations and sources.
Collecting the information wasn't as simple as logging onto the candidates' Web sites, Ross said.
They also had to find reputable, independent sources to verify policy positions, voting records and public statements, while examining the background and significance of votes and positions and the roles of donors and interest groups. Classmates would also challenge and debate each other's research and findings, Ross said.
"They really had to analyze the sources they used, their biases," Ross said. "They looked at congressional voting histories, press records."
Students divided into five groups, of two to three people, to examine five areas of energy policy: nuclear power, alternative energy sources, expanded drilling for oil, climate change with a focus on reducing fossil fuel use, and energy conservation.
"The deeper they went, the more inconsistencies that they found. They had better appreciation of the political process," Ross said.
As the general election on Tuesday draws near, crowds of Unity College students have clustered around the posters, Ross said.
"I don't think (the posters) changed anybody's vote, but I did hear one of the students say to his buddy, 'You're going to vote, aren't you?'" Ross said. "I think it did inspire some people to at least chastise a friend to go out and vote."
Scott Monroe -- 487-3288, 861-9253
smonroe@centralmaine.com
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