San Diego State University’s
School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) and
Voice of San Diego are partnering to spark political conversation on campus.
Politifest 2016 is an all-day public affairs conference centered around national and local political issues facing San Diegans on the November 2016 ballot. The day will feature two keynote speakers and breakout sessions discussing and debating local, contentious political topics as well as state ballot measures.
The event will take place from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, in the
Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union, followed by an after-party at
Aztec Lanes. The day will include a special lunch reception at noon for alumni and affiliates of JMS on the union’s exclusive rooftop terrace.
A special kickoff event will be held on Friday, Sept. 23 from 7-9 p.m. at the UC San Diego Mandeville Auditorium.
This will be the first time the annual Politifest celebration is held on a college campus. According to JMS Director
Bey-Ling Sha, Voice of San Diego reached out to collaborate with JMS in hopes of getting college students involved with the event.
Sha will moderate the panel, “Developing Consciousness in Politics and the Self,” with panelists made up of SDSU faculty. The professors come from a range of disciplines, but they have formed a cohort centered on contemplative practice, which is the idea and practice of self-reflection.
“We want to cultivate the ability for students to self-regulate emotionally and create the possibility for them to move away from having one perspective to being able to adopt multiple perspectives,” said panelist
Joseph Alter, a professor in SDSU's
School of Music and Dance.
Alter believes contemplative practice can change the dynamic in conversations about highly charged topics, like politics, and create an opportunity for ideological collaboration instead of opposition. This panel will present at the conference at both 10:30-11:30 a.m. and 3:30-4:30 p.m.
To register or learn more about Politifest 2016, please
visit the website. Registration is free for all students and faculty of any university, college or high school. If you are interested in attending the rooftop reception, use the registration code SJMS.