As the President of the Political Science Symposium (PSS), I would like to take the opportunity to make a few points of clarification regarding recent posts in The Daily Campus that have made mention of our organization. I think it’s worth noting at the outset that above all else, the Political Science Symposium does not wish for itself or for other organizations to be dragged into a personal policy dispute.
In its 25 year history at SMU, the Political Science Symposium has dedicated itself to producing events that appeal to political science students and to SMU students in general who enjoy discussing salient national political topics in a non-partisan format.
For example, in 2009, 2010 and 2011, the Symposium hosted its annual spring debate that focused, respectively, on gay marriage, the Israel/Palestine conflict and the geopolitical strategy that the U.S. should employ when dealing with the ‘Arab Spring.’
Each year, the Symposium also sponsors a Law School Panel, consisting of current law students, for those undergraduates thinking about going to law school, a Career Panel featuring SMU alums discussing ways to use their degrees for public service (including one of last year’s panelists who is one of the newest staff members of the National Security Council) and a number of student/faculty mixers to allow students to meet political science professors and have tremendous networking opportunities with the speakers who attend our events.
Finally, I would also like to say that the Political Science Symposium has always enjoyed a friendly and cooperative relationship with the Student Senate. Senate has always been willing to help us attract some very important political figures like Sen. Chris Dodd and Sarah Weddington (who argued Roe v. Wade) to our programs. Were it not for their funding, SMU students would not be able to enjoy listening to these individuals.
Last year, at the suggestion of a Student Senator, PSS donated a portion of its funding to help finance the Dallas Mayoral Debate being held on the SMU campus. This year, the Student Senate appropriated to us a significant amount of money to help fund our annual programs for next year. Needless to say, we have a long and cooperative relationship with the Student Senate and are thankful for Senate’s funding for the upcoming year and look forward to the continuation of the relationship between the two organizations.
Sincerely,
Kevin Eaton
President, Political Science Symposium
Dr. Dennis Simon
Professor of Political Science and Co-Advisor to the Political Science Symposium
Dr. Joseph Kobylka
Professor of Political Science and Co-Advisor to the Political Science Symposium
Kevin is a senior majoring in political science, economics and public policy.
