A Career in Politics

Friday, April 20

Andrew Porwancher moderates political careers forum.    PHOTO BY: Ajinur Setiwaldi

More than 80 people attended an event on Friday at Zarrow Hall featuring five government employees who discussed their political career experiences with students.

The Institute for American Constitutional Heritage, Carl Albert Center and the Political Science Club sponsored the event to get student thinking about careers in politics, IACH professor Andrew Porwancher said. The event is meant to allow students to get different perspectives of what it is like have political career, according to the Department of Political Science.

Porwancher organized and moderated the panel.

The panel included the deputy legal council from the Oklahoma Governor's Office, the director of communications for Lt. Governor Todd Lamb's office, an official from the US Department of Agriculture, a White House Cabinet Affairs employee and the public affairs director for Governor Mary Fallin, according to the event flyer.

Panelist discussed various aspects of their political careers with students and gave them advice on finding opportunities for and establishing careers in the political arena.

Politics isn't very glamorous; it takes a lot of hard work, Kelili McEwen, the public affairs director for Governor Mary Fallin's office, said.

“If you want to work in politics don't be afraid to get into trenches,” McEwen said.

Chad Maisel, a White House Cabinet Affairs employee, discussed the importance of networking in politics. Every office has its politics but conversation and collaboration is important, he said.

“Government workers are some of the hardest worker,” Maisel said.

Those who work in the political arena have a high degree of responsibility and accountability, Ashley Kehl, the director of communications for Governor Mary Fallin's office, said.

“Be politically minded,” Kehl said. “There is going to be a consequence for everything that comes out your mouth.”

After the discussion, there was a speed-networking session for students to discuss their career goals with the panelist.

This is the kind of event that should appeal to graduates interested in politics, Porwancher said.
It's important for students to understand what political careers are available and how they can start planning, he said.

A similar event may be held next year if there is a student interest, Porwancher said.

Sources:
Andrew Porwancher
IACH Professor
porwancher@ou.edu

Event Flyer

Panelists 

The limits of free speech

Wednesday, April 25

Andrew Porwancher discusses Stolen Valor Act.  PHOTO BY: Ajinur Setiwaldi

ROTC students discuss Stolen Valor Act at CSSA event. PHOTO BY: Ajinur Setiwaldi

A student association at the University of Oklahoma hosted their last discussion of the year on Friday at the Memorial Union about the constitutional limits of free speech, focusing on a recent Supreme Court case on the constitutionality of lying about military honors.

Andrew Porwancher, a professor at OU Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage, discussed the various free speech issues concerning the constitutionality of the Stolen valor Act. More than 35 people attended including members of the Constitutional Studies Students Association, the OU Reserve Officers' Training Corps and the OU community attended the event.

The discussion is the last event CSSA will host this academic year, CSSA president, Megan Marks said. The event is about an important part of our civic life, she said.

“Our goal for the event is to gain insights into this tricky area of free speech in order to better understand our right to speech under the First Amendment,” Marks said.

The Stolen Valor Act was introduced in 2005 to enhance protections relating to the reputation and meaning of the Medal of Honor and other military decorations and awards, according to govtrack.us. The bill was signed into law by former President George W. Bush in 2006.

This February, the Supreme Court heard a case concerning the Stolen Valor Act. The case centers around Xavier Alvarez, a former California county water board member who made false claims about having won the Congressional Medal of Honor, according to National Public Radio.

The topic is an interesting one because it questions the extent of the First Amendment, Marks said.

“Most people can agree that we shouldn't lie about topics such as receiving the Medal of Honor, but we can disagree on whether the Stolen Valor Act is constitutionally sound,” Marks said.

Porwancher discussed the differences between protected and unprotected speech and whether lying about military honors is protected under the First Amendment. Lying is usually only criminalized when it damages a specific individual or group, he said.

Free speech is a topic that affects us all an is vital in our democracy, Marks said. Free speech is an end in itself, Porwancher said.

“We have free speech because it's in service of all of Society,” Porwancher said.

There are no specific harms inflicted by Alvarez's false claim, Porwancher said.

“My sense is that they will strike down the law,” Porwancher said.

The United States vs. Alvarez case was last in the Supreme Court on February 22, 2012 , according to the United States Supreme Court Docket.

Sources:
Andrew Porwancher
IACH Professor
porwancher@ou.edu

Megan Marks
President of CSSA
meganmarks@ou.edu
740-417-6901

US Supreme Court Website
NPR

Islam and liberties in the Middle East

Turkish Journalist Mustafa Akyol discusses Islam and opportunities for democracy in the Middle East.  PHOTO BY: Ajinur Setiwaldi

More than a hundred people attended a presentation on Islam and opportunities for democracy and liberties in the Middle East by Turkish journalist and political commentator spoke Friday, April 13 at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Arts.

Mustafa Akyol, an internationally recognized journalist, talked about book, “Islam Without Extremes,” the Middle East and the importance of liberties and democracy in societies.

Akyol writes for one of Turkey's oldest English newspapers and his articles have appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The International Herald Tribune among other widely recognized media, director of the Raindrop Turkish House Orhan Osman said.

The event was hosted by the Center for Middle East Studies, the Raindrop Turkish House and the Interfaith Dialog Student Association, according to the event poster. The Turkish Students Association helped organized the event, Nur Uysal, the spokesperson for the event, said.

Akyol talked about the limits on liberties in some Middle Eastern countries and refereed to Saudi Arabia as an example.

“There is this idea that you should be guarded, watched and monitored by the state to make sure you are a pious Muslim,” Akyol said.

The idea of cohered piety does not work, Akyol said. We need to figure out why some Middle Eastern nations have the idea of forcing religion upon people, he said.

Akyol provided Turkey as an example of a secular state that did the opposite by forcing women to remove their headscarves in public buildings. The problem lies in the authoritarian politics of countries, he said.

“Maybe it is not that the problem is religion or Islam,” Akyol said. “Maybe we should say there is an authoritarian culture in that part of the world and maybe we can detach Islam form the authoritarian political culture.”

Authoritarian Islamic regimes in the Middle East are not the products of their religion alone, Akyol said. When we speak about the history of Islam we aren't just speaking about the divine history of the religion, he said.

“There are many per-existing attitude, traditions and cultures that existed in that part of the world,” Akyol said.

At the end of the presentation, Joshua Landis, the Director of the Center for Middle East Studies, moderated a questions and answers section during which Akyol answered questions about Islam, Turkey and social and political issues in the Middle East.

Sources:
Mustafa Akyol – Speaker at event
Nur Uysal- spokesperson for event
nuysal@ou.edu; 405-606-9623
Orhan Osman – Speaker at event
Event Poster