News Release

Editor’s note: Media are invited to attend any portion of this event. A mult box will be available for audio feeds for TV and radio reporters.

Ohio Wesleyan University to Hold 2008 Mock Presidential Convention
Students to Discuss Issues, Debate Platform, Select Candidates for President, Vice President

January 28, 2008

DELAWARE, OHIO – Hundreds of Ohio Wesleyan University students will get a taste of presidential politics Feb. 1-2 when the university holds its 2008 Democratic Mock Presidential Convention. The two-day event will take place in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St.

Ohio Wesleyan held its first Mock Convention in 1884, and since 1920 has conducted the event during nearly every presidential election. Between 300 and 400 students typically participate.

This year’s event will kick off at 3 p.m. Feb. 1, featuring opening ceremonies and platform debates. It is expected to conclude at noon Feb. 2. A tentative schedule of events is below. The Mock Convention is free and open to the public.

Because the event always features the party out of the White House, the 2008 Mock Convention will focus on the Democratic race. The theme of this year’s Mock Convention is “Democracy Restored: One Nation, Many Issues.”

Just like its national Republican and Democratic counterparts, Ohio Wesleyan’s Mock Convention will include high-energy party platform debates, candidate speeches, and delegate voting to determine the party’s nominees for president and vice president of the United States. Speakers will include Richard Cordray, Treasurer of the State of Ohio, and Doug Kelly, Executive Director of the Ohio Democratic Party.

“It is a chance to get an understanding for the way American presidential politics work and an opportunity to get people interested in politics,” said McKenzie Kugler, a senior from Cincinnati and chair of the executive committee organizing this year’s event. Kugler, an international studies major, said she has been looking forward to taking part in the convention since enrolling at Ohio Wesleyan.

Joan McLean, Ph.D., a politics and government professor and Mock Convention faculty adviser, said the event provides a unique learning experience.

“Today’s students have not seen national conventions from gavel to gavel,” said McLean, who worked on two presidential campaigns and helped shape Geraldine Ferraro’s bid for the vice presidency in 1984. “All of the TV networks used to cover the conventions in depth, but that’s not true today. As a result, it’s more important than ever that we provide students with this experience.”

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

For more information about Ohio Wesleyan’s Mock Convention, visit mock2008.owu.edu.

Ohio Wesleyan University is an undergraduate liberal arts college that transforms the lives of its students through a combination of rigorous academics, mentoring relationships, and real-world experiences. Featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” the private university’s 1,850 students come from 40 states and 45 countries. Visit www.owu.edu for more information.