Presidential Candidate Lecture Series

View videos of candidates who have visited PSU this year!

The Plymouth State University Student Government sponsors a one-of-a-kind . The Student Body President and Vice-President extend an invite to U.S. Presidential Candidates to speak on our campus prior to the New Hampshire Primary. This is an excellent opportunity for the Plymouth State community, residents of the Town of Plymouth, and surrounding area to become engaged in the political process!

This year, a committee will be formed to work on this endeavor. All Plymouth State students are eligible to apply to serve on this committee. , please fill out an application. For more information about this process, please contact Trevor Chandler, Student Body President (tlchandler1@mail.plymouth.edu) or Aly Dethlefs, Student Body Vice-President (acdethlefs@mail.plymouth.edu).

NOTE: Plymouth State University (PSU) is committed to the expression of a wide range of ideas and opinions and to their free discussion. PSU’s integrity as a place of open inquiry necessitates that it remains clear of advocating any particular idea while maintaining the rights and dignity of all, particularly in relation to political partisanship. Political campaign activities will be limited to the discourse of ideas among candidates and the audience. All candidates must officially have filed for the office they are seeking before any arrangements will be made for a campus event. No admission fees will be charged, and no political fundraising events will be entertained on campus. PSU offers guidelines for appearances on campus by political candidates for the purpose of political campaigning.

Presidential Lecture Series Committee — Application Information

Application (PDF 23 Kb)

General Information:

All current Plymouth State students who wish to be more involved in the ’08 Elections are eligible and encouraged to apply for the Presidential Lecture Series Committee. Successful candidates must be able to maintain a non-partisan disposition throughout the lecture series process. There are several positions to fill, each varying in time commitment. Please assess which position is best suited for your skill-set and time availability.

Committee Positions:

• Room + Catering- (1)
  • Responsible for making all room/audio/visual reservations for each candidate.
  • Work with the Associate Director for the HUB (or individual responsible for the facility where the candidate will speak) to create an event diagram.
  • Work with Sodexo for any catering needs.
• Marketing- (2)
  • Work with the Director for University Public Relations, Chris Williams, to organize and distribute materials to the media, announcing candidate visits.
  • If needed, work with UPR staff to handle any media attending the events.
  • Work with UPR staff to draft an email to be sent to all faculty, staff, and students announcing each candidates visit.  This must include a brief notification that clearly states that PSU does not endorse any political party or candidate; rather, they promote education and responsible citizenship.
  • General advertisements to include, but not limited to the following; banners in HUB, portal announcements, emails, posters (on campus & surrounding community), WPCR, Facebook, and any other media sources deemed necessary.
  • Design T-shirt to be worn by the street team.
• Researcher- (1)
  • Perform extensive research on all political candidates speaking on campus.
  • Share all research materials with committee members, as this information will allow them to perform their respective jobs.
  • Utilize collected data to create a list of general questions to be asked of all candidates as well as ones that are directly tied to individual candidates.
  • Ability to communicate, in a timely manner, with entire committee team is imperative.
• Security Liaison- (1) This person would be in communication with the campus police along with any police detail required by the political candidate.
• Street Team- (5) This group of key student's on-campus would gather a crowd. Using all their best communication and people skills to draw in large numbers to listen to each political candidate. They would get the word out in any way they deem reasonable (while adhering to campus publicity policies, of course!). Creativity is needed and welcomed!

Meetings:

Most committee positions are task oriented and do not require many group meetings. Once the committee is formed there will be a general meeting for all members to get acquainted.  Following this meeting, communication will be initiated by the SBP or SBVP and directed to individual committee members. Each position is asked to report directly to either the Student Body President or Vice-President, as they are spearheading the Presidential Lecture Series.

Dates to Remember:

Packets available in Student Senate office: First Day of School

Packets due back to the Senate Office by:  Friday, September 14th @ 5pm

Contact Information:

If you have any questions or concerns you may direct them to the Vice-President of the Student Body: Aly Dethlefs (acdethlefs@plymouth.edu) or to the President of the Student Body: Trevor Chandler (tlchandler1@plymouth.edu).

Application (PDF 23 Kb)

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