Last Tuesday, the Black Students’ Union and the Mu Sigma Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. held a forum on the current national election issues in Morey Hall.
The discussion was centered on the main issues of this year’s election and students were allowed to participate and express their views on these topics, as well as learn about the political platforms of each party.
“The main issues that we focused on were the war on terrorism, homeland security, gay marriage, immigration and the role of faith in the government,” BSU President and Students’ Association Vice President Marquis Harrison said.
The forum is part of a series of events called “Raise Your Voice! A Voteless People is a Hopeless People,” which is meant to raise voter awareness.
The first event was a lecture given on Oct. 10 by Professor Gerald Gamm titled “How Your Government Works,” and was followed up by a daily voter registration drive held in Wilson Commons that ended on Oct. 13.
On Oct. 14, members of BSU went to the Rochester Public Market to sign people up to vote. Nearly 75 people were signed up to vote over the course of the numerous events.
Today, a student debate will be held between representatives of the UR College Democrats and the Rochester Institute of Technology’s College Republicans at 8 p.m. in Morey Hall.
The two groups will wrap up their voter initiative programs with a panel regarding the value of young people’s role in politics on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Hawkins-Carlson Room of Rush Rhees Library. Panelists will include Rochester City Councilman Adam McFadden and City School Board Vice President Malik Evans ’02, among others.Dining Services starts new food initiativesThe Southside Market, a new convenience store located in de Kiewiet Tower, opened on Friday.
“We have already received a lot of positive feedback about the idea for this store,” Director of Dining and Auxiliary Operations Cam Shauf said. “We think that the students who live out in Valentine and de Kiewiet will enjoy the convenience.”
The store officially opened on Monday at 7 a.m., and the hours are as follows: Monday-Thursday 7 a.m.-10 a.m. and 7 p.m.-11 p.m.; Friday 7 a.m.-10 a.m.; and Sunday 7 p.m.-11 p.m.
The new convenience store is modeled after the Corner Store on campus, only slightly bigger. An added perk is that coffee will be available during all hours of operation, provided by the Women’s Coffee Connection.
“The new convenience store was awesome,” sophomore and Valentine resident Novall Khan said. “Not only was it more stocked than the Corner Store, you could get bagels and coffee there.”
Also on Friday, UR hosted its first Sustainability Farmers Market in Dandelion Square from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in order to raise consciousness of the benefits of buying local produce and show the critical role of universities in the progress toward sustainable agricultural practices.
Freshlink Farms in Penfield and East Hill Organic Farm in Middlesex provided the organic and locally grown produce, such as apples, greens, corn, squash and pumpkins.
The event was organized by Engineers for a Sustainable World, Foodlink and Campus Dining Services.
Live music and information were provided by both community and campus groups, such as UR Fair Trade Campaign, Grassroots and Students for Social Justice.Halusic is a member of the class of 2010.
