After a competitive application process, UConn was selected as one of ten schools to be a 2010 host of Campaign College. Campaign College is a one-day workshop aimed to encourage and train young women to run for student government positions on their college campuses.
The UConn’s Women Center is spearheading the event, which is taking place on Feb. 28, with help from USG, Student Activities, Community Outreach and the Office of Student Services and Advocacy.
Funded by the American Association of University Women, American University Women & Political Institute and Running Start through a grant, Campaign College will bring together a diverse group of female students to learn about running for elected positions and thriving in any leadership position.
But students will not be the only attendees of Campaign College. Other guests include State Representatives Denise Merrill, Mae Flexer and Susan Johnson, along with East Haven Mayor April Capone Almon.
The goal of Campaign College is to increase the number of females who serve on UConn’s Undergraduate Student Government, especially those in leadership positions. The training will provide the skills and knowledge to accomplish this.
“Here at UConn there are many students involved in student government, but we simply aren’t seeing the different leadership styles that women bring to the table being represented,” said Kathleen Holgerson, the director of UConn’s Women’s Center.
Nisha Wali, a 4th-semester nursing major and Program Assistant at UConn’s Women’s Center, is the student leader liaison for the event.
“UConn is a really politically active campus, but UConn doesn’t have a lot of women or women of color in USG,” said Wali. “There are a lot of roles not being represented. We really need to see more women in the leadership role – president, vice president, secretary. It would be great to have our student body more diversely represented.”
Campaign College hopes to have between 50 and 75 student participants. These participants will be selected by a nomination process through various UConn departments.
Other Campaign College sites include University of North Carolina – Wilmington, Northern Michigan University and the University of Texas at Arlington.
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