LYCOMING COLLEGE SUMMER MAGAZINE 2023

PENNSYLVANIA POLITICS COURSE TAKES LYCOMING STUDENTS TO STATE CAPITOL

LYCOMING MARKS FIRST UNDERGRADUATE HUMANITIES RESEARCH CONFERENCE A SUCCESS a Lycoming student for “The Cause and Cycle of Child Labor in Mexico.” Deported with

represented in this young administration. In the judicial branch, students interacted with Lycoming alumnus Justice Kevin Brobson ’92. The group met in the Supreme Court Chamber and learned about the artwork, architecture, and history surrounding them. Brobson fielded questions about the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the experience of running a statewide campaign. The class also met with alumnus Sen. Gene Yaw ’70, who serves as chairman of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. The students asked questions about the perception of lobbying having a negative influence on politics, and learned that it’s an avenue for different causes to be heard. Part of the week included shadowing jobs at the Capitol. Some shadowed professionals in lobbying firms or interest groups, while others spent time learning from legislative committees and communications staff. One student even spent time in the lieutenant governor’s office. Throughout the week, the class attended committee hearings and had a first-person experience of how the policy process works in Pennsylvania.

Nine Lycoming College students spent Spring Break 2023 fully immersed in Pennsylvania government and politics through the first-ever Applied Political Experience course, taught by Sen. David G. Argall ’80. They spent the week in Harrisburg, Pa., attending meetings and learning from members and staff of all three branches of government. The students conducted meetings with Gov. Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis. In each of these meetings, they came prepared with questions on goals for the 2023-24 budget, increasing the minimum wage, and making college more affordable, particularly for children of immigrants. The two highest-ranking members of the executive branch spoke highly of Generation Z. Shapiro shared, “Generation Z matters,” noting that they have “powerful voices” for “driving change.” He added that they are “gifted at using social media to drive out a message.” Davis shared, “the people closest to the pain should be closest to the power,” noting the importance of having young people, women, and working-class individuals

Lycoming College held its inaugural Undergraduate Humanities Research Conference in early April 2023, with more than 100 conference goers representing 24 institutions of higher education from across the region and beyond. Participants attended student presentations and a keynote address, all while helping to deepen their understanding and bridge the gap between their status as students and their futures as professionals in their fields. The conference consisted of four sessions, each tackling research within the humanities and its related disciplines of history, literature, philosophy, art history, modern and classical languages, religious studies, interdisciplinary humanistic studies, and social sciences with a humanistic emphasis. Six students were presented awards for their dedication to excellence in research. Lycoming’s Jeovannee “Geo” Castillo ’23, a biology (anatomy and physiology) and Spanish dual major, won the award for the best research paper by

his family to Mexico at age 11, Castillo worked for three years before affording a trip back to the United States, determined to attend high school and college. “Lycoming College offered me that opportunity, for which I am incredibly grateful,” he said. “The interdisciplinary, humanities-focused format of our conference is unique, and we are really excited about the quality and breadth of submitted research that engages medieval literature, Chinese philosophy, Mediterranean archaeology, African American history, Cold War politics, indigenous identities, feminist art, popular culture, and much more,” said Andrew Leiter, Ph.D., professor of English and director of the College’s Humanities Research Center.

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LYCOMING COLLEGE 2023 SUMMER MAGAZINE