Colorado State University Center for Public Deliberation Hosts Fall 2007 Community Issues Forum Nov. 12

The Colorado State University Center for Public Deliberation will host the Fall 2007 Center for Public Deliberation Community Issues Forum from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12 in the East Ballroom of the Lory Student Center. For the first time, this forum will bring together 100 graduating CSU students and members of the community to discuss several key topics pertinent to the local community. Participation is free and open to the public.

Martin Carcasson, director of the Center for Public Deliberation, and assistant professor in the Department of Speech Communication, will open the forum, and then participants will choose one of seven topics for a small group discussion. The topics this fall include:

–     Abuse of alcohol;

–     The role of the campus newspaper;

–     Pathways to peace;

–     Health care reform in Colorado;

–     Rising poverty in Larimer County;

–     Energy;

–     Improving the student/neighborhood relationship.

Participants will also be given an opportunity to make suggestions for topics for the Spring 2008 Community Issues Forum.

CSU students from the university’s Department of Speech Communication will participate in the forum as part of their capstone course. Carcasson hopes to make the collaboration a tradition every semester for the Community Issues Forum.

Student facilitators will moderate the forums in a non-partisan manner while note-takers will document concerns, ideas, questions and other thoughts from the participants. Reports from each of the forums will posted online at www.cpd.colostate.edu. Additionally, the information gathered at these forums will be used to further develop ongoing center projects and inform various campus and community initiatives.

The Center for Public Deliberation was founded in the summer of 2006, and is dedicated to enhancing local democracy through improved public communication and community problem solving. Working with local city councils, county governments, state representatives, school boards and community organizations, the center organizes and hosts many events in the local community, including public forums on national and local issues and various workshops tied to public participation and civic engagement.

For more information contact Martin Carcasson at (970) 491-5628 or visit [email protected].

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