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The Harbinger

March 3, 2008

Garfield Institute hosts panel discussion about immigration tonight in the Kennedy Center Ballroom

Doris Meissner

Join the College and community members on Monday, March 3, for a panel discussion examining economic, political, and ethical issues pertaining to immigration across the Mexican border. The panel discussion will be followed by a keynote address by Doris Meissner, titled "Immigration: Contemporary Politics and Future Prospects." Former commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), Doris Meissner is a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute (MPI). A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she earned her B.A. and M.A., she is director of MPI’s Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future. She was the first executive director of the national Women's Political Caucus (NWPC) in Washington, D.C.

The panelists, in addition to Ms. Meissner, include James Creagan, Allert Brown-Gort, and Craig L. Moser. Mr. Creagan, former ambassador

James Creagan

to Honduras; director of the Center for International Studies, University of the Incarnate Word, and Hiram College Trustee, will moderate the panel discussion. Mr. Creagan is a career diplomat with over 30 years of experience, having served as the deputy chief of mission at the American Embassy in Italy before arriving in Honduras. He also served as deputy chief of mission at the American Embassy at the Holy See, the consul general in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and as the political counselor at the American Embassy in Lisbon. He has been a political and labor officer in U.S. embassies in Lima, Mexico, San Salvador, and Rome. He is currently the director for the Center of International Studies, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio.

Allbert Brown-Gort

Mr. Brown-Gort is associate director, Institute for Latino Studies, University of Notre Dame. Mr. Brown-Gort is a native of Mexico, and has taught in the international relations department of the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM). He also served as the deputy director of ITAM’s North American Public Policy Studies Program (PARMEC), studying the changes in the political processes and public opinion regarding North American issues. Prior to his tenure in Mexico, Mr. Brown-Gort was in charge of the Latin American Initiative of the Conservation Education Programs at Columbia University. He also worked for the president of Televisa in Mexico City.

Mr. Moser is professor of economics, Hiram College. Mr. Moser has over three

Craig Moser

decades of experience as a professor, department chair, academic administrator, NCA consultant/administrator, and team chair. He has lead several study-abroad trips to England and Russia, is the recipient of many academic honors and recognitions, and has presented numerous papers on economics, both domestic and international.

The panel discussion starts at 4:15 p.m., and is followed by a reception, dinner (reservation required), and keynote address at 6:30 p.m., to be held in the Kennedy Center. For further information, contact Kathy Luschek: 330.569.6118.

Hiram College gratefully recognizes Trustee William Recker for his generous investment in this Center of Excellence and Jack Palmer '59 for his gracious sponsorship of this seminar.

Softball and baseball teams head to Florida this week to get ready for the 2008 season

The softball team will look to build upon its success of last season after posting a school record 22 wins (22-14 overall) and a first-ever appearance in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. The Terriers will head to Orlando to take part in the annual Rebel Spring Games and will face some tough competition. Two of Hiram’s opponents are ranked in the 2008 National Fastpitch Coaches Association preseason poll as No. 14 Coe College and No. 25 Marietta College. The Terriers will also face eight schools who made their individual conference tournaments, including one conference champion and two schools who finished as runners-up. The Terriers return north on March 22 and will travel to Canton for a non-conference doubleheader against Malone College at 1 p.m.

The Hiram baseball team will travel to the other side of Florida to Fort Pierce. The Terriers will play seven games, including a pair of conference doubleheaders against Kenyon College. Hiram will have its share of tough opponents: three out of the four teams the Terriers will face finished the 2007 season with 20 or more victories. The baseball team will play its first game of the northern schedule in a non-conference, nine-inning game against Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania.

Chamberlain/Hopkins Symposium: A Call to Action

The 2nd Annual Chamberlain/Hopkins Symposium on Alcohol and Culture was held at Hiram College on Thursday, February 28 and Friday, February 29.

Senator Grendell

On Thursday, Ohio Senator Timothy Grendell addressed the College regarding facts and figures about alcohol use, about drinking on college campuses, and about Senate Bill 17, developed in direct response to the drunk driving accident that killed Hiram students Grace Chamberlain and Andy Hopkins. Senate Bill 17 enacts stricter penalties regarding impaired operation. Already passed by the Senate, Senate Bill 17 is currently sitting in the House waiting for review and approval. If Senate Bill 17 is not passed by the House this year, the entire process will need to start from scratch.

To help ensure that this does not happen, Senator Grendell put forth a call to action. First, he urged, write to Speaker of the House Jon Husted and Criminal Justice Committee Chair John White and explain how important the Senate Bill 17 is, and how important it is that it becomes law.

Second, Senator Grendell, talked about binge drinking on college campuses. He challenged students in the audience to actively assume roles of public leadership, and be the voices of responsible and legal drinking for their peers. He encouraged students to take active steps to change the image and perception of excessive intoxication from fun and harmless to irresponsible and dangerous. Students must embrace accountability for the legal and ethical issues related to their own drinking – and that of their peers.

On Friday, the Save A Life Tour was on campus providing first-hand experience with driving under the influence – without actually endangering anyone – using the most realistic drunk driving simulator in the world. The National "Save A Life" Tour was developed to provide a state-of-the-art, interactive driving experience that simulates driving under the influence of alcohol.

Many students took advantage of the opportunity to try out the simulator, and many discovered how profoundly impaired their ability to control the vehicle became as the simulator increased their alcohol-impairment. For many, it was a sobering experience. And that was exactly the goal.