Civic Engagement while Social Distancing

The LSC-M Center for Civic Engagement will continue to offer virtual programming for the 2021-2022 academic year.  Check this site regularly to stay up-to-date on LSC-M CCE happenings!

Jump to: Politics in Texas | Deliberative Dialogues | Newman Civic Fellowship | Voter Registration | Constitution Day | General Civic Engagement Resources | About LSC-M Center for Civic Engagement

What is Going on this Semester?

Wednesday, October 27 | 7:00 p.m. CST | Redistricting 101!

This is an opportunity to learn how to draw a map of your community and have your voice heard as part of Texas's redistricting process! All TX students and community members are encouraged and welcome to attend, so please share the event information widely. Join the event at tinyurl.com/TXDrawCVP2.

Thursday, November 4 | 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Central Time | The Systematic Persecution of Uyghurs: Conversation with a Genocide Survivor (In-Person Program by the Houston Holocaust Museum)

Join Holocaust Museum Houston for a critical discussion with the organization Campaign for Uyghurs and hear from a Uyghur survivor. Campaign for Uyghurs works to promote and advocate for the human rights and democratic freedoms for the Uyghurs and other Turkic people in East Turkistan (referred to in China as “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region”). It mobilizes individuals and the international community and builds bridges to take action on behalf of and to raise public awareness of the Uyghur issue with a special focus on Uyghur women and youth, and to activate persons and entities to work together to stop the systematic human rights abuses against the people of East Turkistan. Admission is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. Please note: Face masks are required for all guests ages 2 and up. Complimentary masks are available at the Security desk. Register for event here.

Wednesday, November 10 | 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. | Women's Representation in the Middle East and North Africa (Virtual Discussion hosted by the Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy at Texas Women’s University)

Have you ever wondered what women's representation looks like in the Middle East or North Africa? Take a look with us as we go beyond the United States with Dr. Meriem Aissa in this virtual discussion. Dr. Aissa is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership. Her expertise is in gender and politics in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In particular, she focuses on the role that women politicians play in representing women’s interests in countries where there has been a significant increase in women’s presence in politics. Register for event here.

January 10-14, 2022 (Scholarship Applications due December 5) | Public Policy Seminar (Virtual Seminar sponsored by the Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy at Texas Women’s University)

Scholarships are available for both TWU students and students attending other colleges and universities. The public policy arena offers endless career opportunities, from government service to issue-based advocacy for nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Participants will explore how to influence the policy issues they are passionate about and learn the range of professional opportunities and skills required to be successful. Over the course of the seminar, students will network and learn from female leaders on Capitol Hill, the executive branch, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private corporations. The Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy (CWPPP) is pleased to extend the opportunity for women enrolled in colleges and universities across Texas to attend a VIRTUAL Policy Seminar organized by the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN). The CWPPP will provide scholarships to pay the seminar registration fees for 8 students. The CWPPP is a program of TWU’s Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership (JNIWL). The JNIWL is dedicated to preparing women to take on successful roles in business and public service to ensure women have the education to establish careers as successful C-suite executives, the skills for building entrepreneurial businesses and the framework needed to run for public office. To learn more visit https://plen.org.

Facts Versus Fiction: Critical Race Theory and its Role in our Current Conversations on Race, Equity, & Justice (Pre-recorded Webinar from GlobalMindED).

Dr. Ryan Ross; Associate Vice Chancellor Student Affairs, Equity, & Inclusion, Colorado Community College System leads the conversation with Omar Montgomery; Director of Equity, Culture, and Community Engagement, Cherry Creek School District, Regan Byrd; Founder and Principal Consultant, Regan Byrd Consulting LLC, and Dr. Dedrick Sims; CEO, Sims-Fayola Foundation. Access the video here.

"Mental Health and Resilience in Unscripted Times" Health Equity (Pre-recorded Webinar from GlobalMindED)

Health Equity Session - Dr. Pierre Theodore; VP Global External Innovation Johnson & Johnson leads the discussion with Liz Sweigart; Partner, PWC, workplace mental health advocate, Ron Lessard; Acting Executive Director, White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education, Gurchaten Sandhu; President, UN GLOBE Program Officer of Non-Discrimination, International Labor Org. and Josh Lee. Access the video here.

Politics in Texas

The following are programs specifically about political issues in Texas (updated regularly).

Redistricting:

Texas is currently going through the redistricting process. For the most up-to-date information on this process, click here.

Programs/Resources on Gerrymandering:

What is Gerrymandering (video by the Gerrymandering Project from fivethirtyeight)

Participate in Local Politics

Local elections are just as important as the Presidential election. Take advantage of opportunities such as volunteering for a local campaign, attending a virtual local political event, or even watching a local candidate debate.

Click here for a list of suggestions for getting involved in state/local politics

Deliberative Dialogues

Participate in either a LSC sponsored Deliberative Dialogue or one facilitated by the National Issues Forum. Deliberative dialogues are a program established by the National Issues Forums (NIF), which is a nonpartisan, nationwide network of locally sponsored public forums for the consideration of public policy issues. It is rooted in the simple notion that people need to come together to reason and talk—to deliberate about common problems. These forums offer citizens the opportunity to join together to deliberate, to make choices with others about ways to approach difficult issues and to work toward creating reasoned public judgment. The forums provide a way for people of diverse views and experiences to seek a shared understanding of the problem and to search for common ground for action.

Upcoming Deliberative Dialogues

Click here for upcoming virtual Deliberative Dialogues facilitated by the National Issues Forum.

Newman Civic Fellowship Program

The Newman Civic Fellowship is a one-year fellowship experience for community-committed students from Campus Compact member institutions that supports students’ personal, professional, and civic development.  Through the LSC-M Center for Civic Engagement we are a member institution of Campus Compact. The fellowship is a yearlong opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to nurture their assets and passions, engage in collaborative action, and act to address inequality and polarization. Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides in-person and virtual learning opportunities focused on building the skills fellows need to serve as effective agents of change.

Students who would be qualified nominees will have done one or more of the following during the last year:

• Engage in collaborative action with others from campus or from surrounding communities in order to create long-term social change
• Take action in addressing issues of inequality and political polarization
• Demonstrate the motivation and potential for effective long-term civic engagement

To qualify, students must also have at least one year of their education remaining (either at their current institution or at a different one) such that they will be enrolled in higher education for the duration of the 2022-2023 academic year.

The application process involves:

• A personal statement written by the student.
• A leadership profile written by the student and nominee highlighting all the ways they are involved in their communities.
• A personal statement written by the nominator.
• A recommendation letter (this technically needs to come from the president, but in the past the nominator write a recommendation letter and forwarded it to Dr. Riley to use in writing the official one we will submit). This letter should include information about the nominee's approach(es) to addressing the root causes of social issues as well as why you believe this student has the motivation and potential to develop innovative and collaborative approaches to addressing public problems and to contribute to a network of similarly-committed students.

For Faculty & Staff: As a campus, we need to submit our nominee by February 1, 2022 so anyone who wishes to nominate a student should make sure to email me before December 1, 2021. If there is more than 1 students submitted, I will work with the nominators and Dr. Riley to decide which student will be forwarded as the campus nominee and coordinate the nomination process. More information is provided below as well as on the Campus Compact website.

For Students: If you are interested in this program, connect with a faculty or staff member to nominate you for this opportunity! If you do not have a faculty/staff member in mind, email your interest to Michele.Richey@lonestar.edu no later than February 1, 2022.

More information can be found on the Campus Compact website here.

Voter Registration

Voting is the right you use to protect all of your other rights.  Please be a voter.

For anyone needing to register, here are the options to obtain an application:

New Voter ID Requirements

Senate Bill 5, passed by the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, requires voters who possess an acceptable form of photo identification for voting listed below to present that identification in order to vote in person in all Texas elections. For voters aged 18-69, the acceptable form of photo identification may be expired no more than four years before being presented for voter qualification at the polling place. For voters aged 70 or older, the acceptable form of photo identification may be expired for any length of time if the identification is otherwise valid.  Voters who do not possess an acceptable form of photo identification and cannot reasonably obtain one of the forms of acceptable photo identification listed below may present a supporting form of identification and execute a Reasonable Impediment Declaration, noting the voter’s reasonable impediment to obtaining an acceptable form of photo identification, stating that the information contained in the declaration is true, that the voter is the same individual personally appearing at the polling place to sign the declaration, and that the voter faces a reasonable impediment to procuring an acceptable form of photo identification.

Here is a list of the acceptable forms of photo ID:

• Texas Driver License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
• Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS
• Texas Handgun License issued by DPS
• United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph
• United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
• United States Passport (book or card)

For more information on required ID for voting and potential exemptions, click here.

Should you need additional information, please contact VoteTexas.Gov via telephone at 1-800-252-VOTE (8683) or click here to send an email.

Voter Registration

Check if you are already registered here.

To register to vote in Texas, simply complete a voter registration application and return it to your county election office at least 30 days before the upcoming election date.  To complete an application, you may:

1. Complete an application using the SOS ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICATION by simply filling in the required information, printing the form, signing it, and mailing it directly to your county election office; pr
2. Request a PRINTED APPLICATION and a voter registration application will be mailed to the address provided; or
3. Contact or visit your local VOTER REGISTRAR to complete the voter registration process; or
4. Go to TurboVote's LSC specific website to be walked through the registration process.

You are eligible to register to vote if:

1. You are a United States citizen;
2. You are a resident of the county where you submit the application;
3. You are at least 17 years and 10 months old, and you are 18 years of age on Election Day.
4. You are not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation, and parole); and
5. You have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

Want to help out with elections?

Volunteer Deputy Registrar Program

Volunteer Deputy Registrars are entrusted with the responsibility of officially registering voters in the State of Texas. Appointments are made on a county-by-county basis only, not statewide. The acceptance of duties of a volunteer deputy registrar places you in a position of trust and responsibility to the citizens you will register to vote. For more information visit:

• Montgomery County Volunteer Deputy Registrar Program
• Harris County Volunteer Deputy Registrar Program
• Liberty County Volunteer Deputy Registrar Program
• Walker County Volunteer Deputy Registrar Program

Become a Poll Worker

If you have ever voted in person, you probably already know that a majority of folks who work at the polling places are retired and are at higher risk for experiencing severe complications from COVID-19. If you are someone who is not at high risk, think about applying to become a poll worker.

• Requirements to work as a Poll Worker: In Texas, at a minimum, to be eligible for appointment as a pollworker/election clerk a person must be a U.S citizen and a qualified voter of the territory of the election.
• Apply to be a Poll Worker in Montgomery County
• Apply to be a Poll Worker in Harris County
• Apply to be a Poll Worker in Walker County
• Apply to be a Poll Worker in Liberty County

Constitution Day

September 17th is Constitution Day! Every year, LSC-M celebrates the Constitution; however, you don't have to wait until Constitution Day to learn more about it.  Take some time to read the Constitution here.You can also access founding documents and learn more about how each provision was created and changed over time. There is also a great theaterical production, FOURTEEN, that sheds light on the Reconstruction era and the ratification of the 14th Amendment through dramatic interpretation of original texts, performers use the words of the 39th Congress as they debate the propsed 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

General Civic Engagement Resources

The following are resources provided by the LSC-M CCE.

Free Speach Info Sheet (updated Spring 2021)

Safe Protesting Info Sheet (updated Spring 2021)

4 Moves and a Habit: Steps to Assess Validity of News Stories (updated Spring 2021)

If Not You...A Civic Engagement Podcast

Episodes of this podcast cover a wide range of topics related to civic engagement.  The first 5 episodes involve an introduction to specific civic engagement subjects and interviews with different folks who are living civic engagement in very different ways.

Below are links to listen to each episode in addition to a breakdown of the episode’s topics, a list of referred to concepts with definitions and sources, and some links related to the episode’s content.

Click here for a list of episodes.

About the Lone Star College - Center for Civic Engagement

The Center for Civic Engagement at Lone Star College- Montgomery facilitates nonpartisan learning opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members to encourage them to become more engaged citizens.  Our goal is to aid in the development of critical thinking, personal responsibility, and civil discourse skills in participants so that they develop a sense of urgency about issues and talk and act more in their communities, be it their classroom, campus, local, state, national, or global communities.

• Critical Thinking - We will provide learning opportunities for individuals to develop a better understanding of community issues and a more critical examination of all the explanations as to why the issue exists and what can be done to address it.

• Personal Responsibility - We will identify and create opportunities for individuals to become actively involved in addressing issues that exist within their communities.

• Civil Discourse - We will empower individuals to promote interests or causes important to their community while still being able to hear and understand multiple perspectives and engage in productive conversations.

LSC-M Participates in:

         

For more information about the LSC-Montgomery CCE, contact Michele Richey.