Allegheny College student Brian Anderson of Hopkinton, Mass., Advances to Finals of National Advocacy Contest

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MEADVILLE, PA (03/01/2011)(readMedia)-- Allegheny College student Brian Anderson of Hopkinton, Mass., is part of a team that has advanced to the final round of a national legislative letter writing competition sponsored by Debating for Democracy, a program in which students research, develop and advocate positions on public policy issues.

A graduate of Hopkinton High School, Anderson is a junior majoring in environmental studies with a minor in values, ethics and social action. He and fellow Allegheny student Mingyuan Song are competing against teams from Carleton, Hendrix, Macalester and Swarthmore Colleges for a $3,000 award to develop an advocacy campaign for an issue each team selected and then addressed in a letter to elected officials. The four runners-up will receive $500 apiece. The winner will be announced at the Debating for Democracy national conference on March 24 at Pace University in New York City.

Anderson and Song submitted a letter they wrote to Pennsylvania State Sen. Mary Jo White about the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act. They began research on the act last fall in a course with Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Kate Darby, who also will attend the conference.

Twenty-six student teams in the competition sent letters to more than 100 elected officials around the country. Officials from Debating for Democracy selected 15 semi-finalists based on criteria including the effectiveness and clarity of the students' letters and the creativity and feasibility of their proposed legislative solutions. Four outside evaluators then narrowed the field to five finalists.

"Reaching out to elected officials to advocate for issues is vital to a healthy, thriving democracy," said Amara Geffen, professor of art and chair of Allegheny's Civic Engagement Council. "Brian and Mingyuan worked diligently to craft a letter to Senator White that is both well-researched and persuasive. We are very proud of their efforts and appreciate the honor they have reflected on Allegheny."

Debating for Democracy is an initiative of Project Pericles, which encourages and facilitates commitments by colleges and universities to include social responsibility and participatory citizenship as essential elements of their educational programs. Allegheny is one of 29 schools participating in Project Pericles.

The 32nd oldest college in the nation, Allegheny College will celebrate its bicentennial in 2015. One of 40 schools featured in Loren Pope's "Colleges That Change Lives," Allegheny is among only 16 percent of liberal arts colleges nationally that require independent research and/or original creative work of all graduates. Ninety percent of Allegheny alumni seeking employment start a career within eight months of graduation, and the college ranks in the top 5 percent of schools nationally whose students go on to earn Ph.Ds.

The national liberal arts college where 2,100 students with unusual combinations of interests, skills and talents excel.