News from SUNY Cortland

For more information contact: Jennifer Wilson, 607-753-2232

Deliberative Polling Initiative Bringing Discussion of 'Good of Wal-Mart' to Campus on April 19

CORTLAND, NY (04/10/2008; 1429)(readMedia)-- The Deliberative Polling Initiative at SUNY Cortland will offer a “day of dialogue” on campus Saturday, April 19, featuring discussions among a random sample of volunteer Cortland community members and SUNY Cortland students.

The Deliberative Polling Day organizers invited approximately 200 participants from the campus and community and 14 volunteer discussion moderators and experts to take part in small group discussions on the issue of Wal-Mart’s national impact on the economy. The small groups will address “Is Wal-Mart Good For America?” from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in Old Main.

Karen Hempson, a Childhood/Early Childhood Department faculty member, and Christopher Latimer, a SUNY Cortland assistant professor of political science, coordinate the Deliberative Polling Initiative Project at the College and organized this novel approach to civic engagement.

SUNY Cortland was one of only 15 campuses selected nationally by Stanford University last fall to participate in the Deliberative Polling Initiative, Hempson said.

The results of the poll will be compiled and presented at the American Democracy Project annual conference in Snowbird, Utah, in June.

“We hope to have at least 200 participants - ideally, 100 community members and 100 students - at our day of deliberation,” Latimer said.

“If you have received an invitation to participate, please join us for this opportunity to discuss this important issue and, at the same, participate in a national research project,” Hempson added.

Participants will first be polled on their opinions of the issue, Hempson explained. Then, they will engage in dialogue with competing experts and decision-makers based on questions that they develop in small group discussions with trained moderators. Briefing materials also will be provided for additional information on the issue’s pros and cons. After the deliberations, the sample of citizens is again polled with the same original questions. The resulting changes in opinion represent the conclusions the public would reach if people had an opportunity to really discuss an issue, engage with alternate points of view and become more informed.

Latimer and Hempson plan to provide training for those who participate as moderators or experts. They were selected from the faculty and staff at SUNY Cortland and professionals in Cortland County. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, and incentives such as gift certificates and electronic equipment will be offered to Deliberative Polling Day participants.

The Deliberative Polling Initiative is a project of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ American Democracy Project. The initiative was created by James Fishkin of Stanford University in an effort to determine if the opinion of a citizen changes after being exposed to information on either side of an issue and participating in group deliberation, instead of relying on media sound bites or headlines.

“Our campus does have an American Democracy Project affiliate so that is why they chose us,” Hempson said. “Dr. Fishkin now wants to expand the initiative and involve other universities, and we are free to elaborate and expand on ours as we choose.”

For three days in September, the coordinators received training at Stanford University to run the initiative at Cortland, she said.

The project is supported by $15,000 from the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Office, the President’s Cabinet, the American Democracy Project and the Cortland College Foundation.

For more information, contact Hempson at (607) 753-4209 or Latimer at (607) 753-4802.

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