Alcorn State University College DEMS Attend State Meeting 

Three students belonging to the Alcorn State University chapter of the College Democrats attended the Young Democrats of Mississippi state meeting at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus September 30. 

Steffanie Miller, a junior in Elementary Education, Katrieka Jackson and Robert Patrick-Senator, both seniors in Political Science, attended the meeting to join in a conversation about issues of local, state and national interest.  

During the meeting, College Democrats coordinated state projects, brainstormed recruiting and retention strategies and discussed the activities of each chapter. The meeting also focused on fund raising strategies to support the National Young Democrats of America Meeting to be held in Jackson, Miss., November 17-18.  

The keynote speaker was Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Erik Fleming, who exhorted the students to register and vote, to develop active politic lives, said Miller, chapter president and a Biloxi native. 

“Organizations such as College Democrats and Young Democrats of Mississippi are vital to the development of young people as leaders in our society. We have a right and responsibility to voice our opinions, and these organizations give us a chance to do that and make a difference,” said Miller. 

“Organizations like CDA and YDMS give young people the opportunity to be informed and get informed.  They provide future leaders with essential information to be successful.  I had fun and made many connections,” said Jackson, Co-Director of Communications and a native of Fayette.  

---

Tutors Tout Tutoring, Collaborate with Tutors from Other Universities 

Five Alcorn State University students presented a panel discussion at the 6^th Annual Mississippi Writing Center Association Conference held at Tougaloo College September 29.  

Writing Center peer tutors Allison Dawson, Alexise Hanner, Ava Brookins, Brian Kehler, Elmira Ratliff, and Jeremy Nelson discussed the challenges and rewards of working one-on-one with writers in the Alcorn community. 

More than fifty public school and college teachers, students, and administrators attended workshops and lectures focused on  "State Writing Objectives: Engagement, Grammar, and Assessment". Other schools attending were Millsaps College, Mississippi Valley State University, Mississippi College, Tougaloo College, and numerous high schools.  

"I was surprised by how much I learned," said English major Allison Dawson, a junior who chaired the tutors' panel discussion. "The workshops and presentations were very informative, especially those of peer tutors from other universities."

The conference presentation was the culmination of a year's training and tutoring for the Alcorn Writing Center tutors, who have taken a sequence of practicum courses which they apply in practice.  

"The conference provided us with information that we could bring back and use in our own writing center," said Jeremy Nelson, a communications major. "It was also great to get to know tutors from other schools, to realize that we're not alone in our efforts to help make better writers."

Dr. Murray Shugars, Alcorn Writing Center director, and Dr. Cynthia Scurria, both members of the Department of English and Foreign Languages, also attended, collaborating on a presentation that examined Writing Center assessment.

Dr. Kim Patterson, Director of the Mississippi Writing / Thinking Institute, gave the keynote address and directed a writing workshop.