Federalist Papers Question

I think that there is a way to change Congressional apportionment into a more fair system, and that would be adopting a system of proportional representation with ranked choice voting. Essentially this would mean that most states would still be divided into districts, but these districts would be larger, and there would be multiple representatives per district. In order to divide this up properly, states with five or less representatives would simply abandon districts, and elect their representatives statewide. States with six or more representatives would divide up into districts with multiple winners, no less than three and no more than five. These districts would be drawn by an independent redistricting commission composed of an even number of Democrats, Republicans, and independents. Said districts should draw as many 5-candidate districts as possible in order to avoid splits, and maximize proportionality. So in Ohio, for example, instead of there being sixteen congressional districts, Ohio would be divided into four multi-winner districts that elect either three or five members. Candidates would be elected using ranked choice voting, which gives voters the freedom to rank their choices and vote based on preference rather than electability. So if there were four candidates running in a three person district, the top three candidates selected through the ranked choice process would be appointed. States would still have the same amount of representatives that they do currently, but each representative would represent an equal amount of voters. Now as for at large states, like Wyoming and Montana, they would still have a single representative, however the selection process for said representative would be much fairer given that voters would now have a range of choices, a more diverse election. A system like this would allow voters from either party in any state to elect someone who represents them. Republicans in very liberal states like California would have representation, and Democrats in very conservative states like Alabama would have representation too. We would finally have a system that accurately represents the political demographics of each state accordingly.

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

 

  • Global Awareness: One of the main ways that I want to experience more diversity and become more aware of the world around me is by studying abroad. I have always wanted to learn another language, but the way I was taught Spanish and French in public school never stuck with me and I found it difficult to progress in the language. They say that the best way to learn a language is to actually visit a country where they speak it and become engulfed in their culture, so I would like to do that. Perhaps I could study in Spain for a semester, or France. I also think I can become more globally aware by speaking to different voter demographics as I continue to work on political campaigns. I could attend rally’s organized by different groups of color, or visit neighborhoods of color to discuss current issues.
  • Original Inquiry: As a student at an academically intensive university, finding a research topic that relates to my professional develop, one that I can develop over semesters to come, is essential. Although I am not completely confident in what career I want to pursue, one of the paths I have been considering is working in labor groups , and subsequently, working on the development of underdeveloped urban cities, where many low wage workers tend to come from. My original inquiry would revolve around discovering what policies would lead to a more democratic workplace, where workers have more collective ownership and control over profits, wages,  safety, contracts, etc. I would also need to look into what policies can increase revenue for underdeveloped urban cities, and how communities can provide safer living with a more engaged and less economically segregated populace.
  • Academic Enrichment: Now that I am out of public school, and I am surrounded by fellow students and professionals with the same interests and passions as me, I am ready for a true education. One where I am not just receiving information, but processing it and applying it to my professional and academic development. As a public policy major, I can do this by attending events led by speakers who work in the public policy sector; politicians, grassroots organizers, Supreme Court judges, etc. I can also find other students with similar interest to do research with and to help study with for various courses. Since I am in PSL, I am sure that through our debates and discussions in and out of the classroom, I will become better at defending and explaining my views.
  • Leadership Development: Now that I am in college and navigating the professional world, I need to develop my resume further, and a great way to do this is by maintaining new positions of leadership. Ideally, I would like to see myself work my way into higher and higher positions of leadership in organization and campaign work. Right now, I am an intern for the Morgan Harper 2020 campaign, a progressive democrat running to replace Joyce Beatty in Ohio’s 3rd Congressional district. Hopefully I could see myself become some sort of chief of staff, field organizer, social media coordinator, etc., for another campaign.
  • Service Engagement: I would like to focus my community service on volunteering and attending protests/demonstrations. Back at home, I organized several charity drives for various homeless shelters and charity groups that were fairly successful. Now that I am in a bigger city with many more people and plenty of connections to be made, I want to continue this work on a larger scale. I would also like to attend protests for the removal of ICE offices, protests for wage increases, LGBT rights, or any other progressive causes.

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

A: What is your name?

Y: Yianni Sarris

A: Where are you from? 

Y: Cleveland, Ohio

A: What made you want to come to Ohio State?

Y: Honestly, it was the Greek community. I knew that was a part of my identity that I really wanted to stay connected with and be involved with. I think that Ohio State really has a Greek community unlike anywhere else in the country. Between OCF, Sigma, our involvement with the church down the street, this is the place to be if you’re a Greek American, its awesome and it’s everything that I expected.

A: What made you want to join PSL? 

Y: Throughout high school, I figured out pretty quickly that what I enjoyed doing was really history, government, and politics. I decided that when I grew up one day, I wanted to be an attorney myself and then maybe one day a politician. And so really, PSL just felt like a really natural connection between those two things for me to get involved with, and that’s lived up to expectations 

A: So what’s your major?

Y: I am a political science major with a modern Greek minor

A: What opportunities have you taken to build your career?

Y: I think the best thing so far that has come out of my political involvement is through PSL. The networking I’ve done through PSL; I’ve met a lot of people involved who have worked on different local campaigns, who know people involved in different ways on campus and I think creating a network of like minded people will be something beneficial for a very long time. Our political science advisers do a fantastic job every single day of sending us emails for internships available for politics, whether that be a position for a page at the statehouse ( a position I myself just started), or a position in a local campaign, it really is a great opportunity to major in political science.

A: Where do you lean politically?

Y: I find myself center leaning right and that has really changed a whole lot since back in high school when I would consider myself very right leaning, but once I got to college and became more involved with political organizations and talked to more people, you start to realize everything’s more grey than you thought. Really, no one is happy with the Democrat or Republican parties, and you start to realize how annoying politics can really be and you start to disagree with your own party. That’s definitely something that happened to me as I started to realize there are a lot of issues with the party and the president that I can’t get behind. I lean right ideologically, but I don’t necessarily consider myself a Republican because, like I said, I don’t really agree with a lot of what the leadership in the party is doing.

A: Have you considered who you’re voting for President?

Y: My favorite candidate right now is Pete Buttigieg. I also like Andrew Yang, however I am not on board with UBI and I think that so much for what Yang is campaigning on is UBI. I like a lot of what he has to say about different topics, but it seems like in the debates all he really cares about is UBI, so I’ve been leaning towards Buttigieg recently.  He’s a very, very smart guy and although I don’t agree with him on everything, I think he’s someone who would represent our country well, which is what we need right now. 

A: If you could change one policy in our country, what would you do?

Y: The number one thing is that this JUUL ban is dumb. I’ve never touched a JUUL in my life, I don’t smoke or JUUL but I think banning juuling is just dumb in any capacity, and I guess that’s my libertarian side coming out, but yeah.

A: What’s your favorite food?

Y: Gyro

A: Favorite place to eat on campus?

Y: Elia’s, owned by a Greek guy, across the street from Barnes and Noble, absolutely fantastic, can’t recommend it enough. 

A: Whats your favorite thing to do on a weekend when you’re not busy?

Y: I like to balance out my weekends so I am not someone who enjoys going out and partying every single night, that is not my vibe. I like to mix it up, I like exploring campus and finding new things, finding different groups to become involved with. I love OSU football, of course, but I also enjoy spending their weekend on some alone time, just sitting down and playing a video game or watching a television show. I think it’s really important to decompress after a week.

A: What’s your favorite animal?

Y: Wolf

A: Why is that?

Y: I don’t have a reason, I just think they’re really cool.

About Me

Hey everyone! My name’s Anthony Parker, I’m a freshman at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs and I’m pursuing a BA in Public Management, Leadership, and Policy. I’m also in the PSL Scholars program so if you couldn’t tell, I’m very interested in politics. I came to OSU primarily for the John Glenn school, and my goal as of right now is to be involved with grassroots campaign work and organization for progressive left-wing causes and candidates. I’m not exactly sure what I ultimately want to be career wise, I just know I want to fight for the policies that I believe in. I am also in a band, we’re called The Freeside Kings and you can check us out on Spotify and Apple Music! We’re releasing an album very soon and I’m looking to get more exposure by playing shows here in Columbus.
Feel free to add me on Snapchat @anthonyparker0 or follow me on IG @anthony.parker0