The second-year members of PSL created an advocacy project about areas of issue or interest.  It was asked of first-year members to visit three of the second-year cohort’s projects and see what was completed.  There were a variety of advocacy projects. I chose topics that I was not aware of and that I wanted to learn more about.  The projects that I chose include Deforestation, Fresh water sources via Lake Erie, and a project about NASA’s budget.

Reed Cusack provided a typed paper about the effect of deforestation on the environment and beyond. I have heard of deforestation but was not aware of the scope of its dangers.  Clearly, the preservation of natural habitats and biodiversity is very important. The issue was presented using good persuasive communication by use of logic and fear control. Reed seems to be very aware of the risks of deforestation and provides a logical solution when targeting the college aged person.

The website created by Anthony Katsaounis brought awareness to many faced by Lake Erie with its effects to the public. It was very creative and may provide me with inspiration for my own project soon. Likewise, Jonathon Knaggs created a power point that prompted critical thinking about our government’s spending on space exploration with provided reason self-reflect your stance on this topic. In sum, each project was well done with justifiable solutions and used creativity and persuasion to bring aware multiple national and global issues.

    This year, I have two mentors for the PSL Scholars program. They are Matthew Berman and Beth Ann Powers. I chose to interview Matthew. Matthew is a sophomore studying political science with a minor studies interest in music. Matthew is an involved individual on campus as he is an RA at Park-Stradley, involved with the OSU Pen Pals, a mentor for the PSL Scholars, and a french horn player in the Buckeye Philharmonic. 

    It was mentioned that he decided to join the PSL Scholars because this organization offered interests in politics and law. He mentioned that during his first year in PSL he discovered something about himself. He discovered that he would much rather focus on the legal aspect of law saying that he would like to become a judge or attorney. 

    Matthew enjoys being a leader because he has an interest in helping others. He mentioned specifically that he enjoys including others and making their experiences the best that they can be. Matthew is inspired by an RA named Vince that he had last year in becoming a better leader because of his great advising and ability to be a good friend. 

Ad-Lib Facts: Matthew’s favorite color is blue. His hobbies primarily include playing the French horn. He enjoys watching horror movies for the adrenaline rush. He loves to read American Classics. If he had to relive one memory, it would be the time when he was the lead in his senior year school play because it was a fun time to be himself. 

Question of the Month (November)

There are two major entities in the United States Congress.  They are the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.  There job is to create and pass laws.  In the U.S. Senate, representation is structured so that each state has two representatives known as Senators.  This is different in comparison with the U.S. House of Representatives.  Their representation is based on the population of their state, excluding Washington D.C.

The apportionment in the House of Representatives is clearly grounds for under-representation or “over-representation” when comparing heavily populated states to states with a low population.  In the U.S. Senate is fair.  Though this current apportionment does cause some under or over representation, this current apportionment is justifiable for “production” in the process of writing and passing laws.

Possibly, both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate could follow what the U.S. Senate does for apportionment.  Both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives could have a set number of representatives in their said cohort.  If this is done, the possibility of opening the U.S. law making process could be offered to other U.S. territories as a fair apportionment would be set for grounds.