On Monday, March 27, Elizabethtown College hosted several Congress to Campus events that were open to the campus community. The event was coordinated by the Center for Global Understanding and Peacebuilding (CGUP) and the theme was Civil Dialogue in Action. 

CGUP coordinated the event through Director Shannon Haley-Mize, the CGUP student leadership team and the CGUP graduate assistant. CGUP also fully funded the visit. 

Congress to Campus is a program started by Former Members of Congress (FMC). The non-profit is focused on bipartisan efforts by former and current members of Congress, and focuses on educating the public about U.S. democracy. They also work together on national issues like energy, global trade, international security and transportation policy. 

While FMC runs the program, Congress to Campus also partners with the Stennis Center for Public Service and the Park Foundation. 

The Congress to Campus program has run for more than 40 years and has traveled to 165 campuses in 43 states and 5 different countries. They typically run a two-day session on campuses that encourages students to engage in honest dialogue with former and current members of congress. 

The program also provides insight into careers in public service, particularly political office.

“Each delegation includes a representative from the two major parties in order to explore ways to actively listen and respond to positions that may differ from our own,” Haley-Mize said.

Rep. Tim Petri (R-WI) and Rep. Peter Kostmayer (D-PA) presented at Etown.

Petri represented Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District for 18 terms and was a senior member of both the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Committee on Education and the Workforce. 

Kostmayer represented Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District for seven terms. He served as a party Deputy Whip and as a member of the Interior Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee. 

“We know from the climate survey that was conducted at Etown that students are feeling the impact of our polarized political and social climate,” Haley-Mize said. “CGUP wanted to start conversations about how we can build bridges and find common ground.” 

Etown’s Congress to Campus event began with a Reproductive Roundtable open to the campus community and was followed by a Healthcare Forum that was open to the public. Both events were held in the Koons Activity Venue (KAV). The congressmen also presented to three classes on campus and held a lunch for leaders of various political clubs. 

“It was a great opportunity to have a civil dialogue surrounding the pressing issue of healthcare with someone who has had experience in the US government and who is aligned with a political party that differs from mine,” Elsa Woodarek said.

Woodarek is a first-year public health and political science dual major who attended the panel discussion.

The event showcased the benefits of healthy partisanship and civility within disagreement.

Congressmen also visited several classes around campus. They sat in the classes and students had the opportunity to ask them general questions about their career. 

“I knew going into it that the news and social Media’s portrayal of politics is not always correct,” sophomore Natalie Alexander said. “It always flips things on its head to please viewers and consumers, but after the event, I realized the scope of how big that gap is between reality and what’s fake.” 

Alexander said that one of the most interesting parts of the class was being able to see how much time and work was put into passing a bill and working in committees.  

“Congress to Campus has impacted an impressive number of students and continues to allow opportunities for students to engage with former members of Congress,” Haley-Mize said. 

The event was the only time this year that Congress to Campus will be at Etown, but the program may come again in the future.