HWS News
5 November 2024 • Alums Exploring Elections in the Classroom and Community By Colin Spencer '19
Students in POL 221 have been examining the different issues and aspects of the 2024 election through guest speakers and interactive projects.
In “Politics 221: Elections and Voting in America” taught by Professor of Politics DeWayne Lucas and President Mark D. Gearan, students have been breaking down the issues, races and candidates involved in the 2024 elections, along with designing projects that inform and engage the Hobart and William Smith community leading up to Election Day.
The course examines different perspectives of elections, including campaign strategies, how campaigns impact voting decisions, how voters make decisions, and the positions of candidates on a wide range of policy matters.
“This generation wants to cross the aisle and find ways to solve issues,” says Lucas. “Our class has modeled the type of situation where you can talk about the issues even if you don’t agree with the other person’s stance.”
Guest speakers have modeled expansive dialogue across difference while also providing insider analyses of the 2024 election. Guests have included:
- Thomas Baptiste '07, IT and Digital Consultant for Trump for President 2024;
- Jeremy Cooney ’04, New York State Senator (D-56th) and member of the HWS Board of Trustees;
- Amy Dacey, the Executive Director at the Sine Institute of Policy & Politics at American University and former CEO of the Democratic National Committee;
- Jim McGovern, Massachusetts State Senator (D-2nd);
- Robby Mook, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Presidential Campaign Manager;
- Svante Myrick, President of People For the American Way and Former Mayor of Ithaca, N.Y.; and
- Michael Reed ’06, the former Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee and current Principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs.
Tristan Fasig ’26, a history major, says the course has been “nothing short of amazing.” He enrolled for the opportunity to hold deep discussions on politics and, since joining, he says the class dialogue has been incredibly thought provoking.
“Lucas and Gearan have a wealth of knowledge and experience that allows them to lead discussions with us and point us in directions we hadn’t previously considered,” says Fasig.
In addition to classroom conversations, students have worked together on projects that inform the HWS community on issues, candidates and races, along with encouraging the community to vote. Projects have included:
- A community dinner with students in the Latin American Student Organization discussing Latino identity, immigration, citizenship and the significance of voting;
- Filming TikTok videos of students speaking about their perspectives regarding the election;
- An assembly with voting-aged high school students at Geneva High School;
- A brunch with athletes on policies and issues impacting women;
- A public talk about Queering the Vote and LGBT issues in the 2024 election;
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A panel on the election with professors from the departments of Politics, Religious Studies and Business Management and Entrepreneurship;
- Conversations with HWS students and Geneva community members discussing issues facing Geneva, along with the importance of voting; and
- A debate by the HWS Debate team on which party to vote for.
A reflection with women faculty on the results of the election will be held at a later date.
Joey Tello-Galicia ’25, a history and anthropology double major, along with Kirsten Roman ’26 and Justin Rosa ’25, hosted the dinner discussing Hispanic and Latino identity and how it impacts the election.
“The Latino vote is becoming a key demographic and voting bloc in the United States, as we are one of the fastest growing groups,” says Tello-Galicia. “Because of that, we thought it was important to have a conversation about issues that are specific and important to us as a community and how they affect us.”
HWS Campus Election Events
Students hosted a panel discussion on the election with: Assistant Professor of Politics Ed Quish, Assistant Director of Admissions for Visitor Relations Gaby Nieves '23, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Blaize Gervais, President Mark D. Gearan, author Dan DeNose '10, Associate Professor of Business Management and Entrepreneurship Craig Talmage and Associate Professor of Politics DeWayne Lucas.
On National Voter Registration Day, Rafael Aguilar ’25, Kelly Howe ’26 and Sarah Tyndall ’25 help students register to vote in Scandling Campus Center.
Members of PLEN gather for a photo with HWS Votes after an info session on the upcoming Presidential Election.
Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report Amy Walter joins President Mark D. Gearan and Associate Professor of Political Science DeWayne Lucas at the President’s Forum to discuss the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Attorney, author, and conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt joins President Mark D. Gearan and Associate Professor of Political Science DeWayne Lucas at the President’s Forum.
Calix Boldt ’25 asks a question during the President’s Forum with CNN’s chief national correspondent John King.
President Mark D. Gearan and Associate Professor of Political Science DeWayne Lucas interview community organizer and co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund LaTosha Brown during the President’s Forum.
CNN contributor, conservative columnist and former presidential advisor Scott Jennings joins the President’s Forum Series.
Students gathered at Taqueria Los Amigos in downtown Geneva to discuss the election.
During WXXI's "Connections with Evan Dawson," Associate Professor of Politics DeWayne Lucas, student Will Jones '26, and Hobart and William Smith President Mark D. Gearan discuss their elections-related course at HWS called "Elections and Voting in America."
Director of the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning Katie Flowers and President Mark D. Gearan join Co-Presidents of HWS Votes Kelly Howe ’26, Jasmine Goncalves ’27 and Rafael Aguilar ’25 for a photo at a viewing party for the Presidential Debate.
Students watch the presidential debate in the Vandervort Room, hosted by HWS Votes.
To reach first-year students, Kiera Toussaint ’25, a politics and philosophy double major, created a presentation for the “Earth vs Humans” First-Year Seminar, examining the importance of the election in relation to how it will impact climate change.
“I chose to connect with this First-Year Seminar because it discusses the political and social impacts of human activity on earth,” says Toussaint. “It is imperative to connect this topic to the election because of the urgency of the climate change problem internationally.”
For his project, Fasig created a bipartisan presentation that provides an overview of the positions and platforms of each presidential candidate as well as candidates running for office in New York State, including what they will likely do if elected.
Will Jones ’26, who is serving as the teaching assistant for the course and who is majoring in politics, joined Lucas and Gearan on a recent taping of Connections with Evan Dawson.
Jones said: “Having the discussions in class and seeing how the vice presidential debate went, those are things that do offer us hope. Talking with people from both sides of the aisle and understanding what they do and why they believe what they believe – that gives a face to particular policy opinions…. It has given me some hope recently that politics can steer into a direction of more bipartisanship and working together.”
“I do take inspiration and optimism from this generation of students who, in fairness, have even more of a burden because they have more of their lives ahead of them than we do,” said Gearan. “It is also an awfully interesting time to be 20 years old, and my hope is that with the kind of outside speakers we have brought into class from across the political spectrum and with readings, assignments and reflections that Professor Lucas has thoughtfully organized, our students can… take some confidence but also some inspiration moving forward.”
Lucas and Gearan have also facilitated conversations on the election through the President’s Forum, which has brought insight and analysis from across the political spectrum. Guests have included Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report; Hugh Hewitt, attorney, author and conservative radio host; LaTosha Brown, community organizer and co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund; John King, chief national correspondent at CNN; and Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist and conservative columnist.
Read more about the President’s Forum including recent guest Ed Hajim, an author and Wall Street executive.
To celebrate election night, HWS Votes is hosting a watch party at 9 p.m. in the Vandervort Room. The event will include pizza, snacks and giveaways and is open for all to join. Prior to that, students in POL 221 will have dinner with the Gearans at their home.
HWS Votes, a non-partisan organization on campus, has been preparing the community for election season since the start of the semester. Efforts have included presidential and vice-presidential debate watch parties, voter registration events and film screenings on political issues. Now in its 20th year, HWS Votes has gained national recognition for voter engagement, leading Washington Monthly to rank HWS first in the nation for service. The organization is coordinated by Rafael Aguilar ’25, Jasmine Goncalves ’27 and Kelly Howe ’26.
Top: Associate Professor of Politics DeWayne Lucas and President Mark D. Gearan discuss the recent polls for the upcoming presidential election with students in “Voting and Elections in America.”
