Post discussion on the 2012 U.S. Presidential Elections

On Thursday, November 8th, 2012 forty Social Work graduate students enrolled in Advanced Policy courses and their professors met in Riley Center to discuss the post 2012 U.S. Presidential Elections. The two classes, led by Dr. Mitch Rosenwald and Instructor Fabio A. Naranjo, met for nearly two hours to assess the national, state and other local election results. The group focused on the yet-to-be-decided Florida vote-count.

The gathering opened with a brief recap by Professors Rosenwald and Naranjo, and was followed by a brief pizza party and a showing of the presidential candidates' concession and acceptance speeches. After watching the speeches, the students evaluated overall election results which included senatorial and congressional races, the changing demographics in the electorate, and the continued social, cultural, economic and racial challenges facing the United States.

The event closed with a call by the professors for all social work students to remain involved and engaged in the policy arena as part of the profession's ethos that calls for the pursuit of social justice and advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations.