Event Details

This fall, Macalester will host for the third time Congress to Campus, the flagship program of the Association of Former Members of Congress. For more than 40 years, Congress to Campus has sent former elected leaders to more than 140 colleges and universities to model how to dialogue across differences. Through those conversations, the program's goal is to help foster the skills necessary for a thriving democracy.

On October 28, former U.S. representatives Dave Loebsack (D-IA) and Jim Gerlach (R-PA) will meet with classes, then engage in a campus conversation focused on  What is Voter Integrity and Whose Vote Counts? at 4:45 p.m. in Mairs Concert Hall. This event is open to all Macalester students, faculty, and staff. Admission is free, but capacity is limited so please register here. 

Election integrity, voting rights, voter disenfranchisement, and how much a citizen’s vote matters have long been subjects of debate and dispute in American politics. How do we ensure election security while maintaining access, and who gets access? This year’s Congress to Campus program explores this timely issue from the perspective of two former members of Congress, with the goal of spurring a wide-ranging conversation and providing insights into what actual legislators consider in what can be a less-than-transparent process.

The intent of the program is to demonstrate how a politically charged topic looks when viewed from the perspectives of legislators on either side of the aisle. The goals are to help us understand multiple perspectives on an issue, to engage in constructive dialogue, and to practice listening to opposing views, even when they make us uncomfortable or angry. Congress to Campus is one element of our ongoing work to practice the skills of meaningful dialogue as a community.

Congress to Campus steering committee: co-chairs Professor Duchess Harris (American Studies) and Professor Andrew Latham (Political Science), students Matthew Allaire ’27, Quinn Cowell ’25, Gabe Karsh ’25, Camille Samuel ’25, Owen Stein ’27, and staff members Ava Buchanan, Kate Frampton, Catie Gardner Smith, Beau Larsen, Joe Linstroth, and Sara Suelflow.