Newsroom Archive for 06/23, 2010

College Leaders Program Class of 2010
Day 23-Monday, June 21
Recorded by: Josh Hetzler, Liberty University

Today was Monday and therefore really hard to wake up and get going after the crazy Father’s Day weekend. It was our last day of the “Thoughtful Citizen” with Dr. Bragaw. It’s also the start of our last week at Sorensen. It’s an odd feeling, really. It’s just gotten to that point where everyone is very comfortable with everyone else, and we’re used to it all now, but then we will all go our separate ways in another week.

In class we talked about the distinctions between private and public tasks as something to consider in public policy. We also broke up into our policy groups to read some articles. One was about some of the common fallacies often overlooked in decision making. We looked introspectively at our own strengths and weaknesses, as well as what they were as far as our groups were concerned. It was a real eye-opener, and I think we all got a lot out of it.

We then had a rousing class debate about SOL’s and their history in Virginia. Who knew 3rd grade history tests could be so hotly debated and controversial? Bring it up to a bunch of Virginia Poly-Sci kids sometime, and you’ll see. Our policy groups are tightening down, or at least the Economy group is. It’s crunch time, and we have to pull it all together in a very short amount of time. It’s going to be late-nighters for the rest of the week, making sure these things run smoothly and that we’re all on the same page. We’re anticipating a tough panel review on Thursday, so we’re preparing well. Tomorrow we leave for Richmond – EARLY. Late nights, early mornings, long days, crazy times, seven days a week–that’s Sorensen. But hey, it’s all been worth it.  

College Leaders Program Class of 2010
Day 24-Tuesday, June 22
Recorded by: Elisabeth Maddrell, Mary Baldwin College

Today we took a trip to the Capitol! We were all on the bus at 6:45 a.m. and all asleep by 6:46. After battling the rush hour traffic, we made it to Richmond around 8:30 a.m. Our first speaker at the Virginia State Capitol was Tucker Martin, the Communications Director for Governor McDonnell. He shared some entertaining stories of damage control, including the week that the thesis story broke. Then Doug Domenech, the Secretary of Natural Resources, spoke about his typical day and his job responsibilities. Following Mr. Domenech was Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. He spoke about a range of issues, including the role of his office in Virginia and why he believes that the national health care plan is categorically unconstitutional.

Just as the morning started to drag and our stomachs told us that lunchtime was approaching, Delegate Bill Janis came into the room. He immediately made us change seats based on where we went to high school. He made sure that those of us who went to out-of-state schools were welcomed, and he told them that they made the right decision coming to Virginia, because after all, Virginia is the best! He kept us engaged with funny one-liners such as, “A citizen legislature is a damn expensive hobby!” (in reference to the pay received by the legislature in relation to the work put in). When discussing the powerful role of a judge during a bench trial, he said, “Judges are the closest things to God on earth. One man decides if you go see Old Sparkie.” He kept us laughing, but also got us to think critically about the role of government and what the exact implications of altering the one-term governorship would be for the balance of power in Virginia government.

After lunch the group traveled to the Virginia State Police Academy. We were welcomed by Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, the Superintendent of the Virginia State Police. He gave us a broad overview of the average duties of his office and of his state troopers. When asked what the most moving experience he has had during his years as a police officer, he stated that the Virginia Tech shootings was one of the most tragic experiences he has had, but it was truly life-changing. However, when asked what has been the most challenging aspect of his job, he didn’t say 9/11 or the DC sniper; rather, it had been recent cuts in the budget by millions! He said doing the same job with billions less is not an easy job! After he spoke to us, we were able to experience a little more of the Police Academy experience. First, we saw a demonstration of the power of the canine units and one dog in particular. Our demonstrator suited up in a protective 60-pound suit and showed us what it is like to be attacked by a police-trained German shepherd. Needless to say I would not have wanted to be the person in that suit, for the obvious reason, but also because it was about 100 degrees outside! We were then led on a tour throughout the Academy.

But by far the most exciting and nerve-wracking experience of the day was the MILO. The MILO is a program that is meant to simulate real situations that the police are trained to deal with. Many of the situations involved a violent scene, and you were armed with a gun and had to do your best to react to the situation as though you were the responding police officer. Of course the guns were not loaded with bullets, but equipped with a laser. When the gun was fired, the laser registered with the computer operating system, and after the simulation the instructor could replay the situation and see if you hit the assailant or not. Some of us needed to shoot someone in the simulation, but we all missed! It is lucky the safety of Virginia doesn’t lie in the hands of the Sorensen CLP Class of 2010, otherwise things could get ugly!

The Police Academy was our last stop for the day and we returned back to Bice for a tasty Moroccan dinner!