CLP 08 Day 19 Wednesday June 18

College Leaders Program Class of 2008
Day 19—Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Reported by Brookelynn Constant

     Day 19. A looming shadow is hanging over the 30 CLP students.
     Boredom. The effort to concentrate has consumed the second floor of Bice Hall tonight.
     Our 5 groups, each focusing on a major policy issue in Virginia, have all received their revised Culminating Project drafts. While there are usually plans to play football, ultimate Frisbee, or tennis, tonight there is just talk of research and wishful thinking. Literature reviews, media reports, and preliminary reports are on our minds. In addition, we are preparing detailed policy analyses, legislative action plans, defense arguments, relevant chapters in the Code of Virginia, op-eds for local newspapers, letters to delegates regarding our legislation and hand outs for the panel discussion we will face in the next week.
     The first draft is due Friday. The 2-day countdown begins NOW.
     At any rate, as we all work, I have to say today was fabulous. Still excited from our celebrity-filled day in D.C., Adria and I started the day bright and early with a quick run around Cville. This morning, I felt like I had been hit by a freight train, but Adria does not relent. It's too bad after 4 days of running with Adria in the morning; I no longer get the "Good Morning Sunshine!" wake up call. It has turned into more of an "Are you ready? Good." I told myself it was okay because when we came back, we'd all be going to The Tavern.
     Ten of us piled into 3 cars and drove over to the Tavern, UVA's best greasy breakfast joint—love of my life. It's too bad it was still too early for the other 20 of us because they missed out on some great lemon poppyseed pancakes (crazy!) Just for my fellow CLPers, I have to admit I did not turn down one cup of my $1.50 free-refill coffee. My coffee addiction was happily satisfied after the 7th cup. It's a good thing we now have a coffeepot in the classroom, or else I'd have to buckle down to deal with caffeine withdrawal.
     From 9AM until noon, we were given the awesome opportunity to listen to a Plenary Panel Discussion on National Politics. This was one of the most enriching experiences Sorensen has had to offer. Satisfying, delightful, and rewarding, to say the least.
     Lunch from Mellow (aka Mellow Mushroom) went by quickly. It's too bad we didn't get pizza because Mellow Mushroom has some of the BEST pizza in Charlottesville (next to Christian's, of course). Instead we had subs, but I can't complain.
     At 1pm, we convened once again to speak with Conaway Haskins. Conaway is a former Political Leader's Program graduate (Class of 2006) who now works for Jim Webb in the Richmond area office. As soon as he sat down at the front of the class, he handed out stacks of business cards. I love that about Sorensen: connections. When I say connections, I don't mean it in the normal sense. The Sorensen Institute is a positive network of active citizens. We have met so many alumni who, with almost no questions asked, have reached out to us as part of the College Leaders Program, offering us advice, friendship, and maybe even a sweet job working on policy at any level of government. I used to get a little nervous about life after CNU, but now I'm secure in the fact that I have a Sorensen family sprawling across the state of VA.
     Interlude here for a trip to the downtown mall where a group of us enjoyed some Splendora's gelato. I love Splendora's so much I could eat it for every meal, I think. After some sweets, my suitemates, Allison and Jonna, and I took a crash course in dancing via YouTube. Hilarious.
     Back to the classroom, though: After Connoway, Tom Shields started us off talking about current issues. We discussed McCain's potential Vice Presidential candidate, Eric Cantor. Torrey, of course, was most enthusiastic. Torrey is actually working on the Hill right after Sorensen for Congressman Cantor along with Allison and myself. Allison is working for Congressman Moran and I'm working for Senator Webb. Get excited!
     One of the more controversial topics we discussed today was the role of the state in paying the families of the VA Tech massacre on 4/16. The question was not whether the families should be given a measure of support, but whether the Governor should have made an executive decision to give $100,000 dollars to the families and victims. Really, the argument boiled down to liberty versus security. Which do we value more? How do you effectively secure an entire campus?
     One person said that the money should have been taken out of the Hokie Fund to give to the families, or that the money should be given to the school to expand its security infrastructure. We talked about measures that other campuses have taken afterwards to increase security. The University of Richmond has switched to two-way locks, CNU and Lynchburg both have alert sirens that reach the entire campus. Others said that this should highly influence the government to impose stricter gun laws. I think that we all have learned from the 4/16 tragedy, but discussing the measures that the government must take in protecting our security is definitely vital to understanding and preventing further issues.
     Lastly, we reviewed the Legislative Information Systems website and learned how a bill becomes a law. We also split up into groups by region to discuss pertinent issues that face each. Of course, the top 3 in each region tended to be transportation, immigration and land use. Tom Shields posed the question about legislation: "Are votes already decided in hotel rooms and receptions?" It seems to me that democracy is a double-edged sword. I think that what makes Sorensen so special is that it encourages us to make the right decisions, though they may be tough, in order to make Virginia a better state.
      After class, Adria and I took a shopping break. Needless to say, Adria made me spend money again, but I'm satisfied with my purchases. The moral of the day is to work hard, but never forget to eat and dance the night away (with your Sorensen mates after a long day of discussing policy, politics, and partisanship, of course).

—Brookelynn Constant, Warrenton
    Christopher Newport University Class of 2010
    College Leaders Program Class of 2008