Civic Engagement
Activism is an important aspect of leadership development at Bradley University and the Institute promotes involvement in several ways.
Bradley students, President Glasser, Governor Quinn, and State Senator Koehler rally to keep MAP grants in place.
In 2010 the Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants were in danger of being rescinded. That would mean over 1500 Bradley students would no longer receive $3.4 million in assistance from the state of Illinois, meaning many of them would no longer be able to afford to attend Bradley.
Bradley Student Body President Kyle Malinowski (left) and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (right)
The Institute responded by sponsoring a rally on campus with Governor Pat Quinn to restore the MAP scholarship funds. One week later, two busloads of Bradley students joined over ten thousand college students from all over Illinois for a rally at the State Capitol in Springfield. Bradley Student Body President Kyle Malinowski was master of ceremonies and had the privilege of introducing Governor Quinn. After making their voices heard, students succeeded in their mission and MAP grants were reinstated.
Participants in the Mid-State 6/Mid-Illinois Congressional Insight Challenge
Another example of civic engagement is the Mid-Illinois Congressional Insight Challenge. High school students from Central Illinois are given the opportunity to see what it's like to be in the shoes of a member of Congress. The Challenge is a fast-paced, performance-oriented computer simulation. Acting as Congressmen, students make decisions about which committee positions they want, what trade-offs to make among their constituencies and how to balance their time spent fundraising to that spent working for the party, listening to special interests, and dealing with the media. They make other legislative decisions as well based on the information given and at the end of the simulation students find out if they were “re-elected” or not.
Rally for a bipartisan solution to healthcare with “Champ”
IPL and AARP also joined together to have a healthcare reform rally on campus. A friendly half elephant, half donkey named “Champ” (pictured above) attended the rally to promote bipartisanship on the issue.
State Representative Jehan Gordon encouraging students to Get Out The Vote
The Institute organizes rallies to bring the community together and push for change. Recently IPL partnered with AARP to have a Get Out The Vote rally on campus. State Representative Jehan Gordon and her opponent City Councilman Jim Montelongo both spoke, emphasizing the importance of participation in a democratic system. As a result of the rally hundreds of students and community members registered to vote.