By: Ilario Longo, Lions’s Eye Staff Writer, ijl5090@psu.edu
The inaugural mock convention, a student-led simulated presidential nominating convention, was held here on campus Thursday, Feburary 6. This is a campus and community-wide convention that tries to predict who the party, not currently in office, will nominate to run for president.
Brandywine’s mock convention is co-coordinated by Marinda K. Harrell-Levy, assistant professor, human development and family studies and Vippy Yee, Rosenberg Director, Center for Ethics and Civic Engagement.
“There is a lot that goes into planning this event. It takes a large number of people doing their parts,” said Harrell-Levy.
This event provides students with valuable knowledge about the political process. “It is a great resume builder and it also provides students with leadership and social qualities,” said Harrell-Levy.
The convention launched with a parade in January to raise awareness and garner excitement for the convention. The entire campus community was invited to watch the participants of the parade as they marched their floats representing their states. The parade saw floats and more than 75 students, faculty and staff in attendance.
The students who participated had the chance to socialize and have a good time during common hour. The student floats ran the gamut of creativity. One float in particular that stood out represented the state of Pennsylvania as it honored NBA legend and Lower Merion High School grad, Kobe Bryant who passed away in January. The winner of the mock convention parade was a float from Louisiana.
Student, Md Rahman, represented North Carolina. “My job was to get as many people to vote for North Carolina as possible. The whole process was challenging but also fun at the same time, especially decorating the float,” said Rahman.
Food was provided and prizes were awarded. A competitive Kahoot game tested the history and general knowledge about the presidential nominees and facts about the U.S.
Between the mock convention parade and the Kahoot game, students had the chance to gain more knowledge about the presidential election.
The mock convention voting took place on February 6 with Democratic candidate and former Vice President, Joe Biden chosen as the winner by the campus. Let’s see who the nation picks as the Democratic candidate.