Elon political science and public administration students are preparing to assist Betty Morgan and Larry Vellani with the second of two Alamance County candidates’ forums to be held Thursday, April 27 in the historic Alamance County Courthouse in Graham, N.C.
Six students, along with Elon ‘01 alumna and Rockingham County Jail Diversion Director Jen Welborn, assisted at the first of the two forums held Tuesday, April 25. The students prepared program flyers, hosted the candidates and the forum audience, and collected and sorted audience questions. Welborn assisted Vellani and Lindsey Wakely ‘06 with timing each candidate’s response.
These forums are the first public candidate forums in Alamance County to focus on the issues of domestic and sexual violence and are modeled after a civic education program developed at the School of Government, formerly the Institute of Government, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Thursday’s forum, at 7 p.m. at the Alamance County Courthouse, will feature candidates seeking the offices of state senator, state representative and Alamance County commissioner. Tuesday’s forum featured candidates running for district court judge, district attorney, Alamance County sheriff, and seats on the Alamance County Board of Education.
Elon’s Center for Public Affairs is a co-sponsor of the forums along with the Alamance County Domestic Violence Advocacy Council, the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), the Women’s Resource Center, and the Burlington Times-News. Betty Morgan, director of the Center for Public Affairs, is serving as forum moderator, and Vellani, Center lecturer and director of corporate and foundation relations, is serving as the forum coordinator.
The Burlington Times-News is providing video streaming of both forums beginning April 26 through the May 2 primary election at www.thetimesnews.com.
Pictured in the photo from left to right are: Keenan Benjamin ’06, Elena Vladimirova (IREX Program student scholar from Ufa, Russia), Dr. Morgan, Ben Vellani ’07, Jason Barrett ‘06 and Scott Owen ‘06. Not pictured, Lindsey Wakely ‘06.