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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Students Join National Service/Democracy Initiative

St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY – May 20, 2002 – On Friday, May 30, students from St. Lawrence University will meet for a dialogue on student involvement in public life at the Service-Learning center on campus. This will be the first of a series of similar dialogues that are being hosted on campuses across the country as part of a new civic engagement initiative sponsored by Campus Compact and funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

The format of the dialogue will be around the issue of student action, voice, and power on college campus and in the community. Although recent studies of voting trends and other indicators continue to label students as passive, disengaged, and uninterested, contradicting studies have repeatedly shown that this generation is more active in public and community service than any past generation. Students see their service within the larger context of addressing social and economic problems through service and political action. This dialogue will seek to address how student action is an essential role in building a strong democracy, and begin to look at ways student can combine their alternative politics with traditional participation.

This is the first in a series of dialogues designed to get students talking about their work in communities and to explore additional civic strategies. The outcomes will be shared both locally and nationally.

More information about this dialoguing initiative can be found at
http://www.compact.org/students/scec.html.

Interview Contact: Josh Stearns
Telephone: 315-229-3929
Email: x1jstea@stlaw.edu