Claire Graves and Jake McGraw
Conventional Wisdom
Lott scholars to attend national conventions
Jake McGraw has always been fascinated by politics. Growing up in Oxford, he relished dinner conversations with his family that turned into political debates.
Now his interest in politics is coming to the forefront as he and another student involved in the Lott Leadership Institute head off to the Democratic and Republican national conventions this fall.
McGraw will attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver from Aug. 25-28, and Claire Graves will attend the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., from Sept. 1-4. Fellow UM students Brent Caldwell and Nickolaus Luckett will also attend the Democratic and Republican conventions, respectively. All four are students in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College.
Through efforts of both the Lott Leadership Institute and the honors college, these students are able to make the trek to the conventions.
McGraw, a junior public policy leadership major and Lott scholar, said the convention will be an opportunity to see politics as it is practiced off camera and behind the scenes. He is excited about seeing the convention from all angles: the preparation, the procedures, the personalities and, of course, the politics.
“I hope that perspective will give me a better understanding of whether politics is something I want to do with my life. More than that, the four of us want to serve as representatives for the Ole Miss student body. We will serve as their eyes and ears and report back regularly through the Internet and student media,” McGraw said.
Before the conventions, the students will attend seminars at the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars that have been held every presidential-election year since 1984. The program includes a two-week seminar, taught as an academic course, composed of a combination of formal instruction, guest lectures, panels, tours, site visits and fieldwork assignments. During the week of the convention, events of each previous day are analyzed, and the upcoming events are discussed.
Graves, an Ackerman native who attended the Lott Leadership Institute for high-school students, said one of her earliest memories is of watching political speeches on television. She hopes the discussions and interaction with political leaders and other students will give her a better understanding of the political process and the issues involved in the 2008 presidential campaign.
“Attending the National Republican Convention will be quite a memorable experience in and of itself, but I feel that taking part in the Washington Center’s seminar program will allow me to learn a lot from the experience as well,” said Graves, a junior marketing communications major. “I am most excited about the fieldwork assignment that we will be receiving.
I am hoping to get to work with an interest group related to education or with a party official.”
The four students are also members of the student steering committee for the upcoming presidential debate hosted by UM on Sept. 26. The committee is planning activities and events to ensure students are a vital component of the debate.
Graves said this is one of the most exciting times to be an Ole Miss student. “What an outstanding opportunity to get an up-close-and-personal glimpse into the political process,” she said. “I think that having the debate on campus will get more Ole Miss students interested in politics, the issues and voting. It is also such a great chance for us to showcase our university and the state of Mississippi to the world.”
McGraw is equally anxious for the debate. “Even though the four of us have been working since December to plan debate-related activities for students, I still have a difficult time conceiving the magnitude and significance of the debate. The university’s selection only confirms what all of us here already knew, that this is a very special place. But it’s still surreal that the road to the White House will run through Oxford.”
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