With the Democratic National Convention just days away, the University is finalizing details for its participation.
Some 840 DNC staff members have already arrived on campus and will be staying in residence halls until Aug. 29.
A highlight for DU will be an international relations forum — co-hosted by the Korbel School of International Studies — held in downtown Denver Aug. 27. Participants will include former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, DU Chancellor Robert Coombe, Korbel School Dean Tom Farer, broadcaster Tom Brokaw, former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle and actor Ben Affleck, among others.
Symposium attendance is by invitation only; the audience will include ambassadors to the U.S., international and U.S. political leaders and select members of the local business community, academia and media.
Also that day, Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader will speak at DU’s Magness Arena at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $10 through Nader’s Denver headquarters or $12 at the door. Call 303-832-2509 for information.
Peter Groff, Colorado Senate president and director of DU’s Center for African American Policy, is hosting “OUTBURST!” — an interactive lecture tour Aug. 24 at 1 p.m. in Sturm Hall’s Davis Auditorium. Groff will discuss campaign issues and answer questions about the political process. DU’s tour will be followed by others at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., and at debate locations this fall.
Hundreds of hula hoopers are expected on Driscoll Lawn Aug. 26–27 as activist and author Melody Moezzi presents Hooping for Peace. The free two-day event is in support of world peace and Sen. Barack Obama, Moezzi says. Religious Studies Professor Liyakat Takim will speak at the event, at which free hula hoops will be provided.
Beyond hula hoop entertainment, PBS’s Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart will be taping at the Newman Center. Audience tickets are no longer available.
Some DU venues are playing host to convention partygoers. Phipps Mansion is hosting two parties Aug. 28 for 325 members of the Michigan and Kentucky delegations. The Congressional Black Caucus is hosting a reception Aug. 24 at the Cable Center. The invitation-only event anticipates 600–800 attendees.
And there’ll still be political talk after the convention. The Sturm College of Law is hosting an all-day symposium, “Obama Phenomena: Facets of a Historic Campaign,” Aug. 29. Scholars will examine the cultural wave of Obama’s rise as the first African-American presidential nominee. Harvard law professor and author Randall Kennedy will be the event’s keynote speaker.
Watch DU Today for ongoing DNC coverage.