SENATOR UPDATECivic Engagement& ServiceJulia Lee· 10.27Quick update on what I’ve been working on in Civic Engagement & Service, plus two things I’d love everyone’s help promoting.1
WHAT I’VE BEEN WORKING ONNational Call to ActionWorked with the civic engagement committee to gather responses for National call to action150+ undergraduates responded through our form, tabling and sessions with student orgs (Sep 30 – Oct 9). 124 agreed to have their words shared.Civic Engagement & Service · Senator UpdateI worked with the civic engagement committee to gather student input for the National Call to Action. We emailed every undergrad on Sep 30, tabled, and held sessions with student orgs through Oct 9. Over 150 students responded and 124 let us share their words. Tuition and free speech drew the most responses. That raises a question I've been working on since, which is the next slide.2
WHAT I’VE BEEN WORKING ONNational Student Dialogue on AI and Campus CivilityRepresenting HopkinsI’ll attend as a Hopkins representative.Bringing ideas homeExchanging perspectives with students from other universities and bringing ideas back to campus.Civic Engagement & Service · Senator UpdateI’ll be attending the National Student Dialogue on AI and Campus Civility as a Hopkins representative. I’m looking forward to hearing how other schools approach these issues and bringing ideas back here. If you have anything you’d like me to raise, let me know.3
THE GAP150+ students answered.Most will never hear what happened next.“I wish there was a place or forum where we could talk abt controversial things where ppl on sga can see.”Student response · SGA’s National Call to Action surveyHere’s the problem. Students gave us their time and their honesty, and the result was a document sent upward. Most of them will never learn what happened to their input. And one student asked for exactly the thing we don’t have: a place where students can talk about hard issues and know SGA is actually listening.4
WHAT I’M BUILDINGYou Said, We Did01VoiceA more serious sidechat. Share a concern and see who else feels the same.02TrackA public ledger: where each issue went, and its status.HeardMovingStuckChanged03Close the loopA biweekly update, so students see their input land, even when change is slow.Civic Engagement & Service · Senator UpdateThe idea is simple: You Said, We Did. Students voice a concern in a more serious version of sidechat, where they can back the issues they’ve hit too. Every issue goes on a public ledger with one of four statuses: Heard, Moving, Stuck, or Changed. Stuck matters, because being honest when something isn’t moving builds more trust than pretending it is. Then every two weeks we send a short update so students see their voice actually landed.5
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WHAT I’M BUILDINGStarting small, starting nowEntry #1: the National Call to ActionPost its seven themes as tracked items, so the 150+ respondents see where their answers went.Pilot channel: FAsWidely felt, well documented, and stuck. A visible record of every time it was raised.Meet students where they areBring the unused ideas sections on Hopkins Groups back to life instead of building something new.Civic Engagement & Service · Senator UpdateI’m starting small on purpose. Entry number one is the National Call to Action itself: we post its seven themes as tracked items, so the students who answered can see where their words went. The first pilot channel is FAs, because the issue is widely felt, well documented, and has been stuck despite SGA raising it repeatedly. And rather than build a new platform, the idea is to revive the ideas sections that Hopkins Groups already has. If it works, more senators can adopt a channel next semester.7
PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORDTwo things to promote1 · Oct 27 live debate2 · Debate-topic formTwo things I’d love everyone’s help promoting: the live debate this Tuesday, and a quick form to pick our next debate topic.8
EVENT 2 · QUICK FORMWhich debate would you want to see?We’re sending out a short form. Vote for the topics you’d consider and suggest ways to sharpen them.Form linkCivic Engagement & Service · Senator UpdateSecond ask: we’re choosing our next debate topic and want input. I’ll send out a quick form. Here are the seven options on the table.9
DEBATE OPTIONS · 1–4Seven questions on the table1 · Should the US ban kids from social media?Other countries have under-16 bans. Real protection, or free-speech, privacy and enforcement problems that miss the root causes?2 · Should drug companies advertise to consumers?Informative, pro-innovation protected speech, or a driver of costly overprescribing that few other countries permit?3 · Should Americans be allowed to bet on elections?Prediction markets: useful forecasts and a legitimate market, or a risk to elections and public trust?4 · Should psychedelics become mainstream medicine?Promising for depression and PTSD, but is the evidence and safety record strong enough for wide use?Civic Engagement & Service · Senator UpdateFull prompts: 1. Should the US ban kids from using social media? With other countries enacting under-16 bans and Congress weighing kids’ online safety bills, is a ban the right way to protect young people, or does it raise free-speech, privacy, and enforcement problems without addressing the underlying causes? 2. Should pharmaceutical companies be allowed to advertise to consumers? Supporters say drug ads inform patients, support innovation, and are protected speech; critics argue they drive unnecessary, expensive prescribing and are allowed in very few other countries. 3. Should Americans be allowed to bet on elections? Do prediction markets offer useful forecasts and a legitimate market, or do they risk distorting elections and undermining public trust? 4. Should psychedelics become mainstream medicine? Psychedelic-assisted therapy has shown promise for depression and PTSD, but is the evidence and safety record strong enough to make it widely available?10
DEBATE OPTIONS · 5–7Seven questions on the table5 · Should voters have to prove citizenship to register?A safeguard for election integrity, or an extra hurdle that could keep eligible citizens off the rolls?6 · Should the US worry about record-low birth rates?A real threat to the economy and an aging society that calls for action, or an overstated concern?7 · Should Americans follow the new federal nutrition guidelines?A needed correction, or a departure from established nutrition science? Ideas to sharpen this one are welcome.Vote on the formPick the topics you’d consider and suggest your own. Civic Engagement & Service · Senator UpdateFull prompts: 5. Should Americans have to prove their citizenship to register to vote? Supporters see documentary proof of citizenship as a safeguard for election integrity; opponents argue existing protections are sufficient and the requirement could keep eligible citizens from registering. 6. Should the US worry about record low birth rates? With the US fertility rate at its lowest on record, is this a real threat to the economy and an aging society that calls for action, or is the concern overstated? 7. Should Americans follow the new federal nutrition guidelines? The Make America Healthy Again movement has reshaped federal dietary advice: is the new guidance a needed correction or a departure from established nutrition science? We’d especially welcome ideas for sharpening this resolution.11
Thank you!Share the Oct 27 debate with your constituentsFill out the debate-topic formSend me ideas for the AI & civility dialogueAdopt a channel: tell me what your constituents keep raisingRecap the four asks and open for questions. For the last one: if your constituents keep bringing up the same issue, I'd love to pilot it as a You Said, We Did channel with you.12