News | 2/3/08

Media Credit: Louis Jay [Click to enlarge]

Towson, along with colleges and universities across the country, hosted Focus the Nation Jan. 31. A day dedicated to informing students about global warming, Focus the Nation brought students and faculty to the University Union Potomac Lounge to hear experts and students speak on environmental issues.

In a combined effort by government leaders, scientists, celebrities, and various student organizations, Focus the Nation aimed to raise student awareness about the effects of global warming and possible solutions. The event was also used to inform students about their right to vote and encouraged them to participate in political and government affairs.

At Focus the Nation, students visited booths and learn about topics such as alternative spring break options, top 10 tips for saving energy in your dorm room, framework for the Maryland Global Warming Solutions Act, and the agendas of upcoming political candidates.

Students could also view movie screenings of "The End of Suburbia" and "An Inconvenient Truth." Both documentaries are about environmental issues and they propose ways to prevent further environmental damage.

Go Green, one of the environmental campaigns at Towson University, made significant contributions to the Focus the Nation event.

"Focus the Nation is a program that provides a day of education for the students, that exposes environmental issues, and gives students an opportunity to learn more about what they can do personally to prevent global warming, and how they can get involved to help fight global warming as a nation," Amanda Duzak, a political science major and a member of the Towson Energy Activists, said. "Providing information is one of the most effective ways for getting people to recognize and understand the seriousness of an issue."

Another campus organization that aided in making Towson's Focus the Nation a success was the Student Association of Voter Empowerment. They provided voter registration forms for students to fill out and handed out pamphlets that described the candidates and their platforms.

"The work that our organization finds important is to help students learn about their right to vote and help them understand the issues at hand and how the candidates plan on addressing those issues," sophomore mass communication major Courtney Monson said. She is also the president of the organization.

Some students said the event was informative.

"Personally, I have always made an effort in trying to better the community and clean up campus and the environment," Christopher Correnti, a freshman forensic chemistry major, said. "The Focus the Nation event has been a great way for me to learn about other ways that I can get involved and meet others with similar goals like my own."

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