Saturday, Sept. 10, Wednesday, Sept. 14, Friday, Sept. 16
(St. Mary’s City, MD) Aug. 29 —St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Center for the Study of Democracy announces three September events that are free and open to the public.
Celebrating Life, Democracy & Jazz, takes place on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 5 p.m., in the Auerbach Auditorium, St. Mary’s Hall. St. Mary’s College alumnus and percussionist, Dominic Fragman, with his group that includes jazz pianist Larry Willis and drummer Paul Murphy, will perform a show that combines a discussion of jazz as America’s indigenous art form and a concert of improvisational jazz. Saxophonist and flutist Don Stapleson, will moderate the question and answer session. This jazz concert is organized in memory of Professor Thomas Barrett, a long-time jazz enthusiast and Dominic Fragman’s mentor. The event is co-sponsored by the St. Mary’s College Lecture & Fine Arts Committee.
VOTE! Elections and Social Media, takes place on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m., in Cole Cinema, Campus Center. Maryland State Senators Cheryl C. Kagan (D) and Steve Waugh (R), politicians, community activists, and political scientists will meet with St. Mary’s College students, faculty, staff, and the public to talk about election year issues. The evening will start with a presentation on the role of social media in the presidential elections by Dr. Leticia Bode, assistant professor in the Communication, Culture, and Technology program at Georgetown University. A public question and answer session will follow with questions submitted in advance beginning Sept. 7 to democracy@smcm.edu. Questions may also be asked directly during the event.
Madison, Montpelier, and the Constitution, takes place on Friday, Sept. 16 at 4 p.m., in Cole Cinema, Campus Center. During his own lifetime, James Madison was dubbed “Father of the Constitution,” a title he humbly dismissed. Madison, though, would have a larger hand than any other individual of the founding era in shaping the American political system of government. Kyle M. Stetz, manager of Student and Family Programs at James Madison’s Montpelier will explore the work Madison completed, before, during, and after the constitutional convention of 1787. Presented in cooperation with the St. Mary’s College Political Science department.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Approximately 1,800 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary’s River in Southern Maryland.