Members of the Stennis-Montgomery Association will travel to Washington D.C., on Wednesday for a five-day educational tour.
While in Washington, the group will attend seminars, panel discussions and see a live filming of CNN’s “Crossfire.” They will also host receptions for MSU alumni in the area and for the Mississippi congressional delegation and their staff.
The trip gives students an opportunity to learn how things are done on Capital Hill, said Marty Wiseman, director of the Stennis Institute of Government.
“In doing this, they learn how to carry themselves, shake hands and talk and interact with people in the Washington
environment,” Wiseman said.
Jane Anna Harris, president of the Stennis-Montgomery Association, said the experience also provides important networking opportunities with State alumni in Washington.
The students will attend a meeting with one prominent MSU alumnus, former 3rd congressional district rep. G. V. “Sonny” Montgomery, for whom the SMA is partially named.
Susan Shurden, a junior marketing major who will attend the trip, said she is excited about visiting the capital city.
“It will give everyone there a greater appreciation for Washington,” Shurden said.
Two advisers and 25 students will participate in the trip. The students were selected based on a point system within the organization.
Members acquire points by attending meetings and speaker sessions and by hosting speakers. The 25 members with the most points at the end of each year get the opportunity to go to Washington, most of which is financed by the university.
Wiseman said he began the SMA several years ago when he noticed that many students who were interested in politics did not have many opportunities to network. The association now consists of about 100 active members of various academic majors.
“It gives an outlet to students all over campus to network, no matter what their major,” Wiseman said.
The association is non-partisan and membership is open to all majors, Harris said.
The group hosts political speakers throughout the year as part of the Bill Collins Speaker Series, helps register students to vote and assists members in finding political internships.
“It’s not biased,” Shurden said, adding that the group brings in speakers of different political affiliations for its members.
Harris said that now would be a good time for interested students to get involved with the association because the point system will start over after the trip.
Membership in the association is free.