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UPDATED: Students respond to Gore's speech
October 20, 2006
Eleven PLU students joined Cheryl Dell, publisher of The News Tribune, at the paper’s suite in Key Arena for Al Gore’s talk about global warming on Monday night.
The former vice president told the thousands gathered that saving the world from global warming is a moral issue, not a political one. Gore used a big-screen slide show to demonstrate how the human race is killing the Earth, and how the climate changes could eventually end humanity. The presentation was one of many he has done around the country and in his movie, “An Inconvenient Truth.”
As payment for the tickets, the students were asked to blog on the paper’s editorial Web page. Senior Amber Morley’s response appeared in full in the paper’s Wednesday letters page. Read it here.
To read the students’ responses to Gore’s speech, click here.
Original story posted on 10/23/2006:
A group of 11 PLU students will be among those in attendance at Key Arena tonight for former Vice President Al Gore’s presentation and discussion of “An Inconvenient Truth.”
The movie and bestselling book are about Gore’s crusade to halt global warming. Using scientific evidence, Gore exposes the myths and misconceptions that surround the issue and offers ways for citizens to take action.
The News Tribune invited students to share its private suite at Key Arena for the event. The publisher, Cheryl Dell, chose to invite PLU students because the paper has a working relationship the university, according to editorial page editor Dave Seago.
As payment for the $45 ticket, the students are required to write two to three paragraphs on the paper’s editorial page blog. The paper wants to increase the feedback they receive from college-age people in its opinion pages and on its Web site, Seago said.
The blog will be posted on The News Tribune’s Web site on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Campus Voice will provide a link from this article on Tuesday.
“We suspect younger people may view the subject of global warming differently from older folks; after all, they’re going to be around to see what happens,” Seago explained in his email. “The students’ blog items may give us some idea of whether this is the case.”
Seago coordinated the excursion with faculty member Joanne Lisosky. The paper wanted students from various disciplines, including science, political science and communications, so Lisosky asked faculty across campus to spread the word about the opportunity.
Lisosky said only one of the students attending is a journalism major. The rest hail from disciplines as diverse as philosophy, religion and political science.
“That’s what is really exciting, it’s so cross-disciplinary,” she said. “The campus is so small that I can put the call out and get people from across campus that don’t know me and aren’t in the journalism department.”
Junior Tamara Power-Drutis said she was drawn to attend the event because Gore is a well-known public figure who is talking about global warming and making people pay attention to it. As a political science major, she is not necessarily interested in global warming and the environment. But the issues she does care about won’t matter if global warming isn’t addressed, she explained.
Many of the students were attracted to attending the speech because they were impressed by the movie released last summer.
“It was awesome and depressing,” said senior Amber Morley. “It’s depressing because it’s real, it’s not a movie. There is actual scientific data that a natural disaster will occur.”
Morley said the movie framed the issue of global warming well by presenting the evidence and explaining why the audience should care. Additionally, Gore didn’t present it as a polarized political issue, instead asserting it is a moral issue, said senior Aaron Brauer-Rieke.
“I’m not a Gore fan, but his message comes off as genuine and persuasive,” Brauer-Rieke said. “I’m psyched to see this live in a big, packed stadium. It’s one thing to see the film version of it, but another thing to see it live.”
Morley said she has had the chance to see many great speakers because of her involvement with Young Democrats on campus and at the state level, but Gore’s speech will be the “crowning moment” of her PLU experience.
“The issue is going to impact us no matter how we react to it, and it’s important that we act responsibly,” Morley said.
Other students who will be attending Gore’s speech include Kristi Kuhn, J.P. Kemmick, Jennifer Henrichsen, Alicia Uzarek, Kristi Mae Noceda, Heather Eylar, Breanne Coats and R.J. Myers.
For more information about “An Inconvenient Truth,” visit www.climatecrisis.net. The News Tribune is online at www.thenewstribune.com.
As payment for the tickets, the students were asked to blog on the paper’s editorial Web page. Senior Amber Morley’s response appeared in full in the paper’s Wednesday letters page. Read it here.
To read the students’ responses to Gore’s speech, click here.
Original story posted on 10/23/2006:
A group of 11 PLU students will be among those in attendance at Key Arena tonight for former Vice President Al Gore’s presentation and discussion of “An Inconvenient Truth.”
The movie and bestselling book are about Gore’s crusade to halt global warming. Using scientific evidence, Gore exposes the myths and misconceptions that surround the issue and offers ways for citizens to take action.
The News Tribune invited students to share its private suite at Key Arena for the event. The publisher, Cheryl Dell, chose to invite PLU students because the paper has a working relationship the university, according to editorial page editor Dave Seago.
As payment for the $45 ticket, the students are required to write two to three paragraphs on the paper’s editorial page blog. The paper wants to increase the feedback they receive from college-age people in its opinion pages and on its Web site, Seago said.
The blog will be posted on The News Tribune’s Web site on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Campus Voice will provide a link from this article on Tuesday.
“We suspect younger people may view the subject of global warming differently from older folks; after all, they’re going to be around to see what happens,” Seago explained in his email. “The students’ blog items may give us some idea of whether this is the case.”
Seago coordinated the excursion with faculty member Joanne Lisosky. The paper wanted students from various disciplines, including science, political science and communications, so Lisosky asked faculty across campus to spread the word about the opportunity.
Lisosky said only one of the students attending is a journalism major. The rest hail from disciplines as diverse as philosophy, religion and political science.
“That’s what is really exciting, it’s so cross-disciplinary,” she said. “The campus is so small that I can put the call out and get people from across campus that don’t know me and aren’t in the journalism department.”
Junior Tamara Power-Drutis said she was drawn to attend the event because Gore is a well-known public figure who is talking about global warming and making people pay attention to it. As a political science major, she is not necessarily interested in global warming and the environment. But the issues she does care about won’t matter if global warming isn’t addressed, she explained.
Many of the students were attracted to attending the speech because they were impressed by the movie released last summer.
“It was awesome and depressing,” said senior Amber Morley. “It’s depressing because it’s real, it’s not a movie. There is actual scientific data that a natural disaster will occur.”
Morley said the movie framed the issue of global warming well by presenting the evidence and explaining why the audience should care. Additionally, Gore didn’t present it as a polarized political issue, instead asserting it is a moral issue, said senior Aaron Brauer-Rieke.
“I’m not a Gore fan, but his message comes off as genuine and persuasive,” Brauer-Rieke said. “I’m psyched to see this live in a big, packed stadium. It’s one thing to see the film version of it, but another thing to see it live.”
Morley said she has had the chance to see many great speakers because of her involvement with Young Democrats on campus and at the state level, but Gore’s speech will be the “crowning moment” of her PLU experience.
“The issue is going to impact us no matter how we react to it, and it’s important that we act responsibly,” Morley said.
Other students who will be attending Gore’s speech include Kristi Kuhn, J.P. Kemmick, Jennifer Henrichsen, Alicia Uzarek, Kristi Mae Noceda, Heather Eylar, Breanne Coats and R.J. Myers.
For more information about “An Inconvenient Truth,” visit www.climatecrisis.net. The News Tribune is online at www.thenewstribune.com.