Staff Writer
The C-SPAN Campaign 2012 bus will be visiting F&M as a stop along its Road to the White House tour Wednesday, Oct. 24. According to Nicole Hoover ’09, co-chair of F&M Votes, the bus and its programs are intended to include all members of the F&M campus community such as faculty and staff, but it is also highly geared towards F&M students. Hoover said the bus will help explain many of the issues of high importance in this election and aims to help everyone make educated decisions when voting.
The bus will stop in the Williamson Parking lot from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
According to a promotional video by C-SPAN, the Campaign 2012 bus was launched in August 2011, and with the assistance of local cable providers, has been making its way to many different places and activities across the country, such as book festivals, education conferences, political gatherings, and community events at high schools, universities, and libraries.
“This is an exciting opportunity for our campus to interactively engage in the upcoming election,” Hoover said. “Through interactive computers, students and visitors will learn about C-SPAN resources, including C-SPAN’s Video Library, Campaign 2012 resources, and trivia quizzes. The Campaign 2012 Bus is on the Road to the White House tour and now is our chance to see the bus in action.”
While Hoover explained F&M Votes is not directly responsible for bringing this bus to campus, they were the ones responsible for coordinating many of the details, such as the who, where, when, and how. The member of the organization were very excited to help bring this bus to campus.
“C-SPAN was founded by cable companies, so it is no surprise they work closely with our local cable company, Comcast,” Hoover said. “Comcast suggested F&M as a location for this bus. C-SPAN reached out to our media relations team and, of course, F&M jumped on board.”
Hoover believes this opportunity will be an excellent education experience for everyone who comes to see the bus.
“This interactive, educational experience provides resources to enhance thought and discussion of government and public affairs,” Hoover said.
According to C-SPAN’s promotional video, the bus will also allow visitors to watch the latest C-SPAN programs in HD, to tune in to live feeds of C-SPAN and C-SPAN2, catch new authors on Book TV, or view historical perspectives on American History TV on C-SPAN3.
In the “C-SPAN on the Go” section of the Bus, visitors can download C-SPAN podcasts and C-SPAN’s iPhone and Blackberry app, and access C-SPAN radio. Visitors are encouraged to use the laptops on the bus to connect with C-SPAN online by browsing its YouTube page, checking its Twitter feeds, and becoming a fan on Facebook. The bus is also equipped with a Smartboard and presentation area for discussions on the Video Library, C-SPAN Classroom, Campaign 2012, and other topics.
The goal of this bus, according to the C-SPAN video, is to connect visitors to its public affairs programming while providing a greater understanding of C-SPAN and its free resources. The bus attempts to teach visitors about the 2012 election and all of C-SPAN’s offerings through many multimedia platforms.
Questions? Email Shira at skipnees@fandm.edu.