FSU Panama City, Gulf Coast State College to host immigration forum

Erica Martin

2018-01-30

FSU Panama City and Gulf Coast State College are joining forces to host a deliberative forum on immigration. “Coming to America: Who Should We Welcome, What Should We Do?” will be 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, in the FSU Panama City Bland Conference Center.

The event is one of many held throughout the United States by National Issues Forums. Participants will discuss ways immigration has affected families of different backgrounds while exploring three approaches to immigration:

Welcome immigrants. Be a beacon of freedom.
Enforce the law. Be fair to those who follow the rules.
Show down and rebuild our common bonds.

“The immigration issues affects virtually every American, directly or indirectly, often in deeply personal ways,” the issue guide says. “The three options presented here reflect different ways of understanding what is at stake and shed light on the critical tensions in what we hold most valuable.”

Former Panama City Mayor Scott Clemons, FSU Panama City Director of Student Affairs Missy Conner, Gulf Coast Political Science Professor Liz Trentanelli and retired Gulf Coast Economics Professor Virginia York will co-moderate.

The event is free and open to the public.

National Issues Forums issue guides are used by civic and educational organizations interested in addressing public issues. These organizations use the guides in locally initiated forums convened each year in hundreds of communities. Recent topics have included U.S. politics, safety and justice, America’s role in the world, and the opioid crisis. For more information on the National Issues Forums, visit www.nifi.org.

Founded in 1927, the Kettering Foundation of Dayton, Ohio, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute that studies the public’s role in democracy. It provides issue guides and other research for the National Issues Forums. For information about the Kettering Foundation, please visit www.kettering.org or contact the foundation at 200 Commons Road, Dayton, Ohio 45459.