Mock Convention ROCKS!!!

Oh my goodness. Where to begin. Last Friday, I went to a convention after my classes. Mock Convention 2008 was in session. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect but I had high hopes in the events that were about to begin. Mock Convention occurs once every 4 years- mimicking the Presidential election year. Knowing that I only want to be at OWU at maximum four years, I had to go and check it out. A lot of my friends had organized it so I wanted to see the product of their hard work.

The actual program started around 4 pm on Friday. I got my tag for delegate of Ohio and took a seat. I did not know who was going to be in Mock Convention, particularly who was going to be the delegates of Ohio. One by one, people filled Gray Chapel. A lot of these people were familar. When the state chair of Ohio arrived, I was relieved and eventually, the rest of the Ohio delegation showed up. A good portion of the people in the Ohio delegation were a part of OWU's chapter of College Democrats. I knew that there would be controversy and lots of debate.

As the Ohio delegation discussed our plan of action in the upcoming Platform Amendments, we enjoyed a meal prepared for all participating members of Mock Convention by Chartwells. The food was good and I needed it for the second round- a round that would drag on until eleven at night. I knew that politics was intense and I have read about inauguration of some Presidents at two in the morning. However, it is an entirely different perspective when you have to sit in Gray Chapel, listening to your delegation debate with other delegations until the wee hours of the morning (almost). There are a lot of interesting events that happened in the first day but by nine o' clock, I felt somewhat tired and wanted to start back up on Saturday.

There was two guest speakers (that were not from the student or faculty population) who told us that we the college population had the power to change the results of the election and to elect who we felt should be the most viable candidate to the office of the Presidency. Both of the speakers made good points and were clear in what we need to do as a student body to get involved and to get our voice heard. All of the things they said felt right to me so I listened to their reasoning and made deductions in my own mind as to what is the plan of action.

Day two of Mock Convention on Saturday seemed to go by a lot quickly. The first day was a lot of adjustment where people made a lot of arguments and changes regarding parliamentary procedure and general changes in the bylaws. This is probably the reason the first part of Mock Convention dragged on. On the second day, most of the changes was made and the sessions went by quickly. One of the most important changes in the bylaws was that discussion was limited to one for opinion and one against opinion if applicable to the situation. That expedited the process a ton. Sometimes, I wish WCSA had that system last year as some formal body meetings edged close to three hours. Anyway, we started with the usual Pledge of Alliance, Invocation, and Translation followed by a welcome. Then the Convention started up again with an introduction to the speaker, then the nomination of the Presidential and the Vice-Presidential candidates, which for the OWU Mock Convention candidates was....... Barack Obama and John Edwards, respectively. In a way, the discussion and the results were a no-brainer. There was some Hillary Clinton talk and even some Al Gore talk from some delegates. In the end, they were served with a whole plate of Obama posters. After that, we moved back into the Platform Amendments to finish up Social Policy and to start on issues in Foreign Policy and Economic Policy. Every and any issue that was controversial was on there as well as some of the safer issues that are always addressed at real conventions. Eventually, we all got through with amending the platform and we adjourned soon after the awards were passed.

My opinion is basically what the title of this blog says. It is hard to explain in words the feeling one gets when they exercise their diplomacy and have a opinion of what will happen. All of the speakers (student, faculty, and guest speakers from the state) were passionate in their speeches and there were even some surprising and amusing moments thrown in. That made for a real Mock Convention because you never knew what was going to happen. Nothing was predictable and I liked it aspect of Mock Convention. I am so glad that I could be a part of a long standing tradition at Ohio Wesleyan and in the nation. I felt that I had my job and I supported the right causes in the Mock Convention. Although I am glad Mock Convention is now over with, reflecting on the time that I spent in the Ohio delegation made me realize that OWU and its traditions are one of a kind.

The pictures:

#1- Trevor Hawley standing in between the Democratic contenders for President.

#2- Executive Director of the Mock Convention McKenzie Kugler making a statement at the podium.

#3- Jack Stenger and Chris Kelley (and their patriotic gear) adjust themselves for the camera.

#4- A closer look at Jack's shirt- Cock of the Mock (no pun intended).

#5- The College Democrats (and members of my fellow Ohio delegation, Evan Cormalleth and College Dems President, Amir Paul (back turned))

#6- Posters galore. I took this shot of the New York banner because it stood out in my eyes.

#7- Delegates meeting outside Gray Chapel over breakfast.

#8- Me flexing my power.

#9- The program for the two days of Mock Convention.

#10- The front of the program (One Nation, Many Issues)

#11- The backdrop of Mock Convention.

#12- The awesome delegation of Ohio.

I have to go because I have class in ten minutes. Hope you enjoy the pictures and my experiences about Mock Convention. This is an once in a college student's life that you will hear about this so read this carefully. I have a Obama campaign button and poster posted on my door right now to bring back memories of Mock Convention. This will also prompt me to show my spirit for Obama for Super Tuesday... today!!

In the Spirit of Mock Convention and Super Tuesday,

Hasani Wheat

Class of '10