ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, October 2, 1996 TAG: 9610020029
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: S.D. HARRINGTON STAFF WRITER
TONIGHT'S MEETING IS the first of four at Salem's Public Library for residents to talk about foreign policy and to make it more approachable.
Getting John Q. Public involved in the government's affairs has been a growing trend lately.
Journalists do it with community forums, and special-interest groups are getting into the act as well.
Tonight, Roanoke-area residents will have a chance to join the civic participation craze through the first of four foreign policy discussions funded by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Each discussion will take place at the Salem Public Library at 28 E. Main Street. The other dates are Oct. 9, 16 and 23. All will begin at 7 p.m.
As part of the project, there will be similar discussions in 11 other Virginia libraries - including those in Abingdon, Staunton and Chesapeake - and in libraries in seven other states.
"The idea is to get everyday citizens together at the library to talk about foreign policy and to make foreign policy more approachable," said Elissa Booth of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy, who is coordinating the discussions across the state.
The state foundation chose libraries because they are the most neutral and public sites in most localities, Booth said.
"We're not trying to push any particular agenda," she said.
Each of the Salem discussions will be led by Peter Coogan, professor of history at Hollins College.
Tonight's topic is "What is America, and What Do We Want it to Be?" On Oct. 9, participants will debate America's role in the world's search for peace. The Oct. 15 topic is U.S. immigration policy. And the last session on Oct. 23 is titled "Charting Our Future: Balancing Priorities."
Each session begins at 7 p.m.
Participants will be given opinion forms to fill out at the end of the four sessions, Booth said. Along with those from the other sessions, the forms will be analyzed by a team of researchers at Brown University in Rhode Island. The results will be sent to policy-makers of the respective states.
This is the second year Virginia has conducted such a series of public policy discussions, but the first time one has been in Salem.
The series is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Participants are encouraged to register in advance and to read literature provided by discussion organizers, which gives background on each of the four topics.
Organizers have overbooked for the first discussion, anticipating that some registrants will not show up.
Salem Librarian Janice Augustine said Tuesday that 60 people have registered, ranging in age from retirees to high school students. Most are from the Roanoke Valley.
To register or obtain information, call the Salem Public Library at 375-3089.
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