Conference seeks to educate students about economy
A student group looking to make the federal budget easier to understand for younger generations will hold its first conference this weekend.
Policy Students for Fiscal Sustainability, a group created by public administration students in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, will bring policymakers, students and professors from across Central New York for ‘Debts, Deficits and the Economy: How Did We Get Here and Where Are We Going?’
The conference will begin in Maxwell Auditorium on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with public screenings of short documentaries and videos. All other events and discussions held Friday and Saturday will take place in the Public Events Room, Suite 220, of Eggers Hall.
Apathy toward the economy often stems from simply not understanding it, said Charles Alamo, a public administration and economics graduate student. Part of the group’s mission is to make the federal budget more accessible to young people.
‘The goal, put simply, is to help make young voters politically potent — that is, to equip us with the level of understanding that allows us to say to our elected officials, whether directly or at the ballot box, ‘Hold on a second. This policy might help you get re-elected next year, but we’d like to know what it’ll mean in 20, 30 or 40 years from now,” he said.
Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner and William Magnarelli, a New York state assemblyman, will be at Saturday’s panel to discuss various implications of local finance. Other speakers throughout the weekend include Susan Tanaka of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and Maxwell professors.
After the conference kicks off Thursday, it will continue Friday at 8 a.m., beginning with a continental breakfast and registration. The first panel discussion, ‘What Does the Debt Mean to Us?’ will begin at 10:15 a.m. after a plenary session about the basics of the debt situation. The panel on Saturday, ‘Making Hard Decisions: How Are New York State and Local Governments Responding to Fiscal Challenges?’ begins at 10 a.m.
Maxwell professor Leonard Burman, who helped Policy Students for Fiscal Sustainability organize the event, said he is optimistic about the outcome. He said he hopes the conference will raise awareness of the issues and motivate them to get informed.
‘Frankly, I’m hoping someone will think of a novel way to communicate about the budget that will go viral and get young people really riled up and knowledgeable enough that they can help force politicians to offer real choices,’ said Burman, who specializes in federal budget reform and tax policy.
John Palmer, University Professor and dean emeritus of Maxwell, as well as a former public trustee for Medicare and Social Security programs, said he agreed with Burman.
‘The conference is a wonderful way to promote greater understanding of the problem among the student generation, which has the greatest stake in how well it’s resolved,’ Palmer said.
To the students and professors involved, a greater understanding is the most important goal of the conference, Burman said.
‘You shouldn’t care about the budget because you like money and crunching numbers in a spreadsheet,’ Burman said. ‘You should care because we are mortgaging your future.’
Published on April 12, 2011 at 12:00 pm
