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After congressional deliberations in Washington D.C. forced U.S. Senator Ron Johnson to cancel his speech in conjunction with the annual Constitution Day activities in September, his office said they would try to reschedule the speaking engagement at UW Oshkosh for a later date.

The rescheduled date for Sen. Johnson’s speech, as part of the American Democracy Project lecture series, will take place on Feb. 22, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Reeve Memorial Union Ballroom.

UW Oshkosh students and community members are encouraged to attend the free event and become more informed citizens.

“The invitation to our federal Senator is an example of how the University wants to foster our students’ knowledge related to our democracy and government,” said Carleen Vande Zande, assistant vice chancellor for curricular affairs and student academic achievement. “Students will be able to ask questions and discuss their own viewpoints with their elected official in the campus setting.”

Vande Zande expects to see around 200 guests at the event and hopes that individual students and student groups take advantage of the opportunity to interact with the Senator.

“So many issues at the federal level are impacting higher education such as the Pell grants, student load debt and public funding of higher education,” Vande Zande said. “President Obama outlined new initiatives that will impact our own students such as the expansion of work study programs. Students should come to our event to share their perspectives about the national higher education agenda.”

David Siemers, professor and chair of the political science department at UW Oshkosh, said that the Senator’s speech will be exciting because it is his first major address devoted to the Constitution.

“From the beginning of his campaign for the U.S. Senate until now, Ron Johnson has stressed a commitment to fiscal austerity. Senator Johnson’s speech at UW Oshkosh is an important one in that it is his first speech about something other than how much we must cut our government and the services it provides,” Siemers said.

Siemers said the Senator’s speech should help increase dialogue on campus about what the United States stands for.

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