Contact: Maridith Geuder
Pulling a topic from current headlines, a Feb. 3 forum at Mississippi State will sponsor a panel discussion on issues surrounding marriage for same-sex couples.
Organized by the Division of Student Affairs, the 7 p.m. public program in Lee Hall auditorium is part of an ongoing series of discussions on contemporary issues. Earlier forums addressed affirmative action and the war in Iraq.
Panelists have been selected to present multi-faceted views of the topic. Members of the audience will be invited to ask questions or make comments following each panelist's brief presentation.
"These forums are designed to enhance critical thinking and to promote participatory learning," said Laura Walling, chair of the division's programming committee. "All are designed to offer a diversity of opinions, including religious, political and ethical perspectives."
Participants include:
--Jody Renaldo, executive director of Jackson-based Equality Mississippi.
--Brandon Braud, constituency outreach coordinator for the Human Rights Campaign, which is based in Washington, D.C.
--Helene Hoffman, a Starkville attorney.
--The Rev. David Christian, an Episcopal priest from Madison.
--The Rev. Bob McDonald, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Starkville.
--Trisha Buchanan, a lecturer in MSU's philosophy and religion department.
--Gloria Liddell, a faculty member in the MSU College of Business and Industry and a local attorney.
--MSU senior Amanda Easley of Cedar Bluff, a foreign languages major.
Lora DeFore, MSU journalism coordinator, will moderate.
For more information about the event, telephone Walling at (662) 325-2179.