Student Spotlight: Angela Davis

December 13, 2022 - Features

Pizza and Politics Student Coordinator

In my role at the Dole Institute, I serve as the Pizza and Politics Student Coordinator. Pizza and Politics is a program that occurs four times per semester, featuring free pizza and a local public servant over the lunch hour on Fridays in the Kansas Union.

One of the most important things for me in this role has been catering to student interests. Pizza and Politics is a students-only program, and I have found that we have higher attendance when the discussion is about something that students truly care about. With that in mind, I send out a survey at the end of the program series to all Pizza and Politics attendees. In the survey, I ask students to share what topics are interesting to them for future programs. Those who fill out the survey have immensely helped me to design engaging and insightful programs. My peers suggest exciting new ideas, both for program topics and for ways we can improve.

One of my favorite Pizza and Politics sessions was titled, “Supreme Court Spotlight: What’s on the Docket?” We were joined by Sharon Brett, Legal Director for the ACLU of Kansas, and Lumen Mulligan, Earl B. Shurtz Research Professor of Law at the University of Kansas Law School. Brett and Mulligan, unbeknownst to me, were longtime friends in addition to being colleagues. This made for a very engaging session, as they actively asked questions of the audience and jointly shared a tremendous amount of knowledge about the Supreme Court and the cases being considered at the time.

All in all, being the Pizza and Politics Coordinator is a fun and rewarding role! Thanks to the support I receive from Dole Institute leadership, my peers in the Student Advisory Board, and especially my fellow student workers, I am able to create successful and impactful programs for the KU student body.

Here is a list of the programs from this semester:

• September 16: The Road to the ADA and Modern Disability Advocacy
• October 21: In Conversation about Schools and Parents’ Rights
• October 28: Lawrence and the Rising Cost of Living
• November 18: All Things Internships

The Road to the ADA and Modern Disability Advocacy, with guests Martha Hodgesmith and Ray Petty. September 16, 2022.

The Dole Institute Pizza and Politics Crew, October 21, 2022. L-R, Sarah Stacy, Director of Programs and Student Affairs; Allie Haggar, Student Events Assistant; Heidi Mattson, Discussion Group Coordinator; Mishael Jamela, A/V Intern; Catherine Magaña, Student Advisory Board Coordinator; Angela Davis, Pizza and Politics Coordinator; Ann Mah, Kansas Board of Education District Representative.

October 28, 2022. Posing with the pizza before the students arrive! L-R, Catherine Magaña, Student Advisory Board Coordinator; Sarah Stacy, Director of Programs and Student Affairs; Angela Davis, Pizza and Politics Coordinator.