Illinois State University will serve as a national hub for the 2016 State of the Union.
The University’s American Democracy Project (ADP) will host a Tweet-Up, watch party and social media event around the State of the Union address from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, January 12, in the Brown Ballroom of Bone Student Center.
Illinois State has been designated as the collegiate hub for the national ADP’s coverage of President Obama’s State of the Union address. The University will produce a live webcast that will be pushed out to almost 500 campuses across the country.
As the national hub, Illinois State will partner with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ (AASCU) ADP, The Democracy Commitment (TDC) and iCitizen to produce a live-streamed State of the Union (SOTU) event.
The evening will feature interactive polling, live tweeting, and pre- and post-speech coverage designed entirely around advancing the non-partisan political engagement of students. Members of all political parties are welcome to attend.
“I hope everyone will join us for what promises to be a fun and enlightening evening,” said Director of the School of Communication Steve Hunt. “Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent, or have no political affiliation at all, I hope you will join us as we think collectively about what is the best course of action for our country.”
The entire event will be live-streamed nationally to 250 colleges and universities affiliated with the ADP and 260 community colleges affiliated with the TDC.
During the event, participants will live-tweet in response to the President’s State of the Union address using the #iSOTU16 hashtag, while following along with a social media broadcast put on by Illinois State’s Social Media Analytics Command Center (SMACC). A brief discussion will follow the address. ADP will provide free pizza and beverages for those in attendance. This event is free and open to the public.
For more information about the State of the Union event, contact Hunt at skhunt2@ilstu.edu. For more information about Illinois State’s American Democracy Project, contact Professor of Politics and Government Noha Shawki at nsshawk@ilstu.edu, or visit Illinois State’s ADP website.
