October 11, 2002

Communications professor hosts Middle Easterners

This summer, the Council for International Visitors of Greater New Orleans asked Assistant Professor of Communications Sherry Alexander, Ph.D., to host a program called "Citizen Participation in Governance" for a group from the Middle East. The group of 12 visitors consisted of government officials and civic leaders from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, and Syria, who were interested in learning more about the American government and citizen's rights to participate in the government. Among the program's stated objectives were "to provide an overview of the U.S. government" and "to illustrate the diversity of viewpoints held by Americans and how this diversity contributes to a dynamic, pluralistic political system."

Alexander was asked to speak to the group because last year she received a $10,000 grant from the Knight-Ridder Foundation to start a statewide organization dedicated to helping citizens obtain access to government records and government meetings. The organization she formed is called the Louisiana Coalition for Open Government (LaCOG), and Alexander serves as the project director and vice president. To help with the presentation, she brought in two officers of LaCOGLinda Lightfoot, board chair of LaCOG and the executive editor of the Baton Rouge Advocate, and Jackie Ducote, staff director of LaCOG.

Although LaCOG focuses on citizen participation on the local and state government level, the visitors from the Middle East were interested in national secrecy following the events of September 11. Alexander explained, "They were particularly interested in how we reconcile government access on the local level with government secrecy on the national level."

The group spent two weeks in the United States, traveling around the country. After returning home, one of the members told Alexander that New Orleans was the visitors' favorite spot on the trip. For Alexander, the exchange was also a special one. Every summer, she speaks to a group of visiting professors or journalists about how the government works, especially the First Amendment. This presentation was different because she was speaking to government officials about how citizens can gain access to government records and meetings. "The experience was a very exciting and rewarding one for me," Alexander said.

Jessica Davis, Intern in Public Affairs and Marketing Communications