Pi Sigma Alpha

Sample Activity Grant Proposal: Debate and Discussion

Chapter Activity Grant Competition Entry Proposal for Pi Sigma Alpha Nu Omega Chapter
Elephant in the Room: Immigration Reform

  • Event Description:

    To offer both academic and social insights to Oakland University’s student and surrounding community at large, Oakland University’s Pi Sigma Alpha Nu Omega chapter seeks to hold an “Elephant in the Room” debate and discussion on Immigration Reform. Last year, the Chapter held a similar (unfunded) event on the topic of “Capitalism”. At this event, attendees informally talked with professors and fellow students about the critique of capitalism in a non-traditional perspective. The latter event was one of most well attended and received discussions last year! In winter 2015, Nu Omega would like to have a similar event, but on a much larger scale. The purpose of this “Elephant in the Room” debate and discussion is to educate the Oakland University community regarding immigration reform, predictably one of the most relevant and controversial issues of 2015. This event will be advertised as follows: “Whether it’s in the media our education system, or at your own dining room table, certain topics and perspectives are simply written off as taboo or generally misunderstood. If you feel like political discussions are too often framed in a way which limits the scope of our collective understanding, then please enjoy light refreshments and conversation as you join us in this informal debate and discussion on immigration reform.” The event will be approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes in duration, and the debate will be run in a two-part forum each lasting 45 minutes. To begin, we seek to invite two (or more) experts in opposition to one another to debate major points of contention such as amnesty, border security, economic opportunity, job security, visa allocations, and so on. (At this time, we have one local attorney, specializing in immigration, verbally committed to participating). The forum will then be opened for question and answer style debate between the speakers and the audience. In this way, the event will be both educational and interactive. The chapter expects that the “Elephant in the Room” debate/discussion will garner a high level of interest from the Oakland University community, including faculty, staff, students, as well as the surrounding public. In fact, the chapter seeks to garner more interest and participation from surrounding Oakland County citizens and local leaders. As Oakland University’s primary Political Science student organization and honorary, we feel that is our social responsibility to reach out and inform beyond campus boundaries.. Therefore, our proposed budget will include advertising costs so we can purchase advertisements in local newspapers.

  • Event Date and Time:

    The tentative date for this event is March 12, 2015 from 4:00-5:30. This event will be held in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms, which is a larger, more accommodating space than a classroom or lecture hall. The chapter can use these rooms at no cost.

  • Budget:

    Honoraria for Two Guest Speakers $300.00
    Banquet Meals (dinner)
    - Estimated number 2014 chapter initiates attending: 40 (58 new members were initiated in fall 2014)
    - Estimated number of faculty, staff, and community members attending: 40
    $1,200.00

    TOTAL $1500.00

Thank you for the opportunity to apply for a Pi Sigma Alpha Chapter Activity Grant. We hope you will consider funding Nu Omega’s “Elephant in the Room: Immigration Reform” debate and discussion at Oakland University. If you have any questions, please let us know.