Shepherd University’s Department of Political Science is sponsoring a teach-in on the Ebola situation on Monday, November 10, at noon in the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
Dr. Stephanie Slocum-Schaffer, department chair, said after the department’s last teach-in on ISIS, students, faculty, staff, and community members expressed an interest in discussing the Ebola situation.
“Many people said they felt media coverage of Ebola might be creating fear, and that the situation is made worse because not enough is known about the disease,” Slocum-Schaffer said. “They expressed an interest in becoming more educated. That is the perfect kind of topic for a teach-in because we have the resources here at Shepherd to share information about a complicated and confusing and critical issue and to begin to answer questions about it.”
Panelists for the Ebola teach-in will be Dr. Burt Lidgerding, associate professor of biology, who will talk about the basics of the disease. Dr. Laura Clayton, professor of nursing, will discuss issues from a caregiver’s perspective, and Dr. Aart Holtslag, assistant professor of political science, will address the politics involved.
Panelists will share their expertise on the issue, and the remaining time will be dedicated to answering questions from the audience.