SUNY Schenectady's declared mission and vision states that we are "driven to empower every student in their pursuit of lifelong success," through "equitable practices, innovative education, and community engagement."

We wanted to know: how are we doing? Are we living up to our ambitious goals? Where do we meet our students' needs? Where are we sometimes letting them down?

To help answer these important questions , co-hosts Warren Baynes, Patrick Truax, and faculty host Babette Faehmel are joined by students Lonny Davenport, Angel Parker, Rodney Dukes, Neha Khani, and Jenna Barker.

Tune in to learn what these students see as our greatest assets and where we still have room to grow!

The views voiced on this episode reflect the lived experiences and uncensored opinions of the guests; they do not necessarily capture the full diversity of attitudes within a larger community, nor do they express an official view of SUNY Schenectady.

In Episode 5 of Season 5 we had asked: what is behind youth's growing frustration with our current party system and our political discourse. Is it polarization? Social media? Or is it something different altogether?

Because we ended our previous episode with more questions than answers, for this one, we called on the experts!

To help us think through our many questions, we invited political scientists Wendy Johnson, Sally Friedman, R.J. Haq, and Joseph Scanlon, doctoral researcher Amalini Fernando, and Times Union managing editor for digital content Erica Smith. Together, they unpack what political scientists actually know about polarization, media, and civic engagement, and disentangle for us the many reasons for Americans' frustration with the clickbait style of political news. We end the episode with a discussion of the role each of us can play in positive system transformations that would not even require big constitutional changes, and with an important call on educators to do more to prepare young people for leadership.

As we recorded this episode in the middle of the summer semester, we also, of course, took the time to talk about what the New York Knicks' victory over the San Antonio Spurs can teach us about the importance of keeping up the work, no matter what!

About our Guests:

Amalini Fernando is finishing her doctorate in Political Science at the University at Albany and a Fellow with the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at SUNY Albany.

Wendy Johnson is an Associate Professor of Political Science and the Chair of the Social Science Division at SUNY Adirondack.

Sally Friedman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at SUNY Albany.

Joseph Scanlon is an Associate Professor of Political Science at SUNY Monroe Community College and a SUNY Civic Discourse and Civic Engagement Fellow from 2024 to 2025.

“R.J.” Haq is the Assistant Director of Civic Engagement at the University at Buffalo, and a SUNY Civic Discourse and Civic Engagement Fellow from 2025-2026.

Mentioned in this episode:

Duverger's law: Theory in political science that says that electoral systems using single-member districts and plurality voting ultimately produce a two-party system.

Russel Dalton, The good citizen : how a younger generation is reshaping American politics (Thousand Oaks, California: CQ Press, 2016)

Gilens, Martin, and Benjamin I. Page. “Testing theories of American politics: Elites, interest groups, and average citizens.” Perspectives on Politics 12, no. 3 (2014): 564–81.

The views voiced on this episode reflect the lived experiences and uncensored opinions of the guests; they do not necessarily capture the full diversity of attitudes within a larger community, nor do they express an official view of SUNY Schenectady.

Internships can transform lives. They help students gain experience, build skills, grow their social capital, get hired, and even earn higher starting salaries! But in spite of these known perks, a mere "35% of first-generation seniors reported participating in an internship" according to 2021 numbers, and a large proportion of students said they were simply not able to afford an internship!

To close this internship opportunity gap, the New York State Governor, the State Legislature, and the SUNY Board of Trustees committed to millions of dollars in funding to support paid internships and to expand access to stipends and wraparound services like transportation and childcare.

To learn more about the opportunities this support could open to our students, co-hosts Ashley Lucie Lumbala, Empire State Service Corps Intern, and Dr. Babette Faehmel, History Professor, invited some of SUNY Schenectady's own most adventurous and resourceful student interns, their professors, and Brandon Aldous, Director of Internships and Employer Partnerships in the Office of Workforce Development and Upward Mobility at the State University of New York System Administration. Join us to hear how to make the most of an internship opportunity and where to find support!

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Harvard/MIT Early Access to Research Training (HEART)

Amgen Scholars Program

SUNY Internships and Employer Partnerships and Workforce Development LinkedIn Page

Career and Transfer Services | SUNY Schenectady

The views voiced on this episode reflect the lived experiences and uncensored opinions of the guests; they do not necessarily capture the full diversity of attitudes within a larger community, nor do they express an official view of SUNY Schenectady.