State Sen. Yaw's Student Seminar Opens Window on Legislative Process
Thursday, May 23, 2013
High school students from within the five counties of the commonwealth's 23rd Senatorial District (Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Union) visited Penn College on Thursday for state Sen. Gene Yaw’s annual Student Government Seminar. Begun almost 30 years ago by then-Sen. Roger A. Madigan, the daylong event provides students with a privileged peek into the Capitol's inner workings − through interaction with scores of elected officials, civic luminaries, lobbyists, media representatives and others. Before fanning out across campus to address such controversial topics as legalization of marijuana and drug-testing for participants in extracurricular activities, the students were schooled by J. Andrew “Drew” Crompton, chief of staff/counsel for Pennsylvania Senate President Pro-Tempore Joe Scarnati. Energetically working the Field House floor (the largest such venue he has ever faced), Crompton was part heckler, part auctioneer and thoroughly insightful as he helped students better understand the state Legislature's "push and pull." Just before lunch, a future Penn College student in attendance was announced as this year's recipient of the Peggy Madigan Memorial Leadership Scholarship.