CURRENT AND PAST PROGRAMMING

Programming for Spring 2007

Forum Topic: The Federal Communications Commission: The Long Slide Into Captivity
Speaker:Mickie Edwardson, Emerita Distinguished Service Professor, UF  
Monday, January 8, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Florida's Open Government Laws
Speaker:Barbara A. Petersen, President of National Freedom of Information Coalition  
Monday, February 11, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Essays by Winners in the Horance "Buddy" Davis Persuasive Writing Competition
Speaker:Students from 11th and 12th grades  
Monday, March 12, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Florida, Always a Key Battleground State
Speaker:Susan MacManus  
Monday, April 9, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Special Presentation: Racism and Politics
Speaker:Bill Maxwell, Journalist  
Sunday, April 29
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4225 N.W. 34th Street

Forum Topic: Florida, Sex Laws and Government
Speaker:SGary Edinger, Attorney at Law  
Monday, May 14, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Programming for Fall 2006

Forum Topic: The New World of Free Speech and Civil Liberties Battles in the Age of Terrorism
Speaker:Howard Simon, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Florida  
Monday, September 18, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Media Activism and Civic Responsibility
Speaker:Joe Courter, Co-Founder of the Gainesville Iguana and The Civic Media Center  
Monday, October 9, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Feeding the Alligator: The Nature of the Beast
Speaker: C.E. Barber, General Manager, Independent Florida Alligator  
Monday, November 13, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Censorship in Libraries
Speaker: Charles Willett, Alternative Press Activist  
Monday, December 11, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Programming for Spring 2006

Forum Topic: Energy Systems Technology for the Future and Potential Impacts
Speaker:William A. Van Dyke, Jr., Engineering Program Manager  
Monday, January 9, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Cambodian Art: Political and Ethical Questions on Ownership
Speaker:Vasudha Narayanan, Professor of Religion at University of Florida  
Monday, February 13, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Essays Submitted in the "Buddy Davis" Persuasive Writing Competition
Speaker:Student Winners from the Alachua County Schools  
Monday, March 13, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Disasters in the Making
Speaker:Anthony Oliver-Smith, UF Professor of Anthoropology and Latin American Studies  
Monday, April 10, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Whose Privacy? Yours, Mine, or Ours?
Speaker:Sharon E. Rush, Irving Cypen Professor of Law at UF  
Monday, May 8, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Sunni-Shia Politics: Iraq in Regional Perspective
Speaker:Patricia Woods, Political Science, University of Florida  
Monday, September 12, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Accountability: FCAT & No Child Left Behind
Speaker:W. Daniel Boyd, Jr., Superintendent of Alachua County Public Schools  
Monday, October 10, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Scientific Truth Wins Over Information Suppression
Speaker:Ray Bellamy, M.D.  
Monday,November 14, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: The Ku Klux Klan: 140 Years Old and Counting
Speaker:David Chalmers, UF Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus  
Monday,December 12, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Religious Groups and Freedom of Speech
Speaker:J. Patrick Shannon, Associate Dean UF Levin College of Law  
Monday, January 10, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Florida's Sunshine Laws
Speaker:Barbara Peterson, President of First Amendment Foundation  
Monday, February 14, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Married Women's Property as a Human Right
Speaker:Carmen Diana Deere, Director, UF Center for Latin American Studies  
Monday, March 14, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: America's Drug War: Will It Ever End?
Speaker:Michael Gray, Chair, Common Sense for Drug Policy  
Monday, April 11, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Is the Free Press Really Free?
Speaker:Ralph Lowenstein, Professor and Dean Emeritus, UF College of Journalism  
Monday, May 9, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street

Forum Topic: Florida Legislative Action in 2004
Speaker:Rod Smith, Florida State Senator  
Monday, September 13, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Resort and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Salon E

Forum Topic: One Person = One Vote? The Challenge of Protecting Voter Rights in 2004
Speaker:Larry Helm Spalding, Florida Legislative Counsel, American Civil Liberties Union  
Monday, October 11, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Resort and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Social Security
Speaker:Allen W. Smith, author of book titled "The Looting of Social Security"  
Monday, November 8, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Resort and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: National Debt
Speaker:David Denslow, Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at UF  
Monday, December 13, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Resort and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: The Human Cost of Cheap Food: Florida Farm Workers Pay the Price
Speaker: Alayne Unterberger, FL Inst. for Community Studies, and Max Perez, Immokalee Coalition of Workers  
Monday, January 12, 2004, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Resort and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Money Laundering, Terrorism and Asset Forfeiture: The Other War
Speaker: Fletcher Baldwin, Professor of Law at University of Florida  
Monday, February 9, 2004, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Resort and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Why Can't They Just all Learn? The Persistent Gap in Black/Brown/White Student Achievement.
Speaker: Catherine Emilhovich, Dean of College of Education at University of Florida  
Monday, March 8, 2004, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Resort and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Behind The Headlines: What's Happening in Florida's Family Services Programs.
Speaker: Ester Tibbs, District Supervisor, Dept. of Children and Families  
Monday, April 12, 2004, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Resort and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Amendments Affecting Native Americans.
Speaker: Dr. John Moore, past Chair of the UF Anthropology Dept.  
Monday, May 10, 2004, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Resort and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: The Legislature 2003: The continuing Saga
Speaker: Ben Wilcox, Executive Director of Common Cause Florida  
Monday, September 8, 2003, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Resort and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Whose Democracy Is It?
Speaker: Jon Mills, Director for the Center on Government Responsibility, UF College of Law  
Monday, October 13, 2003, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Resort and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Health and Health Care in Florida and America
Speaker: Jape Tayler, MD  
Monday, November 10, 2003, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Resort and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: The Case for City-County Consolidation
Speaker: Ron Cunningham  
Monday, December 8, 2003, 11:30am - 1pm
Paramount Resort and Conference Center, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Smallpox Vaccination: Do you need it?
Speaker: Parker A. Small, Jr., MD  
Monday, January 13, 2003, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Use of Meditation in the Court System
Speaker: Allison Gereneser, UF College of Law  
Monday, February 10, 2003, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: The Cost of War to America, Florida and Alachua County
Speaker: Bruce Gagnon, Coordinator of The Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space  
Monday, March 10, 2003, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Florida's Draconian Adoption Laws
Speaker: Cynthia S. Swanson, Swanson and Sperling, PA  
Monday, April 14, 2003, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: The Bill of Rights, The U.S. Patriot Act and Homeland Security
Speaker: Fletcher Baldwin, Professor of Law, UF  
Monday, May 12, 2003, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Crises That Have Faced Florida From Statehood to the Present
Speaker: Michael Gannon, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at UF  
Monday, September 9, 2002, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Iraq and America: Diplomacy, War, or Other Options?
Speaker: Dennis Jett, Dean of the International Center at UF  
Monday, October 14, 2002, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: School Daze: Can Florida's Public Schools and Universities Ever Be Properly Funded?
Speaker: David Denslow, Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at UF  
Monday, November 11, 2002, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Poverty In Alachua County: What Can Be Done about It?
Speaker: Rodney Long, Alachua County Commissioner  
Monday, December 9, 2002, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic:Racism and the Future of the White Minority in the United States
Speaker:Joe Feagin, Graduate Research Professor of Sociology at UF 
Monday, January 14, 2002, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

**Free Speech Follow-Up Program "Living Together Amidst Diversity"
Discussion Leader:  Harriet Ludwig
Saturday, February 9, 2002, 10:30am
Alachua County Library downtown meeting room A

Forum Topic: Civil Rights and the War on Terrorism
Speaker: Fletcher Baldwin, Professor of Law at UF  
Monday, February 11, 2002, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Keepting Government in the Sunlight
Speaker: Jon Kaney, First Amendment Foundation  
Monday, March 11, 2002, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Islam and How It is Lived in the World Today
Speaker: Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons, UF Department of Religion  
Monday, April 8, 2002, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: The 2002 Legislature: The Story So Far
Speaker: Ben Wilcox, Executive Director of Common Cause of Florida  
Monday, May 13, 2002, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Visioning Gainesville in the Year 2020
Speaker: Pegeen Hanrahan, Gainesville City Commissioner 
Monday, September 10, 2001, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: End-Of-Life Issues
Speaker: Shirley Bloodworth, Chair of N. FL Forum on End of Life Issues
Monday, October 8, 2001, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Contested Memory: the Vietnam War and America
Speaker: Robert McMahon, Professor of History at UF
Monday, November 12, 2001, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Experiences, Triumphs and Failures in Tallahassee
Speaker: Rod Smith, Perry McGriff, and Ed Jennings, Jr., Florida Senate and House
Monday, December 10, 2001, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Programming for Fall 2000

Forum Topic:What I Learned in 33 Years of Policing
Speaker: Norman Botsford, Police Chief
Monday, September 11, 11:15am - 1 pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic:Basic Issues in the 2000 National Elections
Speaker: Ron Cunningham
Monday, October 9, 11:30am - 1 pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic:Water in the 2000s - Managing a Diminishing Resource
Speaker: Robert Christianson, St. Johns River Water District
Monday, November 13, 11:30am - 1 pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic:Trouble in Paradise
Speaker: Laura and David Byers
Monday, December 11, 11:30am - 1 pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Hyde Park Stump
Speaker: FFSF members
Monday, January 10, 2000, 11:30am - 1 pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: From Reefer Madness To Rave:The Disconnect Between Science and U.S. Drug Control Policy
Speaker: Dr. Ryan Page, Chair, Anthropology Department, University of Miami
Monday, February 14, 2000, 11:30am - 1 pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Affirmative Action--Why or Why Not?
Speaker: Leon W. Russell, Chair of Floridians Representing Equity and Equality
Monday, March 13, 2000, 11:30am - 1 pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Florida's Death Penalty: Playing God Without Godlike Skills Speaker: Dr. Michael Radelet, UF Department of Sociology
Monday, April 10, 2000, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Florida Legislative Session
Speaker: Richard Scher, UF Political Science Department
Monday, May 9, 2000, 11:30am-1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Athletics versus Academics
Speaker: Jeremy Foley, Director of Athletics, UF
Monday, September 13,1999, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Salon E

Forum Topic: Law Enforcement: The Highest Calling
Speaker: Steven M. Oelrich, Sheriff of Alachua County
Monday, October 11, 1999, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Law and Order
Speaker: Rodney W. Smith, State Attorney
Monday, November 8, 1999, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Debate on the Fourth Amendment
Speaker: Buchholtz High School Debate Team
Monday, December 13, 1999, 11:30am - 1pm
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Hyde Park Stump
Speaker: Members
Monday, January 11, 1999, 11:30am - 1pm
Radisson Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topics: Pro Bono Work For The City Of Gainesville
Speaker: Professor Joseph Little
Monday, February 8, 1999, 11:30am - 1pm,
Sheraton Hotel (formerly the Radisson), 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topics: Middle Eastern Perspective: Indefinite State of Conflict in the Core, Progress on the Periphery
Speaker: Dr. Haig Der Houssikian, Professor of African and Asian Linguistics, UF
Monday, March 8, 1999, 11:30am - 1pm,
Sheraton Hotel (formerly the Radison), 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topics: The Right to Keep and Bear Arms
Speaker: Don Loftus, coordinator of NRA-affiliated N. Central Florida Sportsman's Association
Monday, April 12,1999, 11:30am - 1pm,
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topics: Inside the Florida Legislature
Speaker: Dr. Richard Scher, UF Professor of Political Science
Monday, May 10, 1999, 11:30am - 1pm,
Sheraton Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Date Rape Drugs and Other Controlled Substances
Speaker: Dr. Paul Doering, Service Professor of  Pharmacy
Monday September 14, 11:30am - 1pm
Radisson Hotel--2900 SW 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Censorship In The Arts
Speaker: John O'Connor
Monday, October 12, 1998, 11:30am - 1pm
Radisson Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topic: Physician Assisted Suicide
Speaker: Dr. Bruce Stechmiller
Monday, Nov. 9, 11:30am - 1pm
Radisson Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South

Forum Topics: Town and Gown in the 50's and 60's, Integration of the University of Florida
Speaker: Dr. David Chalmers
Monday, December 14, 11:30am - 1pm,
Radisson Hotel, 2900 S.W. 13th Street, Bivens South