Fairfield University will host U.S. Representative Jim Himes (D-CT, Fourth District), Connecticut State Senators Will Haskell (D-26) and Tony Hwang (R-28), and State Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey (D-Fairfield) in a student forum on Wednesday, February 19, 2020, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

Hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences in conjunction with the Politics and Master of Public Administration programs, the panel of Connecticut politicians will field questions from students in a town hall-style forum entitled “Your Country, Your Voice, Your Future: A Conversation on Important Issues Affecting Young Americans.” Gayle Alberda, PhD, assistant professor of politics at Fairfield University, will moderate.

The panelists will bring their legislative experience to campus to address some of the most pressing matters relevant to Connecticut students. From hot-button issues such as vaping and opioids, to environmental protection and affordable housing, students will have the chance to learn how elected officials are working at the state and federal levels to address these challenges, and how the issues directly affect students in tangible ways – both in the near and distant future. This event is free and open to the public.

Representing Connecticut’s 4th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Jim Himes is currently serving his sixth term in office, acting as a member of the House Committee on Financial Services and the chair of the Strategic Technologies and Advanced Research (STAR) Subcommittee of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He is chair emeritus of the New Democrat Coalition.

State Senator Will Haskell was elected in November 2018 to represent the 26th State Senate District, which serves Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, and Wilton. Currently the Senate’s deputy president pro tempore, Sen. Haskell also acts as the chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee and the vice chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee. He is a member of the Environment, Judiciary, and Transportation Committees.

State Senator Tony Hwang is serving his third term representing Connecticut’s 28th Senatorial District, which includes the towns of Easton, Fairfield, Newtown, Weston, and Westport. He serves as the ranking member of the Housing, Higher Education, and Public Safety and Security Committees. Hwang is also a member of the Transportation Committee.

State Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey represents Fairfield's 133rd Assembly District. She is house chair of the Planning and Development Committee and a member of the permanent Commission on Economic Competitiveness, which analyzes the implications of state tax policy on business and industry, to develop policy recommendations that promote economic growth and prosperity in the state.