Exciting day in Weinschenk’s Congress class

Prof. Aaron Weinschenk

Students in UWGB Prof. Aaron Weinschenk’s “Congress: Politics and Policy” course had an exciting day yesterday, interacting with a current member of the U.S. Congress, when Representative Reid Ribble (WI 8th district) spoke to the class and answered students’ questions about the legislative process. Since joining the UWGB faculty just two years ago, Weinschenk has been quite successful in getting current and former members of Congress to visit his courses. Past guests include Congressman David Obey and Congressman Tom Petri. “It is important to expose students to a mix of different experiences, ideas, and perspectives,” Weinschenk says. “It’s an amazing opportunity for students to get to hear from someone who is actually serving in the institution they’ve been studying all semester.” He noted that purpose of bringing guests to his Congress class is to learn about the legislative process and what it is like to run for Congress and serve in the institution. “This is not the place for disagreements about ideology or partisanship. Students can learn a lot about Congress from the guests I bring into my courses regardless of whether they agree or disagree with the person’s partisanship or ideology.”