Connections Podcast

President Obama said recently that he'll consider it an "insult" to his legacy if black voters don't turn out in large numbers in November. Right on cue, Colgate Rochester Divinity's fall lecture series includes a discussion on the 2016 African American political vote. We sit down with the man giving that presentation, Colgate President Dr. Marvin McMickle.

Monroe County Clerk Adam Bello has expressed concerns in the past month about fee waivers processed by the previous administration. He says when Cheryl Dinolfo was County Clerk, her office waived fees for a targeted group of individuals in the amount of $35,000. Bello says there should not be favoritism for anyone in government. Dinolfo says fees were waived as an expression of good customer service. Adam Bello joins us in studio to discuss the controversy. We also invited Cheryl Dinolfo to join

Rochester native Marcus Hill was a model of success: a high school graduate, an Army veteran. But, some bad decisions led to a 17 year prison sentence for possession of marijuana. After five and a half years, he made parole and moved to a unit that had something called the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (P.E.P.). That’s when, Hill says, “the lights came on.” Hill dedicated himself to the program, which led to him launch his own apparel business. Now, he visits 65 prisons around Texas,

In this Move to Include conversation, we explore how Rochester has become a town more welcoming to people living with Parkinson's Disease. From diagnosis to research to resources, we cover it all. Our guests: Dennis Whitney, president of the National Parkinson Foundation of Greater Rochester, and the primary caregiver for his wifeBill Carpenter, board member for the foundation and the caregiver for his wifeFlo Dorsey, living with Parkinson's DiseaseMichelle Burack, assistant professor of

If you're feeling some panic about the presidential election, a question: are you going to stay on the couch, curled up in the fetal position, for the next six weeks? Or might you go to work, volunteering? Would you go to a swing state for a weekend? Would you phone bank? No matter whom you support, we're exploring ways in which you - yes, you! - can get involved to help impact the election. Beyond, you know, asking the universe to intervene. Our guests: Dick Hastings, Republican organizer and

When it comes to zoology, conservation, and nature studies, America has a significant lack of diversity. At the Seneca Park Zoo, when such jobs become open, there are rarely any nonwhite candidates. Kids in urban centers -- particularly impoverished centers -- tend to grow up disconnected from nature. The Seneca Park Zoo Society is bringing in Drew Lanham, author of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair With Nature. Lanham discusses race, conservation, and how to broaden America

In 2000, Florida's now-infamous "butterfly ballot" caused confusion among voters who weren't entirely sure whom they were voting for. The dizzying design was a mess, and it sparked a kind of movement in design. Marcia Lausen took the opportunity to not only offer a better design concept for ballots; she wanted to redesign democracy to better serve citizens. The result is a book called Design for Democracy, which provides a template for ballots, registration forms, posters and signs, and more. So

What are some of the best (and worst) films about politics? And do they have the power to change viewers' political views? We discuss a number of films with our guests: Jack Garner, longtime film criticLester D. Friedman, professor and former chair of the Media and Society Program at Hobart and William Smith College

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will face one another in the first of three presidential debates Monday night. If you’ve already made up your mind regarding your vote in the election, you might be surprised that these events could determine the outcome, but they certainly could. Longtime political analyst and strategist Matthew Dowd says that from here on out, the polls will be influenced by only two things: major external events, and the debates. In advance of the first

Weekend Connections is a collection of some of the most noteworthy moments from the week on Connections with Evan Dawson. This episode includes conversations about: The new documentary, Defying the Nazis, and if another figure like Hitler could rise to power. Our guest is a Holocaust survivor;Mental illness and recovery with actor Richard Dreyfuss;Poverty in Rochester;The impact this summer's drought has had on regional farms;How satire can affect public sentiment.