Wojcikowski (from left), Bernal, and Bawadi Javell Shepard
On Mar 1, The Political Science Forum (PSF) hosted a second book fair alongside Bookies bookstore, this time with a focus on National Read Across America Day. The pop-up was organized by PSF President Myah Bawadi, and Treasurer Joshua Bernal, who will serve as the Forum’s president next year.
As the semester winds down, and Bawadi prepares to graduate, the Political Science Forum is going through a transition of power. Joshua Bernal, the Forum’s current treasurer, is preparing to step up as its new president.
“I’m ready to offer all I can as I prepare to become the President of the Political Science Forum,” Bernal said of his coming responsibilities. He’s spent this semester learning all he can from Bawadi and feels “excited and ready” as his time to lead comes.
As he makes the transition, he’s said that he already has a few ideas on how to conduct the PSF moving forward.
He plans to have more events centered around politics, in particular, the 2024 Presidential Election. He stressed that he wants people everywhere to be educated on politics, and stated that he’s “I’m more than willing to collaborate with other student organizations” on his future plans.
For Bernal, the future of the PSF will also include Bookies. When asked about the club’s relationship with the bookstore, he had this to say.
“The Bookies collaboration with the PSF is a relationship I intend on keeping. We have a strong relationship with Bookies and plan to do more events with them in the future. This includes more banned book events and book sales in the future!”
National Read Across America Day is a holiday established by the National Education Association, encouraging youth across the nation to read. It is usually recognized on Mar 2 and is celebrated by reading books or book-themed events.
Through this holiday, the PSF encourages students at SXU to read, especially books that are often challenged.
On the subject of banned books, Bawadi quoted horror author Stephen King, “If your school bans a book, go find it and read it.” Bawadi noted that banned stories are ones that need to be shared.
Bookies store manager Rich Wojcikowski, who ran the pop-up, stated “It’s kind of antithetical to American democracy and what our society is all about.” when questioned about the impact of banned books. Wojcikowski went on to state that parents should dictate what their children read at home, rather than books be banned.
The pop-up had a wide variety of books across all genres, ranging from classics and memoirs to romance and sci-fi. Some of the books sold at the pop-up, and available at Bookies, include “Dune” by Frank Herbert, “The Hate You Give” by Angie Thomas, “Death On The Nile” by Agatha Christie, and “The Handmaids Tale” by Margaret Atwood among others.
The books featured in the pop-up were chosen by PSF themselves. Bawadi shared the process for this was to choose books of “a wide array of genres”.
Bawadi emphasized the importance of selecting books that represented the diverse student body at SXU.
There were also stickers, pencils, bookmarks, and other small items sold at the register.
Currently, the Forum has a graduation send-off planned for Apr 26 in Butler Reception Hall. In collaboration with the Pre-Law Society and the Mock Trial team, the sendoff will not only be a celebration of each organization’s departing seniors, but it will also be a platform for them to welcome Bernal into his new position.
To keep up with the Political Science Forum, readers can keep up with them on The Den or follow them on Instagram @sxu_psf.