POTSDAM -- With just days to go before the Nov. 6 general election, SUNY Potsdam invites the community to discuss what’s at stake in 2012.

National election issues will be discussed on Thursday, Oct. 25 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge in the Barrington Student Union.

Organized by the SUNY Potsdam Center for Diversity, the panel leading the discussion features Director of Women's and Gender Studies Jacqueline Goodman, Associate Professor of Politics Susanne Zwingel, Michelle Pinard from the School of Education, Carolyn Corcoran from the Office of Financial Aid, and Donna Seymour of the St. Lawrence County Branch of the American Association of University Women.

The conversation will cover basic Republican and Democratic approaches to the economy, taxes, and public investments such as education and infrastructure, and the role gender plays in running for president. There are a number of historic advances for women that have been under attack during the primary and general election season, such as voting rights, Social Security and Medicare, access to contraception, health care, equal pay, and Title IX educational guarantees.

Of particular interest to the students in the audience will be a discussion of the stakes for them in this election. Young adults between the ages of 18 to 29 make up about 46 million, or 24 percent, of the total voting population, yet their voting rates are lower than other age groups. By 2030 they will make up 30 percent of voters.

Some of the most pressing political issues for students include college access and affordability, the burgeoning student debt load, access to health care, prospects for good, high-wage jobs and the high unemployment rates for young people, and their concern for the environment, which has not be a topic of discussion during the campaign.

For more information about AAUW in St. Lawrence County, contact President Jennifer Ball at 268- 4208 or jball@clarkson.edu or Public Policy Chair Kathleen Stein at 386-3812, kstein1@twcny.rr.com.