In connection with Texas State University’s Common Experience themed event, the Department of Political Science hosted two panel discussions about the Flint, Michigan water crisis for the university community. The first event, “Refining Environmental Racism: The Flint Example” featured MPA alumnae Holly Doyle, who presented updated results from her honors thesis (Bad Water, Dirty Politics: Contrasting Governmental Responses to Two U.S. Water Crises). Specifically, her analysis compared the public sector’s response to water crises in Milwaukee and Flint. Dr. Dianne Rahm, a professor in the department’s public administration program and Holly’s thesis chair, fielded questions with Holly from the 85 attendees. The audience expressed concerns about the health status of Flint residents, the efforts to replace old contaminated pipes in thousands of homes, and the ongoing legal battle to obtain justice for Flint residents.
The second panel discussion, “Echoes of Flint: Water Quality Threats to Texas Cities”, explored the water crises within the Lone Star state. The 75 attendees heard from three panelists: Amy Hardberger, J.D., associate provost of St. Mary’s University School of Law; Jenna Walker of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment; and Christopher Brown, J.D., associate professor in the political science department. The panelists focused on federal regulations, state implementation of water quality efforts, and the importance of an informed citizenry to monitor water quality within their respective communities.
Jazmin Pantoja, an M.A. in Legal Studies student, felt the panel alerted her to the need to “pay attention to what’s going on with our water sources, adding that” She added she “water quality and contamination are tied to many different factors such as infrastructure, climate change and natural disasters, inadequate technology, etc.”
