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Oct. 4, 2002

Congressional Forum to be Held at ULM

Candidates for the Fifth Congressional District will speak at a Congressional Forum to be held at the University of Louisiana at Monroe on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 11 a.m. in the Student Union Building.

The forum which is sponsored by the ULM student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will include State Rep. Rodney Alexander, D-Quitman; State Sen. Robert Barham, R-Oak Ridge; Lee Fletcher, R-Monroe; former U.S. Rep. Clyde Holloway, R-Forest Hill; Sam Houston Melton, D-Winnfield; Vinson Mouser, L-Bunkie; and Jack Wright, R-Monroe.

The general/congressional election will be Nov. 5, with the run-off Dec. 7. Incumbent U.S. Rep. John Cooksey is a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

SPJ President Chris Butler said since ULM draws most of its students from the fifth district, chapter members decided a campus forum would provide the opportunity for students to meet the candidates.

"Students may not be able to attend political events in their home towns, and they need direct information about the candidates to make informed decisions when they vote," Butler said. "One of these seven men will soon be our new representative in the U.S. Congress. We need to find out who they are and what they stand for."

The population of the district located in the north and central portion of the state is approximately 600,000, nineteen parishes and part of another lie within its borders. The district stretches from the Arkansas state line in the north to below Alexandria in the south; its eastern border is the Mississippi River. The western edge of the district includes Lincoln, Jackson, Winn, Grant and Rapides Parishes.

The forum is open to the faculty, students, and staff at ULM and to members of the community.

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