Dukakis Center hosts post-election discussion with study abroad students

A group of 10 students from Salem State University in Massachusetts visited Thessaloniki in late May with their Professor, Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello, to observe local and European elections and learn first hand about politics and electioneering in Greece. The Dukakis Center, in the persons of Director David Wisner and ACT alumnus Harry Lalatsis, were on hand to welcome them and to host a discussion session on the current Greek political scene.

Mr. Lalatsis (ACT Class of 2004, ACT MBA 2008), delivered a showcase presentation based on data on political opinions his marketing company has gathered over the years in collaboration with Dukakis Center friend and collaborator Giorgos Siakas, University of Macedonia. The subsequent discussion focused on the climate in which parliamentary elections will be held on July 7, and the principal differences between Greek and European politicking on the one hand, and political behavior in the USA on the other.

Professor Duclos-Orsello had spent the 2015-16 academic year in Greece as a Fulbright scholar and featured at the Dukakis Center's April 2016 conference on "Civic Engagement and the Practices" at the Met Hotel. She coordinates regular study trips to Greece with students from Salem State.