“(Meadows) will be talking about possible careers in public service,” said Kathy Forman, community director for University Apartments Residence Life, or UARL. “(He’ll explain) how he got into politics, so people can know his particular path, and what students might be able to do if they’re interested in political science or public service.”

Meadows was elected mayor of East Lansing in 1997, and stepped down in 2005 to run for the Michigan House of Representatives. Since then, he has served as representative for Michigan’s 69th District.

“I think it’s a good idea to have him speak,” psychology senior Joe Bochinski said. “If you get enough people involved in community service, you can change a lot of things, so a talk like (Meadows’) helps everybody involved.”

The proximity of the event to the Nov. 4 election is purely coincidental, Forman said.

Meadows will not be campaigning or advocating for a political party. Students are encouraged to ask questions and participate in a discussion at the event, since there will be a question-and-answer session following Meadows’ talk. Free pizza and beverages also will be provided.

The event is just one of several that UARL is sponsoring this year for students interested in different fields, Forman said.

“We had a lifestyle specialist who came in earlier this fall to talk about making a good first impression,” Forman said. “Now we’re having someone come in to talk about public service and politics. And we’re also going to have someone from the College of Education and some other disciplines come in in the future.”

This is the first year that UARL has sponsored career-themed events, but Forman said she believes their success comes from giving students what they want.

“We’re trying to respond to feedback from (residents) who would like more career information and also make them aware of career fairs and update them on upcoming events that may be of interest to them,” she said. “We’re just trying to introduce them to different ways that they can use their degrees.”

While French senior Amanda Hellman has no interest in politics, she said she is supportive of UARL’s idea to bring in speakers about possible careers.

“(Our majors) are what we’re doing with the rest of our lives,” Hellman said. “We’re totally interested in this, and if this is relevant to what we’re learning and what we want to make a career out of, we’re going to go out and see these people.”