Soto attends West Point conference on U.S. affairs

11/22/2014 11:50 AM

By Trish Blattenberger

Political science and religious studies major Taylor Soto ‘15 was selected as Bradley’s inaugural representative at the Student Conference on U.S. Affairs (SCUSA), hosted by the United States Military Academy at West Point.  The conference, November 12-15, facilitated interaction and constructive discussion between civilian student delegates and West Point cadets in order to better understand the challenges that the United States faces in an increasingly interconnected global society.

According to Soto, “there was a lot of discussion about bridging the gap between the military and civilians.”

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Chris Jones was able to secure a SCUSA delegate slot for Bradley University through his contacts at the U.S. Military Academy. “As a U.S. foreign policy specialist, I have been invited to assist with five past conferences.”  Jones’ experience with SCUSA goes back to his undergraduate days when he was selected to serve as his institution’s student delegate.

According to Jones, the conference provides a superb engaged learning experience that draws together the top students from the very best universities and colleges. “I wanted Bradley students to be exposed to this transformative learning experience and for Bradley University to be among the participating institutions.”

When asked why he chose Taylor Soto to represent the university at the conference, Political Science Department Chair Mark Gobeyn commented, “Taylor’s ability to grasp difficult topics, her analytical capabilities and her interest in security studies made her the ideal candidate for SCUSA.” 

The conference participants followed most of the same rules as the cadets: waking to the 5:30 a.m. cannon, eating in the mess hall, adhering to the 11 p.m. curfew (called TAPS) and sleeping in the barracks. According to Soto, “the military cadets were not that different than the civilian delegates. They’re just like any other college kids, except with a lot more discipline and a lot more responsibility.”

This year’s conference theme was based on worst-case scenarios.  SCUSA delegates attended panel discussions, heard from high-profile keynote speakers, and developed public policy recommendations over the course of four roundtable sessions.

Soto’s group wrote a paper in response to, What if the European Union disbanded… what’s the worst that could happen?  Soto met a lot of interesting people, including panelist and World War Z author Max Brooks.  While she appreciated the incredible networking opportunity, perhaps the most meaningful outcome of the conference is that her group’s work will be published.  “It was a wonderful learning opportunity that allowed for critical thinking involving U.S. Foreign Policy.”