Pizza and Politics hopes to add some spice this semester, not to the pizzas, but to the politics.

Although Pizza and Politics will have several political speakers this semester, Tom Cox, Shawnee graduate student and Pizza and Politics coordinator, said the group was also trying to include a variety of speakers on different topics.

“What we want to do most is make the issues and topics discussed relevant to students,” Cox said.

Pizza and Politics is sponsored by the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics and occurs at least five times during a semester. Students can eat free pizza and have the opportunity to talk with political officials.

The first Pizza and Politics, which is open to all students, will be from noon to 1:30 this afternoon at the Adams Alumni Center in the Bruckmiller room.

This semester, the group will also branch out to different schools at the University. For example, Cox said Wednesday’s Pizza and Politics at Green Hall was exclusively for law students.

“We have a lot of diverse people talking about a lot of different topics,” Cox said. “It’s not just everyday politics; it’s everyday things.”

Cox said that a sports-themed Pizza and Politics and an exclusive School of Journalism event would also be held this semester.

“We want to make sure all of the topics focus on something that is relevant to our age and present things we can walk away with and benefit from in politics,” Cox said.

Today’s Pizza and Politics will be a question-and-answer style discussion and will feature speakers Joe Gaylord and Ray Strother, both of whom are political consultants.

Strother has worked with numerous political icons, including Al Gore, Cox said.

Amanda Applegate, Wichita senior and a member of the Dole Institute’s Student Advisory Board, said when it came to scheduling speakers for Pizza and Politics, the group tried to keep it very balanced.

“We want to bring in someone from both sides of the issues to keep it bipartisan,” Applegate said.

Gaylord is a Republican, while Strother is a Democrat.

Allan Cigler, professor of political science, spoke at a Pizza and Politics last year and said it was a good program for students who were interested in politics.

“I think anything that engages students in contemporary political events and topics is a good thing,” Cigler said. “The pizza probably doesn’t hurt either.”

When Cigler spoke to the group, he said the discussion focused on the Obama phenomenon. Cigler said the audience had differing opinions of Obama and his stances on controversial topics.

Cox said Gaylord and Strother would discuss the current presidential campaigns, but the students mainly dictated the direction of the conversation.

“That’s the great thing about Pizza and Politics,” Cox said. “We always have certain speakers and topics, but the students are really the ones who decide what will be discussed.”

Cox said that when faced with the challenge of diversifying Pizza and Politics this year, he wanted to have everyone from pollsters to elected officials come in and speak to students.

“Let’s face it, none of us have ever been a candidate,” Cox said. “So, its great to hear from people who can speak on issues going on within our country that we are facing outside the elections.”

— — Edited by Jennifer Torline