C-SPAN School Bus to Make Educational Stop at TAMIU Feb. 5
On Wednesday, Feb. 5, students at Texas A&M International University will have a rare opportunity to see a 45-foot-long mobile TV production studio and demonstration center when the C-SPAN School Bus visits the campus from 1-3 p.m. in front of Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library.
The C-SPAN Bus tours the country covering public affairs events and promoting the value of using C-SPAN programming and educational materials in the classroom. Its Laredo visit is being sponsored by Time Warner, local cable affiliate.
In addition to its visit to the TAMIU campus, the Bus will visit Laredo Independent School District's Vidal M. Trevino Magnet School earlier in the day.
Launched in 1993 to demonstrate cable's commitment to education, the Bus features state-of-the-art television production equipment including cameras with robotic control units and demonstration equipment such as plasma screen monitors.
Two C-SPAN buses criss-cross the country throughout the year, covering public affairs events and producing programs on sites that have historical, political or social significance.
Tours serve to introduce teachers and students to C-SPAN as an educational resource and to reinforce the value of cable television among key publics. The tours also emphasize that C-SPAN is created by cable and offered as a public service.
Last year's tour focused on C-SPAN's groundbreaking "American Writers" series, celebrating the writers featured in the history series.
Since hitting the road in 1993, C-SPAN Buses have spent over 2300 days on the road and have logged in excess of 260,000 miles. The buses have visited all nine presidential libraries, all 50 states and 1,985 communities.
In 2001, 80 schools, approximately 9900 students and 1000 teaches visited C-SPAN buses.
C-SPAN was created in 1979 to provide gavel-to-gavel coverage of the US House of Representatives. C-SPAN2 was launched in 1986 and provides the same for the US Senate. C-SPAN3, started in 1997, offers live additional cablecasts of hearings and other national events.
The network is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and also includes C-SPAN radio, C-SPAN.org and C-SPAN in the Classroom.
For more information on the C-SPAN Bus visit to TAMIU, call the TAMIU Office of Public Affairs at 326.2180.
For online information on the C-SPAN School Bus program, visit
www.cspan.org/classroom/schoolbus/bushome.asp.
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu