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Wilkes University Student Geraldine Ojukwu, Earns Second Place at Redistricting Competition with Draw The Lines

Wilkes-Barre, PA (02/07/2019) — Wilkes University senior Geraldine Ojukwu and members of her team earned a second place ranking in the statewide Draw the Lines competition. The competition tasked teams to remake the map of the state's legislative districts. The students earned a prize of $250 for second place in the regional category and $2,500 for second place statewide in the higher education division. The students participated in the event after Draw the Lines PA spoke with Wilkes students at an on-campus event. Ojukwu is a political science major with a minor in economics.

Other members of "Team Wilkes" included sophomores Gregory Chang and William Billingsley who drew their redistricting inspiration after reviewing the infamous Pennsylvania gerrymander, "Goofy kicking Donald." The students defined their important values for their map as population, contiguity, compactness and county lines. To help voters identify which district they belong to, the students kept counties intact, only crossing county lines when necessary to meet population requirements.

The strategy served team Wilkes well as they were one of 318 map submission for the competition. The state champion in the higher education category was "Team Geography 421" from Penn State.

Draw The Lines is a project of the Committee of Seventy, a government nonprofit based in Philadelphia. Its three-year initiative is to inform and engage Pennsylvanians about the topic of gerrymandering and democratic reform. Each Draw The Lines region has its own nonpartisan steering committee, made up of civic, education and business leaders from that region.

For more stories about Wilkes University and its students, faculty and staff, please visit News@Wilkes.

About Wilkes University:

Wilkes University is a private, independent, non-sectarian institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence through mentoring in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. Founded in 1933, the university is on a mission to create one of the nation's finest small universities, offering all of the programs, activities and opportunities of a large university in the intimate, caring and mentoring environment of a small college, open to all who show promise. The Economist named Wilkes 25th in the nation for the value of its education for graduates. In addition to 47 majors, Wilkes offers 25 master's degree programs and five doctoral/terminal degree programs, including the doctor of philosophy in nursing, doctor of nursing practice, doctor of education, doctor of pharmacy, and master of fine arts in creative writing. Learn more at www.wilkes.edu.

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