Jana Wiersema | The Republic Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana, speaks to students at the iEngage civics camp on Tuesday at IUPUC.
Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana, visited a local civics camp Tuesday to explain his role in the democratic process and and answer questions about the federal government.
His talk was for students participating in IUPUC’s iEngage camp at the Columbus Learning Center. The congressman is one of the camp’s donors and also serves on the college’s board of advisors.
Pence began by explaining his work as a legislator.
“What does a representative do?” he asked. “Literally, I represent people here in the Indiana Sixth District, and that includes 11 counties in central Indiana, so Bartholomew, Johnson and then kind of over towards the east. What do we represent? Anything that you or your parents or IUPUI or any school has in dealings with federal government. So if you need some help with the federal government, like Social Security, IRS or passports — that happens a lot — you call our office, and we come, and we help you get that done.”
He also outlined the basics of committee hearings and voting procedures.
Pence noted that while he is a member of the federal legislative branch, his younger brother, former Vice President Mike Pence, had a different role.
“He was in the executive branch for a while, then he lost his job,” he said. “He’s trying to get it back right now.”
Mike Pence recently launched a 2024 presidential campaign, making him the first vice president in modern history to take on his former running mate in the GOP primary.
During a question and answer period, students had a number of questions for Rep. Greg Pence on subjects such as term limits, citizenship requirements for presidential candidates, why he ran for Congress, federal funding for space exploration and whether he ever has casual conversations with the president.
One camper asked about the board on the house floor that shows how congressmen have voted.
“So you said that when you vote, your name shows up and then a green ‘Y’ or red ‘X’ so people know what you’re voting for?” the student asked.
“They do,” Pence replied. “And then sometimes, that influences other people. We call it ‘look at the board.’ So I may go, ‘You know, I’m not really sure on where I’m at on this particular vote,’ and I’ll see how some of the people that I respect are voting. And I’ll get to see that. And the votes stay open for about 20 minutes.”
He added that he can also change his vote as long as the time isn’t up.
Another student asked what the hardest part of Pence’s job is, and the congressman replied that it’s traveling back and forth from Washington, D.C., where he spends 122 days out of the year.
“I like to come home,” he said. “I have family, friends, and of course, my dog, Murphy, who then sleeps in my bed when I’m gone.”
When asked what the best part of his job is, Pence replied that it’s getting to help people, especially other veterans who are trying to get their benefits.
“There’s a lot of very rewarding things that you never hear about that we get to do for people,” he said.
Rep. Greg Pence is one of several community and governmental leaders that iEngage campers will hear from throughout the week.
The civics camp runs through Friday and is for rising fifth-to-ninth graders, with about 80 students participating.
“iEngage focuses on developing young people’s civic and political competence and strengthening their community and political engagement through inquiry-based civics projects in which they research and act upon local community issues,” IU officials said.
The free camp is offered by the IU Center on Representative Government and is based on a program that began at Baylor University a decade ago. During the week, local educators and Baylor employees serve as master teachers, and IUPUC education students act as camp counselors.
Camp activities include attending a community fair featuring local nonprofits, learning about the legal process, playing iCivics games and examining primary source materials.
Mid-week, students will present their initial ideas on how to address a community issue of their choice in front of a “Shark Tank”-style panel of local representatives. They will present their findings to the public on Friday.
The camp’s sponsors include the Bill and Norma Perry Memorial Fund, IU’s Center on Representative Government, Rick and Alice Johnson, the Heritage Fund – the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County, IU’s Political and Civic Engagement program, Foundation For Youth, Taylor Bros. Construction, Bartholomew County Democratic Women, and Rep. Greg Pence. The program also received a $3,000 grant from Indiana Humanities in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities.
