As a prequel to the Nov. 4 election in which Maine citizens will vote on a casino proposed by the Penobscot Nation and Passamaquoddy Tribe, arguments for and against the proposal will be presented in two separate 7 p.m. talks on Wednesday, Oct. 22, and Wednesday, Oct. 29, in the Keck Classroom (G52) of Pettengill Hall, Bates College. The public is invited to attend both talks free of charge.

State Rep. Mary Black Andrews (R-York) will present the Oct. 22 talk titled "Casinos: A Windfall or Bust?" Chief Barry Dana of the Penobscot Nation will give the Oct. 29 lecture titled "The Casino: New Answers to Old Problems." The presentations will offer insights into what a casino in Maine will mean for the state and for Indian sovereignty. According to Assistant Professor of History Joseph Hall, who studies American Indians, "There has been a lot of advertising with a lot of rhetoric that hasn't adequately addressed people's concerns about this issue. Bates hopes to provide people with more information to make an informed decision on the referendum."

Serving her third term in the State Legislature and her fifth straight year on the education committee, Andrews is a co-founder of Casinos No!, a year-old grassroots organization fighting the casino question on November’s ballot. A Maine native active in community affairs, she served seven years on the York Board of Selectmen. A mother and grandmother, a nurse by profession and president of York Volunteer Ambulance, Andrews obtained her B.S. at the age of 44. "I am a strong proponent of victims' rights and the need to preserve open space in York County," says Andrew.

Elected by tribal members as chief of the Penobscot Nation in 2000, Dana is the leading voice of the pro-casino movement. Dana lives in Solon with his wife and children and has an office on the Penobscot Reservation in Old Town, where he spent years teaching Penobscot culture to children. A well-known environmentalist and representative of his people, Dana recently told the Lewiston Sun Journal that while gambling does not represent Indian culture, "…for us that's not what this is about. It's about economics and self-reliance."

The casino talks are sponsored by the Bates College departments of history, anthropology and environmental studies, and the Bates College Democrats and Republicans. For more information, call 207-786-6462.