USD Magazine, Fall 1996

A series al reports by Trisha J. RaUedge, Michael R. Haskins and Jill Wagner '91

W hen the months of preparation were completed and the last negotiation had been settled hours before broadcast time, moderator Jim Lehrer stood on USD's Shiley Theatre stage and called America's town hall meeting - the final presidential debate - to order. The two candidates stood at their podiums ready to outline their plans for America as the country faces the new millennium. Repre– senting America were 113 Gallup-selected San Diegans - one– third "leaning toward" President Bill Clinton, one-third "leaning toward" Bob Dole and one-third undecided - who glanced ner– vously at the candidates as they anticipated questioning the next president of the United States. When Jim Lehrer opened the debate, however, one detail could not have been planned or predicted. For the first question in this worldwide broadcast from USD, he pointed to the raised hand of Shannon McAfee, an educator and, by coincidence, a USD alumna. McAfee '96 asked how the candidates would end partisan con– flict and promote working together as a nation to solve the coun– try's problems; in effect, how they would practice what adults preach to children every day. "I was shaking like a madwoman," McAfee recalls. "I was ner– vous, but I figured I might as well get my question out." After the debate ended, McAfee mingled with the candidates on stage and talked briefly with Hillary Clinton about the importance of teachers. She says the experience gave her a stronger and more personal understanding of the political process. And her second– grade students were impressed the next day when she showed them her debate credential signed by President Clinton, Bob Dole and former President Gerald Ford.

McAfee's story was not an isolated one. The day after the debate, the campus buzzed with insider tales and close encounters. There was the student who snagged the assignment of interviewing Elizabeth Dole for the student newspaper. There were the faculty who participated in a CNN panel discussion broadcast to 500,000 high school students nationwide. There were the 115 students who landed coveted seats inside Shiley Theatre. There were the count– less USD folks who witnessed "Spin Alley" up close and saw politi– cal figures from Jesse Jackson to George Stephanopoulos give the media their interpretation of the debate. And there were a handful of encounters with author Norman Mailer, who was covering the debate for George magazine. It's experiences like these that spurred USD officials a year ago to submit the university to the Commission on Presidential Debates as a possible site for the 1996 debates. Always, the goal was to make this an educational and enriching event for USD students, faculty and alumni. Despite the inevitable disruption on campus, staging a debate would be an unparalleled opportunity for the USD community to gain a keen understanding and inside perspective of politics in America. USD already was familiar with the disruption surrounding the event. In 1992, the university was selected as a possible debate site and completed all the preparations, but was cut from the list just five days before the scheduled date. So, when the Commission on Presidential Debates confirmed USD as a 1996 debate site in January, university faculty, students and administrators dusted off their 1992 plans and started working again toward D-day, as the event quickly became known around campus. Director of Public Relations Jack Cannon assembled a 23-

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