USD Magazine, Fall 1996

WHERE STUDENTS WATCHED THE DEBATE • ie

Bob Dole made a surprise appearance in the gym after the debate.

screens. After a pre-debate warmup by Rock the Vote,

That experience started with a talk on Sept. 25 by Richard Kimball, director of the national voter education program Project Vote Smart, which took place in Shiley Theatre. A faculty panel helped students explore the first presidential debate on Oct. 6, and students themselves took to the stage with a USO talent show after

MTV and the popular rock band Better Than Ezra, the students applauded their favorite candi– date, waved "Clinton/Gore" or "Dole/Kemp" signs and wildly cheered whenever the universi– ty's name was mentioned on the C-SPAN broadcast. When the students returned to the gym after a pizza and soda break to

Clinton supporters sat side-by-side with Dole supporters.

hear promised guest speakers from each campaign, they already seemed to be winding down from a night they would not soon for– get. That's when Bob Dole walked in. Just minutes after the debate concluded, Dole took the Sports Center stage to an almost deafening roar from the re-energized crowd of students, who rushed the platform for a chance to shake hands with the former senator. Sharing the spotlight with his wife, Elizabeth, daughter, Robin, and former President Gerald Ford, Dole told the students, "This campaign is not about me. It's about you and your life in the next century." The Sports Center viewing was the culmination of a series of programs surrounding the 1996 debates that were initiated and car– ried out by students. Although the Oct. 16 debate at USO was the main focus, a student committee worked from early in the year right up until the final debate to offer students opportunities to par– ticipate in the debate process and educate themselves about elec– tions and politics. "Our goal was to create an awareness and an interest among stu– dents so they would realize the role they can have in the political process," says senior Greg Johnson, the Associated Students presi– dent and a member of the 14-person student program committee. "We wanted to bring the USO community together to experience the whole process."

viewing the vice presidential debate on Oct. 9. "Sometimes students can feel detached from the political process, but the debate at USO really gave them a chance to see the issues, the messages and the candidates firsthand," says Johnson, who cred– ited the enormous facu lty participation with making the viewings an informative experience. "There's a real difference when you have the event right in your own back yard." Nicole Lamperis, as she looked out her window and saw Bob Dole through the window next door, would certainly agree.

- Michael R. Haskins

The evening started with an enthusiastic performance by the band Better Than Ezra.

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