2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 2/18/08 Section: News
Alma mater a logical place for a speech? For candidates, not so fast
Colin Kavanaugh
Universities often draw on their famous alumni to bring well-known speakers to campus. But this political season, there have been no guarantees that the presidential candidates will favor their alma maters.
At some college campuses, famed alumni have been noticeably absent, drawing criticism from some students.
And for Penn, without an alumnus in the race for the White House, the University will be dependent on the efforts of its organizations and the administration to get a candidate on campus for a speech or rally.
The lack of a Penn graduate in the field might not be detrimental in attracting a candidate to campus, as it seems increasingly likely that Pennsylvania's primary will play a larger-than-expected role in deciding the Democratic nominee.
But schools with alumni in the race have had mixed success in drawing those candidates to campus. Sen. Barack Obama graduated from Columbia University in 1983, and, despite campaigning near the campus, has not actually visited to give a speech.
Columbia sophomore and Columbia College Democrats spokesman Jonathan Backer said his organization has reached out to Obama's staff numerous times. The campaign has been receptive, he said, but "never follows through with details."
Backer said Obama's absence at Columbia is "disappointing," but the College Democrats believe it is a result of scheduling difficulties, not whether a suitable venue exists.
"The administration is always supportive," Backer said of Columbia.
At Wellesley College, the reception by the Clinton campaign has been quite different. Sen. Hillary Clinton, a 1969 graduate, kicked off her student movement, Hillblazers, at the Massachusetts college last fall.
During her visit, the campaign handled most of the details and coordinated logistics with Students for Hillary, said Wellesley senior Kirstin Neff, president of the College Democrats.
"It was a very special visit and one very different than most of her talking-points-driven campaign events," Neff said. "We were lucky Hillary was so eager to come back to Wellesley."
But Arizona Sen. John McCain, a 1958 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is unlikely to visit his own alma mater, since government institutions are required to be publicly politically neutral.
And while no kickoff event like Clinton's rally at Wellesly will take place at Penn, problems bringing candidates to campus generally have more to do with where to host an event than it does with who might be making such a speech.
When McCain visited Penn last November, numerous logistical issues threatened to derail his stop, particularly finding a place to host the event. The University has repeatedly cited logistics as a main challenge in hosting political speeches and events.
At some college campuses, famed alumni have been noticeably absent, drawing criticism from some students.
And for Penn, without an alumnus in the race for the White House, the University will be dependent on the efforts of its organizations and the administration to get a candidate on campus for a speech or rally.
The lack of a Penn graduate in the field might not be detrimental in attracting a candidate to campus, as it seems increasingly likely that Pennsylvania's primary will play a larger-than-expected role in deciding the Democratic nominee.
But schools with alumni in the race have had mixed success in drawing those candidates to campus. Sen. Barack Obama graduated from Columbia University in 1983, and, despite campaigning near the campus, has not actually visited to give a speech.
Columbia sophomore and Columbia College Democrats spokesman Jonathan Backer said his organization has reached out to Obama's staff numerous times. The campaign has been receptive, he said, but "never follows through with details."
Backer said Obama's absence at Columbia is "disappointing," but the College Democrats believe it is a result of scheduling difficulties, not whether a suitable venue exists.
"The administration is always supportive," Backer said of Columbia.
At Wellesley College, the reception by the Clinton campaign has been quite different. Sen. Hillary Clinton, a 1969 graduate, kicked off her student movement, Hillblazers, at the Massachusetts college last fall.
During her visit, the campaign handled most of the details and coordinated logistics with Students for Hillary, said Wellesley senior Kirstin Neff, president of the College Democrats.
"It was a very special visit and one very different than most of her talking-points-driven campaign events," Neff said. "We were lucky Hillary was so eager to come back to Wellesley."
But Arizona Sen. John McCain, a 1958 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is unlikely to visit his own alma mater, since government institutions are required to be publicly politically neutral.
And while no kickoff event like Clinton's rally at Wellesly will take place at Penn, problems bringing candidates to campus generally have more to do with where to host an event than it does with who might be making such a speech.
When McCain visited Penn last November, numerous logistical issues threatened to derail his stop, particularly finding a place to host the event. The University has repeatedly cited logistics as a main challenge in hosting political speeches and events.
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