|
Volume CXXXIII, Number 12 |
 |
College convention
SUSIE DORN
CONTRIBUTOR
 |
| Alex Cornell du Houx '06 poses with former Democratic presidential candidate Carol Moseley Braun at College Convention 2004 at New England College. Four Bowdoin students attended the event. (Courtesy of the Community Service Resource Center) |
Imagine spending four solid days with hundreds of other college students focusing all your attention on making a difference. While this may sound like a huge Alternative Spring Break Trip or four Common Good Days rolled into one, it was, in fact, College Convention 2004.
Sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement at New England College, College Convention 2004 brought together politically active college students to participate in an event modeled after the national Democratic and Republican conventions. Alex Cornell du Houx '06, Eric Penley '05, Adam Baber '05, and James Baumberger '06 participated in the convention held in Manchester, N.H. The students were funded by scholarships from Campus Compact, a national organization that seeks to promote campus engagement in the community.
For Cornell du Houx, community service and political engagement go hand-in-hand. "Volunteering with a candidate or organization that wishes to reduce nuclear weapons or focus on homeland security is a political endeavor, yet it is also service to the community," he said.
Featuring appearances from several major Democratic Presidential candidates (including Representative Dennis Kucinich, Senators John Kerry, Joseph Lieberman and John Edwards, Governor Howard Dean, Ambassador Carol Mosley Braun, and General Wesley Clark), the convention gave young voters the unique opportunity to hear candidates speak about issues and ask questions. "You can learn a lot more about a candidate by seeing him or her in person-how they connected with the audience and how they responded to questions-than you could by watching them on television," said Baumberger.
Although John Kerry is currently leading in the official primaries, according to Penley, it was Howard Dean who inspired the most energy among the students with platforms that were particularly appealing to younger voters. "Honestly, I thought that virtually all of the candidates we saw were extremely well-spoken and had very clear campaign messages," he said.
Not everyone, however, was pleased with the overly Democratic atmosphere of the convention. As Baber noted, "It was by no means a balanced presentation, the only really conservative influence being a speech by William Bennett, which was excellent but-naturally-met with a lot of criticism from some students."
In addition to listening to presidential candidates, participants attended panels and workshops relating to current political issues and civic engagements on campuses. Bioterrorism, election reform, women in politics, lobbying, campus organizing, reducing drug use, and legalizing drug use were some of the topics addressed.
Political interest groups were also represented, including Americans for Campaign Reform, the National Organization for Women, Hilary Now, and The Nuclear Threat Initiative (whose major supporter, Ted Turner, presented the keynote address.)
All of Bowdoin's student representatives agreed that College Convention 2004 was an interesting and eye-opening experience. "I thought the event was an excellent way for college students to learn and experience how civic involvement ties in with community service," said Cornell du Houx. "I'm glad that New England College put on this event because I believe that too many students are apathetic when it comes to the political process."
To help counteract this apathy during the 2004 presidential election, Cornell du Houx will be working to educate students about the different candidates and the issues that directly affect students' lives. He hopes that this will spark a personal interest in students and motivate them to elect the next administration.
With easy voter registration right at the polls, Cornell du Houx predicts his greatest challenge will be getting students there. To combat this problem, he plans to post directions in each of the residence halls and provide shuttles throughout Election Day.
To get more involved with this year's election, find out when your state's presidential primaries are by visiting Vote Smart at www.vote-smart.org. To register to vote or change your voting status in a few easy steps, go to www.yourvotematters.org. For more ways to be an involved citizen and make a difference in the Brunswick and Bowdoin communities, stop by the Community Service Resource Center in Curtis Pool or visit the community service website at www.bowdoin.edu/communityservice.
For information on sending a letter to the editor, please click here.
|
FastCounter by bCentral |