Ice Cream moguls Ben ‘ Jerry doled out their famous treats and talked about their success, current issues, and the importance of voting Monday night at Blackman Auditorium.

Friends since junior high, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield started their business in 1978 in Burlington, Vt. with almost nothing but a loan from a bank. Now, they have sold their nation-wide ice cream manufacturing company after becoming near icons and have essentially devoted their lives to philanthropy and improving society.

“We need to understand when we look at the problems facing our country that the real money lies in the budget,” Cohen said, noting that more money should be spent on education and other national issues, rather than on the military and international affairs.

In their talk with the hundreds of students packed into Blackman Auditorium, Greenfield discussed the duo’s colorful background while Cohen raised awareness of governmental spending and the economy using pie charts, BB gun pellets and stacks of Oreo cookies.

“When I think about really difficult problems I think about dessert,” Cohen said.

The two also made a point of communicating to students to take part in this year’s election, calling it a “watershed moment in our country’s history.” A mock ballot was also conducted outside to encourage students to make a decision, with Kerry garnering 80 percent of the votes.

“We think voting is critically important; if you don’t vote you don’t get to complain about what’s going on,” Greenfield said. “I think this is the most important presidential election there has been in my lifetime. If you’re going to have a democracy, people are going to have to participate.”

After their discussion, students flowed out of Ell Hall into Krentzman Quad to receive free ice cream bars featuring such flavors as the popular “Cherry Garcia,” “Cookie Dough” and Jerry’s own favorite, “Heath Bar Crunch.”

“They said pretty much everything but ‘vote for Kerry,'” said Gretchen Lovell, a sophomore communications major. “I think they had great visual aids and used Oreos which is awesome; but it drove home the point that we’re spending too much on our military.”

While some students admitted their motivation for attending the event was more about the free tasty treats, senior business major Alex Andujar said the talk proved to be a good learning experience.

“The ice cream was good,” he said. “But [the talk] was certainly something ripe for Northeastern students to be hearing.”