Professor Michael Dukakis stood before a standing-room only crowd at 20 West Village F yesterday to discuss the 2008 presidential election. He quipped to the crowd early in the hour-long event, that he might not be the best source for information.
“Consider the source here,” he said. “If I knew anything about presidential politics, I’d be here in a completely different capacity.”
Dukakis, is a political science professor, former Massachusetts governor and, in 1988, Democratic candidate president. He was the first speaker in a joint initiative between the Resident Student Association (RSA) and the Council for University Programs (CUP) called NU Votes, which aims to promote voter awareness in the upcoming election.
“Every single one of you, if you’re interested, can get deeply involved in the political process,” Dukakis said during his speech.
Steve Lavenberg, CUP’s vice president of collaboration, and Kristina Cecil, RSA president, spearheaded the project with Ed Klotzbier, vice president for student affairs. In the 1980s, Klotzbier was a co-op for Dukakis when he was the Massachusetts governor.
NU Votes is holding a number of events on campus to increase voter participation and turnout, Lavenberg said. The next event, featuring speaker Jerry Greenfield of Ben and Jerry’s, will be held Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. in Blackman Auditorium.
“I think [NU Votes] is a real opportunity for students to get involved in the political process,” Klotzbier said. “It’s a very exciting time – for many students it’s the first time voting in a presidential election.
About 30 minutes into the event, Dukakis answered audience questions on issues ranging from how vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s recent entry into the election has affected the race between senators Barack Obama and John McCain, how race could factor into the campaigns and how the election will directly affect college students.
“If you’re a student, this affects [you] very directly,” he said. “I think this election, more than any will, will affect us more than ever.”
Dukakis cited federal funding for higher education as a major issue that will depend on the outcome of the 2008 presidential election.
Dukakis urged students to become involved in presidential campaigns in Massachusetts. He said knocking on doors is a great opportunity to create discussions about major issues.
“That’s the kind of dialogue we should be having on doorsteps across the United States of America,” he said.
Both the Obama and McCain campaigns have offices in Boston: Obama’s is inside the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s headquarters at 56 Roland St. in Charlestown and McCain’s is at 145 Tremont St., near the Park Street T stop.
After the event, Dukakis said he was happy many students attended.
“I loved the turnout,” he said. “If this is a reflection of interest on campus, I’m very excited for November.”
Last night, Dukakis and Robert Culver, CEO of MassDevelopment, taught the first class in a free open classroom series sponsored by the School of Social Science, Urban Affairs, and Public Policy. Dukakis encouraged students interested in the 2008 presidential election to attend and participate. The class can be taken for Northeastern credit, Dukakis said, and is held every Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. in 20 West Village F.
More information on the class, called “Policy Advice to the Next President,” is available at policy school.neu.edu.
