Tufts students on both sides of the political spectrum mobilized for last night's presidential debate between Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush at UMass-Boston. Taking advantage of the debate's close proximity, student groups, academic classes, and Tufts-connected coalitions created a virtual frenzy of political energy at Tufts and throughout the metropolitan area.
Before the debate, Tufts Choice 2000, a coalition devoted to fostering political interest and dialogue in this election year, arranged for a bus to transport people to and from various political rallies around Boston. Students traveled to a Gore/Lieberman rally outside the UMass-Boston Clark Athletic Center and to Dudley Circle, where groups rallied on campaign issues and protested at the site.
The Coalition for Social Justice and Nonviolence, the Ex College class "Political Domination and Student Activism," and several individuals and other class groups all marched in protest of issues that were left out of the presidential debate. They came to push specific concerns as well as to point out the shortcomings of the debate.
"Look at the fact that health care being a right isn't being brought up in the debate. The death penalty, police brutality, and prisons are all also not being discussed, and the fact that they're not in this election is despicable. These candidates are saying they are for them by ignoring them," sophomore Carl Jackson said.
"I'm protesting the corporate ownership of politics and encouraging serious campaign finance reform, which is a joke now," freshman Emily Good said.
The day's events also provided a venue for learning about the political process. Visiting Lecturer Lee Vigilant cancelled his class, "Sociology of Social Movements," to bring his students to the rally. "What I am trying to do here is show them an example of an institutionalized protest; everything here is scripted," he said. "People are telling them how to protest, where to protest, and - to a lesser degree - what to protest.... It takes away the bite and sting."
As only one of many groups at the march, Tufts students gained a wide perspective on current issues. "[The rally] was really exciting, freshman Ariana Flores said. "It's interesting to see how many different issues are being represented. We're here for campaign finance reform, but others are here to 'free Mumia,' to 'stop the bombings in Biques [Puerto Rico],' and to 'let Nader debate.'"
These groups took to the streets to march and protest the mainstream political system that they say ignores their concerns. They hoped to capitalize on the debate's nationwide coverage and use it as a stage to shed light on forgotten issues. Yet there remained a sense of realism among the crowd.
"It will be funny to watch the debate tonight and not hear any of the issues people are talking about here," said Good, who attended the event with her Ex College explorations class.
At the other end of the political activism spectrum, a number of Tufts students went early to the debate to rally for Vice President Gore.
"We were along the road to the entrance to UMass, so when the media and local press came by we were there with our signs to publicize Gore - there were thousands of people there," said sophomore Melissa Callan.
While both Gore supporters and restive debate protesters rallied next to each other, their perspectives and accompanying shouted messages were worlds apart. Several Gore supporters yelled disparaging comments at the protesters. "You f--ing smell" and "Halloween's at the end of the month" were two repeated remarks.
Back on campus, Tufts Choice 2000 - under the leadership of the Tufts Democrats, Tufts Republicans, and the Tufts Community Union Senate - coordinated a "debate watch" in Hotung Caf?©. Approximately 250 students attended the event.
"It's interesting to hear how the comments and murmurs went through the crowd when Gore and Bush made various comments," said Greg Propper, president of Tufts Democrats and coordinator of Tufts Choice 2000. "And that was my goal for the event; to facilitate conversations on the issues."
The debate watch is the kick-off to a number of Tufts Choice 2000 events this week aimed at increasing interest and awareness of politics on campus.
"We're trying to create a fervent political atmosphere. This week we're concentrating on voter registration and absentee ballots," said Matt Cravens, Tufts Democrats treasurer.
Earlier in the day, the University hosted the Youth Vote Conference at the Hillel Center. Dean of the University College of Citizenship and Public Service Robert Hollister was the keynote speaker at the event, which was sponsored by the Youth Vote 2000 - a coalition that includes several Tufts groups. The conference included several political awareness workshops and a debate watch at Fenway Cinemas in Copley.
"The goal for today is to get students registered and to talk about what issues are very important to them," said organizer Liese Schneider, who is the student chair of MassPIRG [Public Interest Research Group]. "Politics is about numbers, and if we can show politicians we have the numbers, then we have the power [to affect change]."
