U. shakes apathy for rally

For about 1,000 people on Locust Walk yesterday, the grass -- normally the site of mid-afternoon study breaks -- became the unlikely stage for political rhetoric and celebrity aura. The peace sign next to Van Pelt Library made its periodic re-entry into the political spotlight, as many University students did the same -- emerging from the darkness of an apolitical closet-climate of apathy into yesterday's Vote for a Change rally. And while the rally aimed specifically to garner votes for Democratic candidates Bill Clinton and Al Gore, the crowd of students and faculty seemed far from uniform. The more enthusiastic supporters of the event were clustered around the strategically-placed podium, and their applause punctuated the speakers' endorsements -- and the roving television cameras. As the groups of spectators radiated out from the center, however, the onlookers were marked more by curiosity than outright devotion for Clinton and Gore. Many pedestrians took the few steps from the Walk to the Green, and, hands poised on their bookbags, took in a few moments of the television and cinematic stars basking in the sunlight of a Presidential election year, with political endorsements as their latest script. "I was just walking down and decided to stop and listen," Wharton sophomore Dax Basdeo said as he watched from the grass by the Alumni Center. Some onlookers chose not even to get off their bicycles, but paused on the Walk for a few words, with feet on the cobblestones, ready to ride on. Among some spectators on the periphery was an expressed feeling that the purports of political idealism were a gloss over the familiar faces of show business. "I'm not sure whether people came because they wanted to see the Hollywood celebrities, or out of a true desire for change," College freshman Jordan Katz said as he watched from in front of the button. "Who knows whether half of the people here will even vote?" Under a tree nearby, first-year College of General Studies student Derek Schilling expressed similar feelings. "The fact that they had celebrities brought a much bigger crowd," Schilling said between intermittent ripples of applause and cheers. Many students expressed a mild surprise at the large turn-out. Standing in a more attentive knot of people a little closer to the action, College senior Kim Dixon said that the attendance at the rally was atypical of the University's general political climate. "Penn needs more liberals, in my opinion," Dixon said, eliciting nods of agreement from nearby onlookers, including College senior Allison Davis. "I'd agree on that," Davis said with a smile as Elisabeth Shue spoke from the podium about today's comparatively low tide of political activism. "Penn is pretty apolitical on the average," Dixon said. Further back on the Green, Wharton senior Claudia Santoni estimated that half of the students at the rally had planned on attending it, and that the other half had just casually dropped by to see what was going on. "I just hope that the Republican one follows it soon," Santoni said with a slight grin. And from far up on the hill, Political Science Professor Alvin Rubinstein asked this reporter a few questions of his own. "You're never going to have 7,000 people show up to a rally, so what's indicative [of the University's political climate]?" Rubinstein said. Under the shade of a tree and holding a Vote for a Change t-shirt beneath his arm, Rubinstein's optimism for the brightness of the political future was tempered by experience. "I think if students stay here for 5 or 10 minutes or so, that's a sign of interest," he said. "If they vote, though -- that's the real benchmark."