U. will be backup site for '96 debate

The Commission on Presidential Debates announced yesterday that the University has been selected as one of three alternate sites for a presidential debate next fall. Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman said Penn actually received the highest marks of any of the nine finalists considered. "It's my opinion that the selection is geographically driven," Scheman explained. Scheman explained, though, that alternate sites have actually hosted debates in each of the last two presidential election years. Both Scheman and University spokesperson Barbara Beck said they cannot understand why the commission decided Penn should be an alternate location, despite its high marks. "Everyone did an excellent job," Beck said. "Every student was out there participating, and answers to the commission's questions were prepared well in advance. "We're at the whim of other people making decisions," she added. "Whatever happened was out of our control." Scheman said Janet Brown, executive director of the Commission on Presidential Debates, was "most impressed by the students." Washington University in St. Louis will host a presidential debate September 25. A second debate will be held in St. Petersburg, Florida on October 9, and the University of California in San Diego will host a debate October 16. A vice-presidential debate will be held in Hartford, Conn. October 2. The University of Maryland and Michigan State University were also announced as alternate sites. Brown explained that Penn made a very strong proposal to host a debate. "We had nine very qualified sites," Brown said. "We simply chose four of the best. In the case that we have to change the plan that we are proposing, we would revert to the alternate sites." Washington University, slated to host its second consecutive presidential debate, was originally named an alternate site in 1992. Scheman said if the debate does not come to Penn this year, "it will very likely come in four years." Brown said the sites must meet a series of requirements -- particularly their ability to work most effectively with specified dates and formats. She added that geographical location was also an important factor in determining the final locations. More than 40 colleges, universities and cities expressed interest in hosting a presidential debate last fall when the selection process began. The Commission on Presidential Debates placed Penn on a list of potential sites after the University submitted its proposal. The proposal included a choice of two campus areas for the debate, with support facilities for the news media in adjacent buildings. Scheman said staff members in the Department of Facilities Management put forth "an extraordinary amount of effort to prepare the University for the Commission's visit." "I am disappointed because this would be more than a one-time event," Scheman said. "Activities would take place for months leading up to the debate." Philadelphia has previously hosted two national candidates' debates. Presidential candidates Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford debated each other at the Walnut Street Theatre in 1976. And vice-presidential candidates George Bush and Geraldine Ferraro debated at the Philadelphia Civic Center in 1984.