MTV aims to 'Rock the Vote' near campus

Coming to a block near you in September -- MTV's "Choose or Lose" van, on a tour of college campuses to encourage students to vote. As part of a joint Drexel University/Penn "Rock the Vote" event, presidential candidates and celebrities may join the festivities, which will emphasize the importance of voter registration. Several parking lots and 33rd Street from Market Street to Chestnut Street will be closed September 30 for a block party from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Drexel junior Jim Maloney said he is trying to organize a major band, food booths and several rides and games to produce a carnival atmosphere for the event. "I think many Penn students will become involved in this event because the campus is pretty opinionated," said Penn's Social Planning and Events Committee Treasurer Gil Beverly, a Wharton senior. "The many political groups here are going to have a big surprise in the fall. I'll just jump on them." The Penn and Drexel "Rock the Vote" program was a late addition to MTV's tour, which was previously scheduled to visit only sites on the West Coast. Because of the last-minute planning, no one knows yet which politicians and celebrities will attend. From September 19 to 30, major voter registration drives will take place to precede the "Rock the Vote" program. MTV will broadcast from the site of the block party. Drexel Student Activities Director Adam Goldstein said presidential candidates would probably attend, barring last minute campaign emergencies. "We want to make this event a fun experience for everyone," Maloney said. "The day can't consist of people wandering around with a few booths and MTV's Winnebago." An organizational meeting was held in early August to coordinate the voter registration campaign. Approximately 20 people attended the gathering -- including Beverly and Assistant Director of Student Life Kim Allen, representing Penn. During the meeting, Drexel representatives outlined their plan to increase student, faculty and community awareness in the voting process. Drexel junior Dan Bahar, one of the event planners, presented an idea to attract voters with a slogan targeting apathy in "Generation X." Bahar suggested that the plan could easily be adjusted to fit the needs of the Penn community. One of the main emphases of the meeting was how Penn and Drexel will cooperate, especially to fund the day. Assistant Vice President for Government Relations Joseph Cascerceri requested that Beverly and Maloney work on ways to raise the $50,000 necessary to fund "Rock the Vote." Though University President Judith Rodin has decided not to sponsor the event because it is "too political," SPEC will provide funds for the event. "I think the University feels the event is too risky," Beverly said. "But we will do fine without the money, although we might have to cutback in some areas, such as the concert." But Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman said she wants the event to receive student activity funds instead of those from the University since the student activity budget "is large enough to handle the expense." "The money in that budget should be used for something as important as this," Scheman said. "From past experience, I know it is really important to reach out to students to register like this." Allen explained that Penn is definitely committed to the event, despite the funding situation. "Because there are so many workers and over 50,000 in a 10-block radius, we can obtain a great amount of leverage from this event," Cascerceri said. "If every group donates a small amount of money, both schools will become more powerful in the eyes of politicians." Another point discussed was the possibility of rain. Since the site has already been approved by MTV, Goldstein said he would "pray for sunshine" and look into the prices of tents. "Everything has been going great so far, but it is now time to turn the event over to the student leaders at Drexel and Penn," he explained. "This has the potential to be a very large and fun event." MTV's "Choose or Lose" van will have only one week to travel from the West Coast to Philadelphia. "Rock the Vote" visited Penn in 1992 and brought actress Elizabeth Shue.

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