'Choose or Lose' rocks W. Philly

MTV voter registrationMTV voter registrationcampaign visits campus The message rang clear. "It's your vote. Choose to use it. Otherwise, you lose it." In a last-ditch attempt to encourage student voter registration for next month's election before the October 4 registration deadline, MTV's "Choose or Lose" bus made a pit stop in Philadelphia yesterday as part of its cross-country young voter campaign. Hundreds of Penn and Drexel University students joined the carnival atmosphere on 33rd Street between Chestnut and Market streets. Throughout the day, students registered to vote and learned more about the role they can play in the upcoming election. "It's been pretty busy," said Drexel junior Sarah Holtz, who volunteered to register voters. "A lot of people don't know? they can register here even though they are away from home," she added. Drexel's Director of Student Activities Adam Goldstein said his school registered 1,100 students during its first week of classes and expected to double that number yesterday. Mayor Ed Rendell, a Democrat, attended the event, saying he would "go anywhere" to encourage students to vote. "I feel very strongly that young people have to be part of the system," the Penn alumnus said, noting that there has been a "drop off" of student activism since he was a student during the Vietnam War. Rendell also said he hopes more students vote so Philadelphia can gain political power in Harrisburg. Congressman Cleo Fields, a Democrat from Louisiana, and Republican Vice Presidential candidate Jack Kemp's son Jeff addressed the crowd about the importance of voting. Fields, who organized the first education caucus, spoke about the political power students can have by voting. "We are the umpires in this race -- the race will be called by college campuses," Fields said. Kemp focused on the importance of student leadership. "America needs every one of you as leaders and stewards," he said. "Real leadership means being a servant to the people." He told the students they are in charge of their own future, urging the crowd to support the ideas of his father and Republican Presidential candidate Bob Dole. MTV's "Choose or Lose" campaign began during the 1992 presidential election, though the bus is a new addition for the 1996 campaign, according to 1993 Penn graduate Jennifer Herman, who is working for MTV during the "Choose or Lose" campaign. David Wade, president of the College Democrats of America and a Brown University junior, said college students have the potential to change the outcome of the election. "In 1992, 82 percent of college students who were registered to vote voted, and we saw they were decisive in the margin of victory," he said. "We want to get people to register to vote [because] once you bring college students in, they vote." Wade and his Republican counterparts took the opportunity yesterday to support their candidates by distributing stickers, buttons and flyers. Wade noted that President Clinton has focused on the student constituency through programs like AmeriCorps and the revamping of student loans. "But in 1994 students didn't vote and we saw the results of that," he added. President of the Penn Council of Republican Women Vanessa Clumeck, a Wharton sophomore, said she was at the event to "tell people about the Republican candidates and what's been happening over the past four years and how to change it." The day-long "Choose or Lose" event went far beyond political activities, taking advantage of the virtual reality games, carnival food and the beautiful weather. "People seem to be enjoying the rides and we can't ask for a better day," said Social Planning and Events Committee Treasurer Gil Beverly. Beverly, a Wharton senior, said the crowd grew exponentially during the day. Drexel President Constantine Papadakis, who spent several hours at the event, said he was thrilled with the turnout. "This is great -- better than we expected," he said, adding that students from other local colleges and high schools attended the event.