ELECTION '96: Clinton to lead rally on campus tomorrow

Penn Democratic groups workedPenn Democratic groups workedfor months to line up the event. ThePenn Democratic groups workedfor months to line up the event. Therally on Hill Field will start at 1 p.m. With less than two days remaining before President Clinton's rally on Tuesday, a presidential advance team met with Penn's two student-run Democratic organizations this weekend to complete final preparations for the event. The 1 p.m. rally on Hill Field -- which will be Clinton's first visit to the University -- is expected to draw more than 25,000 people. Members of the advance team also confirmed that senior Clinton advisor George Stephanopolous will visit Hill Field this afternoon for an informal press conference with Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, Drexel University President Constantine Papadakis and a "high-ranking" member of Penn's administration. The press conference will be closed to the public. Yesterday, approximately 30 volunteers from the two student groups -- Penn for Clinton/Gore '96 and the College Democrats -- gathered at Hill Field to make flags and signs for the visit. The two groups have also been manning a table at 36th and Locust Walk since Saturday, passing out free admission tickets for the event. And although more than 1,000 passes were distributed Saturday alone, students "shouldn't worry about getting in," according to College sophomore Matt Adler, co-chairperson of Penn for Clinton/Gore '96. "We were given enough tickets that anyone who wants to come in will be able to," he said. "This is really an event for students." Gates to Hill Field will open at 11 a.m. Tuesday, while the event itself will begin at 1 p.m. with a "pre-program" featuring singer Patti LaBelle, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Rodney Peete and his wife, actress Holly Robinson, jazz musician Grover Washington Jr. and at least two other bands. Local Democratic candidates, along with Rendell, may speak during the "pre-program." Clinton is expected to speak for approximately 20 to 25 minutes before shaking hands with attendees and leaving the site. The entire program is scheduled to end by 3 p.m. The rally is a victory of sorts for the two groups, which Adler said have worked since August to bring Clinton to campus. "We've been writing letters and making phone calls regularly since the end of the summer to try to make this work," he said. "We had sort of given up hope of him coming." Adler explained that the two student groups found out that Clinton was coming to Philadelphia as early as last Tuesday, but didn't receive word that he was actually going to speak at Penn until late Thursday night. "As soon as we knew he was coming to the city, we began making phone calls to everyone we knew to try to bring him to Penn," Adler explained. "We figured that as long as he was coming to Philly, it was worth the effort to get him here." Adler noted that news of Clinton's decision to speak at Penn caught the groups largely by surprise. "Bringing Clinton to Penn had been our goal since the beginning of the semester, but we never really thought we'd actually get it," he said. Adler added that the timing of Clinton's visit was "really an honor for Penn." "It's really thrilling to have him here in the final week of campaigning before the election," he said. "It's going to provide great publicity for the University, especially after the events of the past few weeks." College sophomore Jana Kay, the group's other co-chairperson, added that the rally is the "biggest possible thing" that could have happened to the group. "For a Democratic group like ours, bringing a sitting Democratic president to campus feels absolutely incredible," she said. "This makes all of our work worth it." The two groups will be distributing free passes to the rally today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. They will also staff a voter-awareness table on Locust Walk until Election Day on November 5.