Students get ready for a final push

Just as the Bush and Gore campaigns are intensifying in their final days, so too are the efforts of Penn political groups. In the past several weeks, Penn for Gore and the College Republicans have begun working to make themselves visible, with the goal of encouraging students to vote and, more importantly, to vote for their respective candidates. Now, in the final days, Penn students can expect to be bombarded with flyers and campaign literature on Locust Walk and in their dormitories. Emily Stetler, the executive director of College Republicans, promised that members of her organization will be spending more hours out on Locust Walk to persuade students to vote for Republican George W. Bush on Tuesday. The Penn for Gore campaign is planning a similar presence. However, the group will also send e-mails to every student who registered as an Independent on campus, offering information and trying to persuade them to vote for the Democratic ticket. More generally, Republican and Democratic student supporters have not only worked in the University City area to educate about party platforms, but they have also organized rallies and information sessions in the greater Philadelphia area. On Monday, members of the College Democrats will be going dorm to dorm as part of the "dorm-storming" effort organized by College sophomore Arshad Hasan, the coordinator of the Get Out the Vote Campaign on Campus. College Republican Chairman Philip Bartlett said the club has been more active this year than any other as a result of the Bush-Cheney efforts. The goal, he said, is to ensure long-term interest in the Republican agenda regardless of the election results. "This by far has been our best year. I am very pleased with the way Penn students have been involved," the College senior said. Michael Bassik, who heads the Penn for Gore effort, also noted the increase in numbers in his organization, as its membership has jumped from 200 to 350 since January. "Our main focus has been on the issues and educating people about them while tailoring Gore's message to college students," said Bassik, the state-wide coordinator of Pennsylvania's Colleges for Gore. "We have been trying to deal with issues pertinent to the student body." Both clubs have made an effort to extend their services to the local city community, supporting regional and national congressional elections. Bassik, a College senior who also chairs the Undergraduate Assembly, said Penn students have participated in every Gore motorcade in the tri-state area and have held positions in the campaign headquarters in Center City. College Republicans have helped the campaign in other capacities such as coordinating rallies in the suburbs for local candidates as well as supporting the Bush campaign. The group's last event is Saturday in Glenside, a Montgomery County suburb. College junior Deirdra Stockmann, who has been heavily involved with Penn for Gore, hopes that voter turnout is equivalent to the interest students have shown in being involved with the election campaign. "As of now, there seem to be numerous people interested in voting, such as asking where to vote and volunteering to work at the polls," Stockmann said. According to Bassik, one of the biggest issues in this election is the Supreme Court. Over the next four years, the primary judicial body of the United States will experience significant changes in its leadership, making this election significant to the younger population. "This election is important because the younger generations will live with newly appointed [Supreme Court] justices for 40 to 50 years," Bassik said. "There is too much at stake to waste a vote on a candidate who will not take interest in America's youth."