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University students volunteer 6,500 hours on debate

By David Linzee

More than 200 Washington University students volunteered 6,500 hours of their time to help make the campus ready for the Oct. 17 presidential debate and ensure that the event went smoothly.

Some painted signs, laid cable and helped in other ways to transform the Athletic Complex into a television studio. Others spent most of the past weekend in the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) office. Still others were in the Athletic Complex on Tuesday, checking tickets, passing out programs, distributing cushions for the bleachers and running errands.

 

Senior English major John Heys stands in for George W. Bush during a camera rehearsal in the Field House's town hall debate set Oct. 17

Many students, told on Tuesday that they would not get debate tickets, volunteered their services in the final hours before the debate. One of the jobs found for them was riding on the shuttle buses between campus and the Muny Opera parking lot in Forest Park, answering questions about the University and the event for arriving reporters.

John Heys, a senior majoring in English in Arts & Sciences, stood in for George W. Bush during a camera rehearsal. People standing in for "town hall" participants asked him questions, and he moved about the circular stage answering them, as the candidates were expected to do. The run-through took about 15 minutes, but seemed much longer.

"It was intimidating," Heys said. "I don't know if the technicians were even listening, but I wanted to show some intelligence in my answers." He was in no danger of breaking into a sweat, though, because the room was very cold, chilled to help the candidates stay cool under the powerful theatrical lighting. Heys is undecided about whom he'll vote for, but he has a lot more sympathy for both candidates.

Jonathan Graas spent a hectic Saturday running errands for the CPD. "They sent me to the airport, to the copy shop, to the dime store to buy string," he said. "But the commission workers let us know they appreciated us. They said they couldn't do it without us."

A veteran of several local campaigns in his native Louisville, Ky., Grass found it exciting to be working on a national event. "People are impressed when you say where you're calling from," he said. "And it's fun taking calls from Jim Lehrer's staff." Graas, who is working toward a master's degree in comparative literature in Arts & Sciences, found it worthwhile to take time off from his studies "to get involved in something larger than myself."

Jennifer Hitchon also volunteered to work in the commission office. "There's been so much controversy and criticism of the debates, from the Bush camp before they decided to participate and lately from groups like O17, that I wanted to see the other side," she said. Hitchon, from Iowa City, Iowa, is a junior majoring in political science and Arabic in Arts & Sciences.

Allen Cowgill, a sophomore from Cincinnati, issued credentials, an assignment involving checking University IDs and making sure that applicants had reasons to be in the Athletic Complex. "It's fun to get inside the hall and see how it all works --how the campaigns, the media and the commission fit together," said Cowgill, who hasn't decided how he'll vote.

Brian Gunia, an economics major in Arts & Sciences from Chicago, wanted to get as close to the action as possible. He was pleased when he was assigned to escort a Bush aide around the labyrinth that the complex had become for the debate. "It was crazy," he said. "There were a lot of people, and security was tight."

The Secret Service wouldn't allow him to carry some Bush signs into the building until he showed that the poles they were on were foam rubber, not wood. Gunia, who is active in conservative organizations on campus, was a Bush supporter going into the debates, and contact with Bush's aides confirmed his opinion. "I was impressed by the genuineness with which they spoke," he said.

John Ventura also was in the debate hall Tuesday. He helped escort the town hall participants, who arrived by bus in the afternoon, around the building. "The debate commission was extremely concerned that they would be contacted by the media, but that wasn't a problem," he said. Once the participants were seated in the debate hall, he was free to join the audience. Ventura, a senior majoring in English in Arts & Sciences, is from the Chicago area. The debate strengthened his support for Bush.

Leaning toward Gore but impressed with the performances of both candidates was Dwyla Beard, a business major from Nashville. "I've been indifferent in the past," she admitted, "but it's important to know who's running the country." Her job as an usher allowed her a good view of the debate. "Being there makes you get more into it," she said. "You can see the candidates' interactions and get a better sense of their personalities than on TV."