Soapbox Alliance launched to have open political discourse in colleges

A Plea to Open Up Campus Campaign Stops

By Ariel Alexovich

A 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign stop at Allegheny College left some students and faculty peeved at the college’s event policy. Dick Cheney spoke at a ticketed on-campus event that was open to only G.O.P. supporters and 40 Allegheny students who gained entry through the student organization, College Republicans.

Students at the Pennsylvania liberal arts college smelled something fishy when the audience at the “town hall-”style meeting included so few members of the student body – and those who did get in were mostly in sync with the Republican agenda.

That kind of public “debate” seemed unfair to political science professor Daniel Shea and his Center for Political Participation (C.P.P.). Thanks to his efforts, Allegheny adopted a policy in November 2006 in which one-half of available seats at on-campus campaign events are open to the general public. The other half may still be reserved for the candidate’s donors and supporters.

The school isn’t stopping there in its quest for open political discourse. Today Allegheny and its C.P.P. launched the Soapbox Alliance to reach out to other colleges to ban political candidates of every party from holding private on-campus campaign events.

“This is not an effort to mobilize four-year colleges or two-year colleges or private colleges,” Mr. Shea said to The Caucus. “It’s an effort to mobilize all campuses.”

Today Allegheny President Richard Cook sent out invitations on behalf of the alliance to four-year colleges nationwide, imploring them to “elevate the level of political debate.” Mr. Shea also said the group will reach out to campus newspapers to at least “touch base” with every college in the country.

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http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/05/a-plea-to-open-up-campus-campaign-stops/#more-2938