By Nitesh SrivastavaThe Daily Northwestern
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is scheduled to speak to Northwestern students at Ryan Auditorium April 11, at an event sponsored by NU’s Political Action Organization.
The event, slated to begin at 5 p.m., will be free and “first come, first served,” said Weinberg junior Dan Schaffer, one of the hosting group’s founders.
The hour long speech will focus on Blagojevich’s “life, his interest in politics and his continued desire to help people,” Schaffer said.
Blagojevich’s visit is the first high-profile event hosted by Political Action Organization, a student group created Fall Quarter. The group does not claim a political stance on issues, Schaffer said, but instead hopes to increase political activity of any kind at NU.
Getting Blagojevich, Weinberg ’79, to return to campus was a “back-and-forth” process with the Governor’s Office that entailed explaining the organization’s mission and the purpose of the event, Schaffer said.
NU groups have been trying for years to get Blagojevich to speak on campus, said Helen Wood, an Associated Student Government adviser. It is surprising that an “unknown” group, which is not officially recognized by ASG, would be successful in attracting the governor, she said.
A recent effort to bring Blagojevich to NU took place Fall Quarter, said Weinberg sophomore Chad Watkins, a former ASG senator for College Democrats.
Blagojevich would have come to NU to participate in a debate against Judy Baar Topinka, Medill ’66 and the Republican candidate for governor in the 2006 election, Watkins said. However, the debate fell through in the planning stages.
Blagojevich, the Democratic incumbent, defeated Topinka, as Democrats secured control of all statewide offices in the election.
Watkins said it was exciting to have a politican of Blagojevich’s caliber speaking at NU, and although he was not aware of NU’s Political Action Organization, he said he agreed with their mission in principle.
“I think it sounds like a great idea,” he said.
The group currently has about 40 members, Schaffer said, most of whom joined during recruiting efforts at Fall Quarter activities fairs. Although political awareness is the main point of Blagojevich’s visit, it will also help raise the group’s awareness, he said.
Bringing Blagojevich to campus required a certain amount of luck, Schaffer said.
“I suppose the main reason he’s coming is to raise political awareness,” he said. “I’m not sure why he’s coming.”
Paul Takahashi, Jennifer Chen and Katie Ressmeyer contributed to this report.
Reach Nitesh Srivastava at [email protected].
