Former Congressman Barney Frank will answer questions about his life and political career later this month as College Democrats’ fall speaker, the group announced tonight.
Frank represented Massachusetts in the House from 1981-2013 and served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee from 2007 to 2011.
College Democrats president Lauren Izaak said the group chose to bring Frank to campus because of his wide appeal.
“We thought Frank had the largest reach for students,” the Weinberg senior said.
Frank was heavily involved in the Dodd-Frank Act, a 2010 law aimed at reforming the U.S. financial system.
“Investment is a big part of campus with what students want to do after they graduate,” Izaak said, adding that students would be able “to hear more about it from the person that wrote” the law.
Izaak also highlighted Frank’s status as the first openly gay member in Congress, which she said would appeal to the LGBT community on campus.
“How he relates to different student groups on campus is really important to us,” she said. “October is LGBT History Month so we thought that would be a great tie-in.”
Instead of presenting a prepared speech, Frank will participate in an interview-style event, answering questions posed by a Northwestern professor, Izaak said.
The event will take place Oct. 29 at Cahn Auditorium.
— Jeanne Kuang
Correction: A previous version of this post misstated the years former Congressman Barney Frank served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. The Daily regrets the error.
