'rL.... AA:. L : r M-:I., T4 .. I. .. __.._.... nn nnnn r_ A IHIGHER EDUCATION ne Micnigan uay -nursaay, janary z2, 2000- Bradley reaches out to college voters as caucus nears - 5 By Leticia A. Gonzalez The Minnesota Daily DES MOINES, Iowa (U-WIRE) - In presidential elections, the tallest can- didate has always won. If the trend con- "es, the 6-foot-5-inch Bill Bradley nds a good chance of defeating the more vertically challenged candidates in the November general elections. But first, Bradley, a former U.S. sen- ator from New Jersey, needs to get past Vice President Al Gore to secure the Democratic Party's nomination. Monday's Iowa precinct caucuses are the first step in the nomination process. Like other candidates, Bradley aims to reach college-age voters. In a Des oines Register report last week, 42 cent of 18- to 34-year-olds support Bradley. Bradley wants to "bring people into the political process who haven't been engaged by politics," said Kristen Ludecke, a campaign spokesperson. "Students ... have been fed up with the political system" Bradley spoke Tuesday afternoon at Iowa's Simpson College, where Nate Boulton is president of the Iowa College Democrats. Boulton said stu- dents would have a large impact on who wins the caucuses. "In just a few years, we'll be like everyone else: with a job and in the work force," Boulton said. "People we elect will set up the conditions we live in when we get out of college." Bradley's education plans include expanding access to community col- leges. Since community colleges are usually students' first college experi- ences, Bradley wants to ensure students - especially those who are financially disadvantaged - have equal access and affordability to them. Bradley's lifelong-learning proposal would provide $2 billion during a five year period for technology, jobs pro- grams and making schedules more flex- ible. Bradley helped pass bills through the Senate that allowed homeowners to qualify for Pell Grants. To capture the student vote, Bradley focused on his campaign Website rec- ognizing the strong role the Internet plays in students' lives, Ludecke said. The site clarifies his stance on cam- paign issues such as abortion and edu- cation. Bradley recently launched another site about participating in cau- cuses, providing another tool for stu- dents to get involved. William Warren Bradley, born July 28, 1943, in Crystal City, Missouri, started his professional life as a basket- ball player for the New York Knicks. After his undergraduate years at Princeton University and Rhodes Scholar years at Oxford University, Bradley interned in the Washington, D.C., congressional office of Richard Schweiker (R-Penn.) as well as on the presidential campaign of former Pennsylvania Gov. William Scranton. Bradley later served in the U.S. Senate from 1978 to 1996. Bradley has been profiled on MTV's "Choose or Lose" program, and he plans to hold a youth debate in October if he is the party's nomi- nee. Bradley has also spoken to stu- dents in Iowa and New Hampshire, where the country's first primaries. were held January 1. AP PHOTO Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Bradley responds yesterday to a question during a campaign stop at the Salemhaven Senior Home in Salem, N.H. Volunteers key to McCain's N.H. campaign By Daniel D. Springer The Harvard Crimson GILFORD, N.H. (U-WIRE) - If Arizona Sen. John McCain wins the New Hampshire Republican primary Feb. 1, he may well have his campaign volunteers to thank. £The key to victory in New Hampshire, aside from televi- son ads, is the degree to which candidates meet voters in per- son. Polls of New Hampshire residents show McCain and Bush neck-and-neck. A McCain win in the state could give him a boost - though the candidates have more than a month between New Hampshire and the next series of primaries. There are about 747,000 registered voters in the state, and they cast their ballots at a rate higher than the national aver- age. Given New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation status, candi- *es spend weeks there. If they try, they probably could meet a majority of the electorate. McCain has spent 56 days in the state and will likely add another seven to the total before the primary. For McCain's campaign organizers, ensuring that voters know where their candidate will be appearing - and con- vincing them to attend - is perhaps their most important task. They rely on volunteers, many of them from colleges in Massachusetts, to spread the McCain gospel. Early this past Saturday, four students piled into two cars Massachusetts Ave. gate leading to Harvard Law School, began their two-hour trek to Gilford, a small town in the middle of New Hampshire, where they were assigned to rally the voters for McCain's campaign. On the stump Education, health care top Gore's Iowa agenda By Erin Ghere The Minnesota Daily INDIANOLA, Iowa (U-WIRE) - Vice President Ai Gore touted his health care and edu- cation plans Tuesday morning as the best in the presidential campaign during an appearance at Simpson College, a private university 12 miles south of Des Moines, Iowa. As '80s music played in the background, Gore was welcomed to the school in Indianola with cheers from about 250 supporters, including school children and retirees. Gore made his appearance with only six days left before Monday's Iowa caucuses. In a recent Des Moines Register poll, Gore led former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley in Iowa, 54 percent to 33 percent. Both are stumping throughout the state this week in anticipation of caucus day. Speaking in an old basketball arena, Gore empha- sized his pride in the Clinton administration's achievements, a striking change from recent speech- es where he has distanced himself from Clinton. "I'm proud to be part of an administration that has made so much progress" in economic and racial issues, Gore said. He emphasized the need to use the Clinton administration's achievements as a stepping stone for future progress in education, health care, the environment and crime. Speaking directly to Iowa farmers, Gore also said changes are needed to bring everyone into the economic prosperity the rest of the country is experiencing. Gore told stories of his parents and how his pri- orities, specifically the importance of both civil and women's rights, stem from his upbringing: Gore's father was a senator from Tennessee for most of Gore's youth, and his mother was a lawyer - among the first women to graduate from Vanderbilt Law School, he said. "The progress we've made for women's rights in the 20th Century is only the start of the progress we're going to make in the 21st Century," he said. Gore spoke without notes as he described his family and the powerful impact they had on his life. His daughter, Kristin, accompanied him on stage and sat behind him with a group of 80 Simpson College Democrats clad with striking blue "Gore 2000" stickers and signs. Gore spoke to the college-age students, a group of voters often disillusioned about the political process, telling them what he could do for them if elected. But Gore also reached out to his older audience by talking about his oldest daughter, Karenna, and his newborn grandson. Gore has announced plans to help both groups, including prescription drug benefits for seniors and a NationalTuition Savings Program, which would allow parents to save for their children's education starting at birth, as well as increase the amount of Pell Grants for students. Tiffany Berkenes, a Simpson College sopho- more, said Gore's plan to make higher education more accessible is one of the most impressive parts of his platform. She said his National Savings Account plan would have helped her out and she hopes, if implemented, it would help other students who otherwise would not have access to higher edu- cation. AP PHOTO Republican presidential hopeful George W. Bush speaks yesterday during a townhall meeting at Timberland High School in Plaistow, N.H. more in environments where assumptions are e different points of view, with people who have Ii is backed up by recent national research based at Michigan, Stanford and Harvard. The most complete, enlightening education ..... ....