University of Mary Washington - Index

University of Mary Washington - summer08 - Index

ON CAMPUS
Visit by Former
President Gets Vote of Approval
On Feb. 11, 2008, Hillary Rodham Clinton
was double-booked, with speaking
engagements scheduled in both
Charlottesville and Rosslyn, Va. But
the New York senator and presidential
hopeful still found a way to campaign
that same day at the University of Mary
Washington: She sent her husband.
A Monday morning email announcing
that former President William Jefferson
Clinton planned to visit UMW that same
afternoon sparked a flurry of excitement
across campus. Hundreds of students,
faculty, staff, and community members
braved frigid temperatures and a lengthy
line for a chance to hear Clinton speak
inside Woodard Campus Center. Some
classes were canceled, news crews came
out to cover the event, and police officers
patrolled the scene.
“Bill Clinton gets rock-star treatment
at UMW,” heralded a headline in the next
day’s issue of the Fredericksburg Free
Lance-Star.
The last-minute campaign stop,
dubbed a “Solutions for America Town Hall
event,” marked the first time a president
has visited Mary Washington. During his
speech, Clinton expressed his support for
his wife as a contender for the Democratic
Party's presidential nomination and her
plans for reforming health care, improving
education, boosting the economy, and
ending the war in Iraq.
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“You want somebody with the right
vision,” he told the crowd inside the
packed Great Hall, “you want somebody
with the right plans, and you want
somebody with the ability to get the job
done.”
At the hour-long rally, which occurred
on the eve of the Virginia primary,
Clinton also took the opportunity
to mention someone else – his old
college buddy Steve Stageberg. The
UMW associate professor of economics
helped Clinton run for student office
when both men attended Georgetown
University. Clinton lauded Stageberg’s
athletic abilities during their school days
together, calling him “the finest member
of the track team.”
A representative from the Clinton
campaign notified UMW of the
impending visit on Sunday evening,
and the campus-wide email was sent
at 8:34 the next morning, about four
hours ahead of Clinton’s scheduled
appearance. The former president
arrived a little later than expected, and
his speech began just after 1 p.m.
Acting President Richard V. Hurley
suggested that Clinton might have
chosen to speak at UMW because of its
location, which allowed the event to
attract the attention of Richmond and
Washington, D.C., news organizations –
as well as throngs of excited students.
Jillian Brodie '10
All the World’s
a Stage
In April, UMW hosted the 18th
annual Multicultural Fair, the
capstone of the University’s
Cultural Awareness Series. The
fair, sponsored by Multicultural
Student Affairs and the James
Farmer Multicultural Center,
featured music, dance, fashion,
food, crafts, and children’s
activities that showcased 15
cultures from around the world.
At left, former President William Jefferson
Clinton chats with UMW Acting President
Richard V. Hurley. During a February visit,
Clinton campaigned inside Woodard
Campus Center for Hillary Clinton's bid for
the Democratic presidential nomination.