MARISSA HYMAN
Staff Writer

With the gubernatorial race fast approaching, PublicMind took the opportunity to plan two events on topics constantly debated by the candidates: education and health care.
On Oct. 22, Frank Esposito, an Independent candidate for lieutenant governor of New Jersey, discussed “Education Reform: K-12 and Higher Education.”  The central point that Esposito focused on was the lack of state funding for higher education.  He said that part of the reason for this lack of funding is because of New Jersey’s financial instability.  
“New Jersey is facing an $8 million deficit this year,” Esposito said. “In order to try and have people stay in New Jersey, the property tax has to change.”
He believes that the state’s budget needs to be better distributed, in order for more funding to go towards better quality resources for New Jersey public schools. Esposito and others have already been working on trying to rectify the funding situation. 
Esposito was acting dean at Kean’s School of Education, leading 102 faculty members and 4,000 students. He and others developed new programs in education and technology, and reorganized the university from eight to six departments.
In addition, Esposito contributed solutions to statewide math/science teacher shortages, and helped develop an alternate route for teacher certification in the state of New Jersey.
A week earlier, PublicMind had planned to welcome Loretta Weinberg, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor. Weinberg was scheduled to speak on the topic, “Women’s Healthcare Issues.” However, she was unable to attend, due to a campaign rally. PublicMind was able to find a quick replacement, Passaic County Sheriff Jerry Speziale.
Despite not being a health care expert, Speziale was able to give his take on the issue. “My wife is at stage four of breast cancer, so she and I have health care constantly on our minds,” he said. “We support Corzine because of his support of law enforcement, and of what he wants to do for women’s health care.”
Speziale then talked about his area of specialty, which is being an undercover officer. After he was shot in 1986, he was asked the question, “What do you want to do with your career?”  Speziale answered that he wanted to be an undercover officer for narcotics.  He called his shooting incident “the miracle wound,” because it opened the doors to a whole new chapter of his life.
Speziale became one of the youngest recruits for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) task force on drugs, and helped to uncover the most notorious of Columbian kingpins. At the time, the New York City police department did not have a formal training program on how to be an undercover cop. Speziale was told by the department to do what he felt was necessary to do, in order to unravel the Columbian cartel.
While becoming close with Paul Alexander, a sophisticated confidential informant who had once been blacklisted by the DEA, Speziale became well-known under the assumed name Geraldo Bartone. He did things he never thought he would ever do. As Geraldo Bartone, Speziale learned how to pilot planes, build landing strips, skipper Cali-owned yachts that were filled with cocaine, and meet the most powerful kingpins in the drug trade business. During his ten years as an undercover officer, Speziale and other officers have apprehended dozens of high-level dealers and confiscated 22,000 pounds of cocaine.
After his lecture, Speziale stayed behind to autograph his book, “Without A Badge,” which goes into more detail about his life as an undercover officer. Students and faculty were stunned after hearing about Speziale’s time undercover in the Columbian cartel.  
Fred Wied, a political science major, was at first disappointed Weinberg could not attend. Despite her absence, Wied thought Speziale was very enlightening. “Having had a loved one deal with a drug addiction, I could relate to what he [Speziale] was saying,” Wied said. “Being a last-minute replacement, I really think that he was a fantastic speaker.”
Graduate student Heather Suboleski, who is involved with PublicMind, believes the events were a success. “‘Politics on the PublicMind’ provides FDU students, faculty, and staff with the opportunity to hear notable figures from the political world speak on today’s salient issues, which include education, crime prevention, and the New Jersey governor’s race,” she said. “In the quaint setting of the library’s Orangerie, the audience can ask questions and even meet these influential characters. Thus, it provides the FDU community with a forum to respond to what these political figures have to say and get some real answers.”
The final October event for PublicMind took place on Monday, with an appearance by Sheriff Kim Guadagno, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of New Jersey. Her topic of discussion was slated to be “A Brighter Future for All of New Jersey.” Due to publication deadlines, The Metro was unable to cover this event.

KAYLA HASTRUP
Editor-In-Chief

On Oct. 21, President Barack Obama visited FDU’s Metropolitan campus to headline a rally for Gov. Jon Corzine, who is running for re-election.

The sold-out event, which took place in FDU’s Rothman Center, proved to be an exciting opportunity for both FDU and the students who were able to attend.

“This was my first campaign/political event and it was so inspiring,” said senior Melinda Pinto, College at Florham’s Student Government Association president. “I have never experienced an event like this, and it was inspiring how everyone comes together for such a great event.”

The political rally, which was not an FDU-sponsored event, was broadcast on a live newsfeed, and had over 700 viewers at 6 p.m., when Corzine began to speak.

While FDU received only a limited number of tickets, a select few student leaders were allowed to attend. The gymnasium was flooded with Corzine supporters patiently waiting to see the president.
“There were hundreds of people attending the rally,” said senior Phonishia Borsellino, president of Marketing Mix. “The gymnasium floor was filled with people standing shoulder to shoulder, and the bleacher seats on both sides were occupied.”

In addition to the crowded Rothman Center, security was tough, according to Pinto. “There were many people waiting to get in,” she said.

Senior Kristin Fulton said her least favorite part about the rally was all the standing. “Luckily, I wore flat shoes,” she said. “But, if I had on heels I don’t know what I would have done.”

According to senior John Suk, students had to wait in line for over five hours, and then were on their feet the whole time.

Borsellino said it was a long wait, but well worth it.

Much like most political rallies, Corzine took the opportunity to promote his campaign and attack his opponent, Chris Christie.

“Chris Christie is wrong when it matters most” was repeated throughout the rally, which mainly focused on health care and education issues.

The rally started with FDU President J. Michael Adams welcoming a parade of local and national political figures to FDU and the Metropolitan campus.

Corzine’s running mate, Loretta Weinberg, then came out around 5:45 p.m. to start the rally. “We are deeply honored to have [Obama] here with us tonight,” she said.

After attempting to pump the crowd with support for Corzine, Weinberg welcomed Caroline Kennedy.
“We want what is best in New Jersey,” Kennedy said. “That’s why I’m here to support Gov. Jon Corzine.”

Around 6 p.m., Kennedy then welcomed Corzine to take the stage. He continued a strong linking with Obama and attempted to pump up the crowd by repeating mottos such as “Yes, we can.”
Soon after, the president took the stage. He shook hands with many women, including FDU students, who were standing behind the podium.

“My favorite part about the rally was being on stage behind Obama and actually getting to shake his hand,” said Fulton, who holds leadership positions on SGA and the Student Volunteer Association. “It made my week and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.”

Obama’s speech, which concluded around 6:45 p.m., ended with a story that fired up the crowd. He reiterated that “one voice can change a room,” and that “your voice can elect Jon Corzine governor once again of New Jersey.”

According to the FDU Web site, this is the second time a sitting U.S. president has visited the University. In 1996, former President Bill Clinton spoke at the Rothman Center.

While Obama’s visit was a historic event, Adams assured the public that the University has not taken a position in the Nov. 3 election.

“I can assure you that this event did not indicate a partisan measure of support,” Adams said in an Oct. 22 president’s update. “We were contacted by the governor’s campaign office and a request was made to rent our facility and pay for particular services. We approved that use and from then on we sought to ensure that our students could benefit from the occasion.”

Borsellino said being able to attend was a highlight of her academic career.

“I knew it was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear the president speak live,” she said. “I was also very proud of our University for hosting such a phenomenal event, and I felt honored to represent the FDU student body.”

Borsellino said she thought the rally was persuasive, adding, “I couldn’t imagine having a more powerful endorsement than one from President Obama.”

At a time when tensions in the Middle East have never been higher, the Office of Global Learning is pleased to announce that Ambassador Khalid Abdalrazzak Al-Nafisee, from the permanent mission of Saudi Arabia, will be speaking in its first U.N. Pathways lecture series of the semester on March 4. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m, preceded by a light reception at 6 p.m.  He will be lecturing on Saudi Arabia’s influence in the Middle East and in the rest of the world, as well as taking audience questions afterward. 

Ambassador Al-Nafisee comes to speak to FDU students and faculty at a time when Saudi Arabia is under intense scrutiny by the international community, particularly for its alleged human rights violations.  Reuters India reports that a wide spectrum of crimes in the country accounts for the extremely high death penalty convictions, where the guilty are publicly beheaded for violations from murder to desecrating the Koran.

There are many laws in the country aimed specifically at women.  Women are prohibited from working, traveling, and doing other activities without a male guardian.  Because of the limited rights of women, domestic abuse is prevalent among many families.  The United Nations Human Rights Council is insisting that Saudi Arabia cease its corporal punishment, public floggings and discrimination against women. 

The National, a news organization based in the United Arab Emirates, reports that Zaid al-Hussein, Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Commission vice president, attempted to refute claims to mistreatment, torture and abuse by asserting that, “We do not claim to be perfect.”

Although much of its legislation is based on Islamic customs and traditions, it is not the Koran that is to blame.  Different interpretations of the Islamic holy book, as well as different Islamic sects, have different beliefs.  Ultimately, it is up to the individual to interpret the Koran for him/herself.  But should the government turn a blind eye to these individual customs?  Isn’t ignoring human rights violations the same as silently supporting them?  Attend the lecture on March 4 and learn more about Saudi Arabia and its place in the Middle East, as well as the rest of the world.

JACKIE HUMEN
OFFICE OF GLOBAL LEARNING

When election time came in early 2007, I was one of the first to jump on the campaign trail. It was the first time I was able to vote for the president and I wasn’t going to miss my chance to have my voice heard.

In my mind I immediately remembered a scene from one of my favorite childhood TV shows: “Sister, Sister.” An episode aired when one of the lead characters, Tamara, got her first chance to vote. At the voting booth she made a big speech and said, “Women didn’t always have the right to vote, black people didn’t always have the right to vote.” Those words are still with me; they especially echoed when this election began.

It was a surprise to many when I chose to petition for Sen. Hillary Clinton for president. For me it wasn’t about color or gender, it was about politics. I did the research and I was a firm believer in her plan for America. I took a lot of heat for my choice, but it was just that, my choice.

However, in June 2008, it was confirmed that Sen. Barack Obama received the Democratic nomination. It was during that time I made the decision to join the Obama campaign. Since then, I, like many, fought for him to be our president.

Now in February 2009, that dream is a reality. After hundreds of speeches, millions of ballots, round-the-clock news coverage and nearly $1 billion, according to the Chicago Tribune, I am Obama-ed out.
These are words that shocked my peers. Although it something I think many are agreement with. For the past 18 months we’ve been bombarded with non-stop news about President Obama and his family. What his wife wore to the inauguration, the girls’ first day of school and even what kind of dog will roam the White House halls.

It’s safe to say we’ve all had our share of the Obamas. Though what scares me most is that now that the election and inauguration are over, people will lose all that Obama energy. No, we don’t need to hear about his personal life and we definitely need a break, but when executive orders are written and bills are passed it might not be so bad to see news coverage of his events.

Everyone was so excited to be a part of this historical time that they forgot to ask President Obama what his first move will be and his second move and his third and every other move he makes while in the White House.

The historical importance should be well understood, just as much as the importance of his job as president. Although this past week or so, not much attention has been on the Obama family. This is both good and bad. It’s great in the fact that Americans are no longer occupied by his personal life and wife’s fashion sense; however Americans may have lost sight of the real goal at heart. I’m hoping this lack of interest in our new president is only because we’ve been on the “Obama Network” for so long.
The past two years were exciting and fun; they were probably the most historic in our nation’s history. And no matter how celebrity obsessed Americans may be, we can assume, from current political coverage, they’ve had enough of Obamamania for now.

Yes, we are Obama-ed out and hopefully at some point within the next four years we’ll be able to hear President Obama’s name and want to know why it’s mentioned.

KRISTIN FULTON
ASSISTANT EDITOR

What do a university professor, candidate for governor and two investigative journalists have in common? The answer is simple – they will all make appearances at the College at Florham this spring.
Politics on the PublicMind continues this semester with an array of speakers, two of whom have already graced FDU’s campus: Michael Rockland and Steve Lonegan.

Each Friday, the PublicMind and the FDU library host an open seminar. Rockland, author of “Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike,” was the first to speak.

“He [Rockland] was engaging,” said sophomore Michael Litwornia. “He knew what he was talking about.”

The Rutgers University professor visited the school on Feb. 6, kicking off the first of several political talks to come.

Rockland was followed by Steve Lonegan, a candidate for New Jersey governor, on Feb. 13. Lonegan highlighted the values on which America was founded and why he’d make the perfect governor by implanting them.

“America was built on the right to arise to the best possible potential, without the shackles of government,” said Lonegan. “Capitalism is at the core of today’s economy.” He offered this as part of his explanation on why New Jersey is failing as a state.

Lonegan made several references to his early political days as mayor of Bogota, N.J., and the daring moves he made to help his town, some of which included taking on the Bogota police force and capping their salaries.

As finances were at the core of his discussion, he informed the audience of the $40 billion debt New Jersey has acquired over the last decade.

“It is possible that New Jersey will default on the debt within a few years,” said Lonegan. His solution to the problem is a three-point plan. One of the points mentioned was to cut the size of the state government by no less than 20 percent.

As Lonegan’s talk ended, the audience was able to chime in with questions, which eventually led to the end of the event. Both students and faculty were able to participate.

Junior John Cicchino enjoys the Public Mind events. He finds them helpful and likes to hear what politicians have to say.

“I get a first-hand experience,” said Cicchino. As an International Relations major, Cicchino does hope to go into some form of politics in the future. These events are merely a stepping stone.

While some students find these events worthwhile, others do not. There was a larger faculty and staff presence than that of students. At present the events run well and the series may attract more students in the future with the variety of speakers lined up.

The next seminar, scheduled for Feb. 20, will feature investigative journalists Bob Ingle and Sandy McClure, co-authors of “The Soprano State,” a book about corruption in New Jersey.

“It’s interesting to see all aspect of politics” said junior Justin O’Connor, who plans to attend every seminar. “They are very insightful and I’m more informed.”

For a complete schedule of events, contact the FDU library or the PublicMind Web site.

KRISTIN FULTON
ASSISTANT EDITOR

In the 2008 campaign, the number of youth voters has grown substantially because of the desire for change and the candidates who are calling for it. For the youth turnout, this campaign has been quite an exciting year.

FDU’s independent research center, PublicMind, has attempted to recognize this growing interest by adding to its existing research. Along with adding a series of different “hot candidates in New Jersey,” PublicMind has put out new polls and surveys specifically about the 2008 campaign, said graduate assistant Emilio Javier.

Since 2001, FDU’s PublicMind polls have measured “public opinion about candidates, public issues, consumer questions, economic behavior, and other societal attitudes,” said Peter Woolley, executive director of PublicMind.

PublicMind samples the public opinion in New Jersey statewide and conducts between 600 and 1,200 interviews, depending on the study, according to Woolley.

As a research vehicle, PublicMind “offers the complete range of research services to government, non-profit, and private-sector clients, from customized, large-scale studies to just a few survey questions, to consultation,” according to the PublicMind Web site. Its mission is clear: to advance public discourse by publicizing interesting and controversial data and analyses.

Along with research services, PublicMind offers omnibus surveys, where a person can provide his or her questions and the center will add them to its regular surveys. The omnibus question rates are $500 for each prewritten closed-end question, $750 for each closed-end question written for the customer and $350 setup fee for fewer than four questions, according to PublicMind’s Web site.
Some of the previous surveys that PublicMind has conducted are: presidential, New Jersey gubernatorial, Senate, state legislative races, homeland security, terrorism, SARS, disaster preparedness and New Jersey’s state budget, according to the Web site.

PublicMind had hosted lectures at FDU before, but started its breakfast seminar series, “Politics on the PublicMind,” in September 2007, when Javier got on board.

“We thought about doing a series for a while, but never got around to it until September,” Javier said.

KAYLA HASTRUP
News Editor

The ongoing presidential campaign has made for “a very interesting year,” according to Karen J. Kominsky, New Jersey’s political director for the Hillary Clinton campaign. Kominsky came to FDU on March 7 as part of the PublicMind breakfast seminar series, “Politics on the PublicMind.”

Kominsky, who made her mark on the New Jersey government by serving the public interest from positions in both public and private sectors, led a discussion entitled, “Agony and Ecstasy of the New Early Primary Schedule,” according to graduate assistant of PublicMind, Emilio Javier.
Kominsky and the Clinton team started preparing for New Jersey’s early February primary in September 2007, but the presidential campaign didn’t truly hit the state until about mid-January, according to Kominsky.

At the start, “a lot of the team was worried about the snow in February and how it would affect the voting outcome,” said Kominsky. “It turned out we had great weather, and a great turnout.”
Kominsky thinks the great turnout was a result of people’s sincere interest in who is going to be president.

“We knew we had extreme supporters. People who felt Clinton was the best candidate were putting ‘Vote Clinton’ on their business cards, and were making their own buttons,” Kominsky said.
Even though the supporters were strong, the team was still worried about the primary. In order to get the New Jersey votes the Clinton campaign needed, “we took whatever we should do, but New Jerseyized it,” said Kominsky.

The team had call centers throughout the state to help recognize voters’ interests and demands.
Kominsky’s discussion led the third of the breakfast series sponsored by PublicMind, FDU’s independent research center, which started last September. “We wanted to kick off with a series that related to the primaries in February,” Javier said.

The Sept. 7 kick-off featured their first speaker of the semester with Mark Campbell, national political director for Rudy Giuliani’s campaign. The second discussion was lead by Mark Alexander, New Jersey political director for the Barack Obama campaign. The reason for PublicMind’s choice in speakers is “because when Giuliani’s campaign started, it was big in New Jersey, and Clinton and Obama are equally big in New Jersey,” according to Javier.

Peter Woolley, executive director of PublicMind, is able to get the right speakers through PublicMind’s political research.
“We are able to meet the speakers because often they are people who use or criticize our own data,” said Woolley. “They also want the opportunity to meet students.”

On average, only 10 to 12 students have been attending the breakfast seminar series. The rest of the audience includes alumni, faculty and staff, according to Javier. At the Kominsky event, there were approximately seven students and 25 guests.
Kristin Fulton, one of the seven FDU students in attendance, did not mind waking up for the 7:45 a.m. discussion.

“I came because I have an interest in politics. Also, I came to the Mark Alexander discussion, so I wanted to see this one too,” Fulton said.
Sabrina Noel, a FDU student present at the event, agreed with Fulton.
“Besides an interest in politics, I came because it looks good to show up to FDU events like this,” Noel said.

Like the Kominsky event, most of the series have been held early in the morning. The seminars are held early because the professional world, which is PublicMind’s main audience, generally starts earlier than the average college student, according to Woolley. Javier has been trying to reach out to more students.

“We started the seminars on Mondays, but decided to switch to Fridays in hopes that more students would attend,” said Javier. Alexander’s discussion was a popular event. “Obama is very popular among college students,” said Woolley.

All of the PublicMind series are cosponsored by FDU’s library. In order for the library’s Orangerie room (where all events have been held) to be equipped for the speakers, many preparations are needed, according to Colleen DiGregorio, P.R. events coordinator for the library.

“We invite a large amount of people through mail, email, and Web sites,” DiGregorio said. “We also must gather headcount for the seating and breakfast and audio/visual equipment for the speakers.”
DiGregorio would like to have larger turnouts for the future.

“At the Mark Alexander event we had about 40 people. We are hoping for more at other seminars and future library events,” DiGregorio said.

On Friday, March 28, “Politics on the PublicMind” will host a discussion led by the U.S. attorney for the state of New Jersey, Chris Christie.

KAYLA HASTRUP
News Editor

Feb. 5, held New Jersey’s turn at the primary elections for the 2008 presidential campaign. To help students recognize the different parties and candidates, Fairleigh Dickinson University arranged a pre-election roundtable discussion the day before in Lenfell Hall.

Assistant professors of political science Dan Cassino, Krista Jenkins and associate professor Bruce Peabody, as well as executive director of PublicMind Peter Woolley led an informative discussion centering around the importance of the youth vote in political campaigns, as well as their feelings about the candidates in general.

Youth and politics are becoming a more popular combination as the years go on. In the 1970s, the age group of 18 to 29 never bothered to vote; therefore, candidates would write them off, according to Jenkins. Even in the 2004 election, the youth turnout for Iowa was just four percent. The youth turnout of Iowa for the 2008 election had gone up to 13 percent.

These facts served as the basis for a discussion based on the stalemate between the democratic candidates as well as their focus on gearing campaigns towards the younger generation.

Woolley began the discussion by asking all registered voters to identify themselves by standing up. He then told all registered voters who could not vote in the primary election or who were voting republican to sit down. Once they removed themselves from the group, he asked the remaining standing potential voters to divide themselves by those voting for Clinton on the left and Obama on the right. Most people stopped, looked around, and did not move. The primaries were in one day, and the democrats still seemed to be undecided.

The idea of the campaign being a close race is nothing new in the presidential elections, but this year the Democratic Party is facing new and different challenges. One reason for the division between Clinton and Obama, as Jenkins mentioned, was the 13 to 15 percent of youth turnout that was never apparent in other presidential elections.

Jenkins credited the larger turnout of this demographic to candidates such as Obama, who are reaching out to the younger voters in numerous ways. For example, Obama’s campaign team is named “Camp Obama” and generally consists of younger members right out of college. Another thing Jenkins noted was that youth voters ages 18 to 24 were favoring Obama, while the older youth voters, ages 25 to 30, were favoring Clinton.

The students who were in attendance had their own strong views about the candidates. One of the few republicans in the room voiced her opinion about her hatred for Clinton, while various democrats voiced their opinions about their hatred for George W. Bush.

Cassino noted that the separation of those who like Clinton and those who don’t was a distinct division. “People either really really like Hillary Clinton or they really really dislike Clinton,” he said.
This year is clearly an unusual year and there is great uncertainty about not only who is going to vote, but who they are going to vote for, according to Woolley.

Peabody asked Woolley what the number one question is that he gets about the election. Woolley answered that because of the media bias trying to call the election like it is a football game, everyone wants to know, “Who is ahead?” and “Who is going to win?” Obviously, it is not that simple, but ultimately that is the one and only thing voters truly care about.

KAYLA HASTRUP
News Editor