Students discuss Clinton's plans for country

Nearly 100 students put aside homework last night and gathered in the East Quad cafeteria to discuss politics and watch President Bill Clinton deliver his annual State of the Union address.

"The 100 people here tonight showed us all how interested U of M students are in politics," said Seth Myers,vice president of the East Quad Representative Assembly. "I hope this continues. I'd like to make this a tradition."

Organized by EQRA, the State of the Union watch party united members of the College Democrats and College Republicans through a debate on Clinton's speech.

Sara Deneweth, co-chair of the College Democrats, said Clinton's commitment to improving education will be extremely beneficial to the University.

"I think this is a wonderful speech," Deneweth said. "In '97, Clinton did a wonderful job focusing on higher education and he's pointing out that he'll now focus on K-12, which complements the University."

Clinton proposed several educational initiatives, including a federal Hope Scholarship, the allocation of $7.3 million to fund 100,000 new teachers and the addition of 5,000 new schools to reduce class size.

Mark Potts, president of the College Republicans, said many Republicans share Clinton's convictions for putting money toward social and economic reforms, although Clinton may never see his policies materialize.

"I was encouraged to see education, welfare reform and social security all brought to the table," Potts said. "Partially, what he's proposed is non-detail specific. It generally sounds good, but it's the implementation and effects of what he's proposed that people will disagree with."

Although organizers of the local event discouraged discussion on Clinton's personal life, a few members of the College Republicans managed to voice their opinions about allegations that the president had a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinski and then told her to lie about.

Republicans managed to voice their opinions about allegations that the president had a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinski and then told her to lie about the affair.

"I had expected that Clinton would want to spend more money on the intern program since it has benefited him so much," LSA first-year student Chad Vance shouted sarcastically during the discussion.

The predominantly democratic crowd responded by defending Clinton and his achievements throughout his two terms.

"He's done a good job overall," said Engineering first-year student Eric Nyman. "The country is stronger than it has ever been because of him."

Potts said recent media coverage of the alleged Clinton scandal is unfortunate because it takes the president's attention away from more important issues, like policy and leadership.

"Politics aside, I think we need to look at the role of the presidency and see how this is weighing down his role in leading the country," Potts said. "This is not a partisan issue."

Students who attended the watching party displayed both appreciation and distaste for many of Clinton's comments. Several students criticized Clinton's proposal to add a dollar and a half tax to cigarettes. Several Inteflex students rejoiced after hearing Clinton's health care initiatives.

Even though many viewers said the address gave them a renewed sense of political interest, it didn't turn some students into Clinton fans.

"My opinion hasn't changed," said LSA sophomore Andrew Nelson. "We've always thought of him as a liar."

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