After a summer of planning and raising funds, Hopkins Engaged has almost finished compiling its list of bands and speakers for the event this month.
Hopkins Engaged, programmed to begin on Sept. 27 during Fall Fest, has been billed as the largest political gathering on any American campus.
The highlight of the event will be speakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties including Chairman of the Maryland Republican Party John M. Kane, Congressman John Sarbanes (D, Maryland) and Brad Heavner, State Director of the Environment Maryland Research & Policy Center and state director of Maryland Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).
Video messages from Senator Benjamin Cardin (D, Maryland) and Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon (D) will also be shown during the event. Organizers of Hopkins Engaged are also trying to confirm if Senator Barbara Mikulski (D, Maryland) will speak during the event.
"The event is really going to be a synergy of all the political student groups on campus," said Dan Teran, sophomore co-chair of the Hopkins Engaged planning committee.
"Every group, from the far left to the far right, will be represented here."
Event organizers did not, however, invite Students for Life and Students for Choice to participate in this event until this week.
Earlier, however, Eva Yopes, senior co-chair of the Hopkins Engaged planning committee, said, "We have spoken to both groups and have decided that abortion is such a hot topic that it generally causes more heated debates, which is against the goals of this event. We want to encourage discussion, but not fighting.? This is nothing against either cause - [it is] simply us trying to maintain the open-minded and friendly atmosphere of this event."
The organizers of Hopkins Engaged have also planned for a massive voter registration drive on campus. The initiative, spearheaded by JHU Votes, a non-partisan voter registration club, will attempt to registrer every Hopkins student to vote.
JHU Votes was originally charging 50 cents to cover the cost of stamps. "We recently discovered that we don't need to do this, so as long as we have proper funding, voter registration will be completely free for students," Sophie Shulman, president of JHU Votes, wrote in an e-mail.
"We plan to have a large area devoted to voter registration- and separate from the partisan tables," Shulman said. "We'll be using the system we already have in place for voter registration, using the National Voter Registration Form which allows students to register in either Maryland or their home state."
JHU Votes plans to recruit volunteers from the various student organizations on campus.
All speakers were contacted individually by the event organizers. Both the Obama and McCain campaigns have not indicated if they will send someone to speak.
"We are hoping that either campaign could send someone, but we understand that it's unlikely since Maryland is not a battleground state," said junior Katie Collins, director of speaker relations for Hopkins Engaged.
Speakers have been asked to address issues such as education, voter registration, political involvement and the general importance of youth in politics.?They have been asked not to discuss their parties or campaigns.
Organizers hope the event will spur students to become mroe politically active. "Our goal is simply to get everyone to register and vote," Teran said.
The initiative was able to obtain significant funding, through the aid of various campus organizations, including HOP, as well as Susan Boswell, Dean of Student Life, and Paula Burger, Dean of Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost. Many donations came from alumni.
The event will occur in front of Gilman Hall. Various musical groups will perform on the steps of Gilman, while an open fair, sponsored by various political groups on campus including the College Democrats and College Republicans, will happen on the Upper Quadrangle.
Administrators have also been involved in organizing the event, helping to obtain the necessary funds. Many have expressed high hopes for the event.
"I think this will be a great celebration of political engagement, an educational as well as a fun event for the Hopkins community," Burger said.
Hopkins Engaged will begin during the day with performances, including one by rapper Wale.
SGA has reported an additional support of $2,000, which was recently voted in a closed session to cover unanticipated background costs for Wale.
