July 24, 2002
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – More than 1,000 people gathered on the lawn at Vanderbilt Wednesday for some old-fashioned politicking complete with candidate handshakes, hot dogs and a Dixie Land jazz band.
More than 50 candidates and their supporters in the races for Tennessee governor, U.S. Senate, Congress, state legislature, vice mayor and school board participated in the picnic, many waving signs and handing out campaign brochures and stickers. In addition, 15 candidates and representatives for two others in the contests for U.S. Senate, governor and 5th Congressional district were each given two minutes to stand on a Vanderbilt “soap box” and appeal to the voters.
“We wanted to provide our faculty, staff and students who are on campus this summer the opportunity to meet the candidates and participate actively in the political process, and that certainly happened today,” said Michael Schoenfeld, vice chancellor for public affairs. He noted that information about the voting process was available during the community picnic, and nearly 40 people took advantage of the opportunity to register to vote.
This free event was sponsored by the Community Neighborhood and Government Relations office of the Division of Public Affairs. Plans are in the works to schedule a similar event before the November election