IOP Fancies National Focus

With an e-mail to 2,000 students and an open forum last night, the Institute of Politics (IOP) has announced its intention to expand Harvard programs on a national scale in an attempt to increase youth involvement in politics.

Nearly 30 students met to brainstorm ways for the IOP to use its clout to combat the widespread youth apathy they described as a national political crisis—a shift they said would not strain the IOP’s student and financial resources.

They floated suggestions ranging from organizing a national student voter registration drive to teaming up with MTV’s “Rock the Vote.” In addition to these potential new projects, Harvard’s Civics program, which teaches civics to inner city middle-schoolers, is already being replicated nationally.

The IOP is also considering organizing a conference with college students from across the country or a national summit of young political leaders. At last night’s meeting, one student even suggested a national march on Washington to demand youth issues be addressed.

But these plans, which could begin as soon as next semester, could force cutbacks on some extra spending like reducing the number of book clubs or “Pizza and Politics” events, IOP Director Daniel R. Glickman said.

“If done right it will make what we do at Harvard better. But it will come at a cost,” said Peter P. Buttigieg ’04, the president of the IOP’s Student Advisory Committee.

But students—many of whom attended the meeting after receiving Glickman’s e-mail soliciting their feedback—said they were enthusiastic about the IOP’s direction.

“What we have is a vision and our task is to turn those ideas into action,” Buttigieg said.

While these ideas aren’t new, students said, they are solidifying now as a result of recent changes in the IOP’s leadership. Glickman’s arrival at the IOP in August catalyzed the process because of the new director’s commitment to the idea of national work, Buttigieg said.

And in last month’s student elections, the candidates for SAC president ran on platforms emphasizing the IOP’s need to expand nationwide.

Following the elections, a working group of six students and five IOP staff members was formed to spearhead the initiative.

Glickman said the IOP’s unparalleled resources, which regularly bring political celebrities to its JFK Street home, enable the institute to reach out to other colleges.

“We decided it is time to get involved because we have so much to offer,” said Buttigieg.

Glickman said he hopes that developing programs with a greater national relevance will attract a more diverse group of students to the IOP.

In the past, the student leadership has been criticized as overly insular and highly political.

In November 2000, then-director David H. Pryor disbanded the IOP’s self-selecting SAC to institute open elections for the student governing board.

Now, more than two years after this change, students said the IOP’s new focus on outreach will increase the sense of community for the student members.

“Internally, we will see more student involvement and a better feeling of community because we will all have this common purpose of improving political engagement on a broader level,” Buttigieg said.

Students said the IOP will be careful, even as it tries to organize involvement in politics across college campuses, not to monopolize the political scene.

“The idea is not to create other institutes. We are just talking about projects that can reach out to other campuses,” said Caroline E. Adler ’04, an IOP member-at-large.

IOP members said they hope that more national outreach can help them fulfill the IOP’s initial purpose.

“We need to inspire young people into believing that the government has an impact into their lives,” Glickman said.

—Staff writer Faryl Ury can be reached at ury@fas.harvard.edu.