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“That’s a big barrier.”
-Aarong Goldstein
Contacting elected officials is a “hit and miss” process. - Todd Carney
Members choose a speaker using online surveys, like Google Forms.
The Roosevelt Institute does not have a budget to pay speakers.
Groups without a budget often bring elected officials. They are legally prohibited from accepting over $50.
Many speakers will not come unless they receive compensation.
Ever wondered how AU student groups bring prominent figures to campus?
“We make bids based on who we think would be the best speaker for the right amount of money”
-Alex Kreger
It's good to have a few dates reserved before even contacting the potential speaker.
The Kennedy Political Union had a budget of about $190,000 for speakers for the 2011-2012 academic year.
Representatives from the Roosevelt Institute, the Kennedy Political Union, AU College Republicans and AU College Democrats explained their process.
“It’s worth reaching for the stars and reaching out to any speakers no matter how big and important they are.”
“Chances are they will be in D.C. at some point.”
- Todd Carney
We try to approach people who are looking to have a dialogue with students.
About a quarter to a fifth of the elected officials contacted respond back.
Word of the event gets out by chalking around campus, posting flyers and sending out email notifications.
If a club does not have any contacts that can help put students and speakers in touch, they can find contact information for elected officials and professors online.
Most of the time, something goes wrong during the event. “That’s where the fun comes from."
- Alex Kreger
Speakers have sometimes shown up over an hour late for a speaking event.
If the speaker is controversial and may incite protests, the clubs communicate with the Department of Public Safety about two weeks in advance to provide security for the speaker.
Todd Carney, President of AU College Republicans, gives speakers an AU mug if they can accept gifts.
And that's how it happens.
“It’s really about being flexible and open to things that may happen and understanding that you have to be able to adjust to things that come up." - Aaron Goldstein
written by Nicole Raz
illustrations by Bo Banducci
thanks to Alex Kreger, Todd Carney, Aaron Goldstein and Casey Brand for their explanations of the process.