Gravel to campaign in the Granite State

Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel will campaign in New Hampshire from Sunday, Dec. 16 to Saturday, Dec. 22. Although he may not be as well known as his opponents, the former Alaskan senator does not think that means he should be ignored.

“I offer a change. I offer to empower the American people,” Gravel said in a telephone interview yesterday.

This empowerment would come in the form of a new, fourth branch of government that would require a major change in the Constitution. It’s called the National Initiative for Democracy, and it would be made up of citizens who would have the power to vote on laws along with Congress.

However, Laura Jones, president of College Democrats at UNH, thinks that NID is “really out there” and prevents anyone from taking Gravel seriously as a candidate.

Jones says Gravel’s chances of being president are low, in part because of his big ideas and also because the field of candidates is particularly strong.

Gravel, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1981, has supporters on campus, including junior Chris Liquori.
“(He has) the type of leadership, courage and guts we need in our government,” said Liquori, who hosts “Live with Liquori” on SCAN-TV. Liquori said he is doing “anything he can” to support awareness of Gravel, who, along with Dennis Kucinich, he thinks are “the only genuine candidates for change.”

Gravel said he would like to change the country’s direction, especially when it comes to war.

“This is the third war in my lifetime and it’s totally unnecessary,” he said. “It puts the world in jeopardy.”

During Vietnam, Gravel became known for efforts in ending the draft with filibustering.

“I ended the draft so young people today don’t have to fight,” he said.

In a Bloomberg poll taken this year, 2 percent or less of those polled said they planned to vote for Gravel in the primary. These low poll numbers, along with his low campaign funding, mean he has been excluded from debates.

“The mainstream media has cut me out,” Gravel said. “They don’t want to hear what I have to say.”

sign language courses gain in popularity

American Sign Language has been gaining popularity very quickly each year at UNH, according to ASL Coordinator Pam Broido. When she joined the UNH staff nine years ago, there were only four sections of the class offered each semester. By fall 2008, that number will have grown to 13 sections for ASL One, alone.

There is also a much wider variety of course offerings today than there has ever been. In addition to four levels of ASL, lectures on numerous deaf culture topics are offered, such as deaf studies, deaf culture and linguistics of ASL. In addition, the department has made an internship available to expose students to the field of working with people who are deaf or hard of hearing. UNH students now can also minor in deaf and hard of hearing studies.

Broido is thrilled at the expansion of the program. She believes sign language is extremely valuable to people of all interests and backgrounds.

“This has been fabulous for students in such fields as psychology, sociology, family studies, speech and language, theater, and many others, I’m sure,” she said.

Last semester, an English teaching major wrote, “ASL is a unique and beneficial language for up and coming teachers to learn. I feel that I have a better appreciation and understanding of deaf culture and the deaf community, and I can apply this to all areas of my liberal arts education.” Another student described the course as “one of the most fun and rewarding classes I have taken this far.”

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, roughly 28 million Americans have a hearing impediment. Hearing loss affects 17 out of 1,000 children under age 18. At the age of 65, this number skyrockets to 314 of every 1,000 individuals, and by age 75, 40 to 50 percent of Americans are affected.

pieces of political history on display in Dimond

A Mike Huckabee guitar pick. A John Edwards evergreen sapling. An anti-Nixon monopoly board. A Barry Goldwater bobble-head doll. A JFK card deck—complete with family members as King, Queen and Jack.

These and many other pieces of presidential primary memorabilia are currently on display at the University Museum in Dimond Library. Spanning the decades from Eisenhower to Obama, the collection offers a diverse look at a wide array of candidates as they campaign for votes with trinkets, T-shirts and buttons.

The exhibit covers a 55-year span, but the items are surprisingly similar. Buttons remained popular throughout the years, as well as posters. Even the issues are remarkably similar. In Florida, senior citizens remain most concerned with social security. California residents worry about the environment. Farmers in the Midwest continue to worry about agricultural issues.               

“(The display) is a good way to see what issues concerned people in different states,” said Susan Roman, class of ’74, who donated the collection.

Roman and her husband, Chris Regan, are both Durham attorneys who share a love of campaign memorabilia. Roman’s interest began with her parents, who owned a bookstore in New Hampshire which was visited by several major candidates. Roman never forgot the experience. In high school, Roman’s political interests were sparked further by the war in Vietnam, which she opposed.

It was not until she attended college, however, that she began to amass a collection that would develop into a lifelong hobby.
“Up Close and Personal: A Look at Presidential Politics in New Hampshire” will run until Jan. 22. The museum, located on the first floor of the Dimond Library in the Milne Special Collections and Archives room, is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.