Bill Clinton rallies FIU students during campus visit

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton shined a national spotlight on FIU Tuesday, Sept. 11, with a spirited talk in the U.S. Century Bank Arena that drew national media attention and hundreds of cheering students.

“This school — 50,000 strong, the largest number of graduates from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in STEM fields in the United States — all this represents the best of America,” Clinton said.

The event, organized by the Obama for America campaign, followed Clinton’s show-stopping speech Sept. 5 at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. The senior statesman of the Democratic Party said he came to FIU on the anniversary of Sept. 11 to underscore the importance of doing service for the country. He urged students to get out and vote.

“Be a good citizen,” Clinton said. “I keep hearing young people are not quite as sure as they were four years ago that they are going to vote…If you sit on the sidelines you are responsible for the consequences.”

Along with students, the crowd of 2,300 included faculty and staff, members of the community, as well as reporters from around the country. The 40-minute FIU speech was covered by the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, the L.A. Times, CBS News and MSNBC, among others.

“This is a very good moment for FIU,” said respected Miami attorney George Knox, a visiting professor in the College of Law. “The university is supposed to be a marketplace of ideas… It shows FIU respects different perspectives and welcomes different points of view.”

Freshman Ashley Orozco said Clinton’s visit was great for FIU’s visibility. “To have someone like him [visit] puts us on the map and gets other people to know about FIU.”

Clinton sounded every bit the college professor during his talk, explaining complex policy issues like health care reform so that everyone could understand. He also made a point of speaking directly to the students as he addressed the impact of President Obama’s health care plan on young people and the federal student loan program.

Under President Obama’s “Pay As You Earn,” student loan program, students who borrow money will be able to pay back the loan at a fixed rate no more than 10 percent of their income.

“That means you know you won’t have to drop out of college because you’re afraid you won’t be able to pay back your loans,” Clinton said to thunderous applause. “You never have to take a job because it pays more than being a teacher or a police officer or a doctor in a little town.”

Clinton told the students that in this election, they have to decide what kind of country they want. “I believe reversing America’s slide down to 16^th in the world in the number of people with college degrees and building up places like FIU is the right thing for America’s future,” he said.

Senior psychology major Waqas Memon said he appreciated that Clinton talked about issues that matter to his generation. Students, he said, aren’t always informed about the candidates or the issues.

“When it comes voting, they don’t have the knowledge,” said Memon. “Clinton pointed out things that are important not only to America and the country, but to students.”

School of Hospitality graduate student Mahfoudh Oubadji, a Fulbright scholar from Algeria, said Clinton was his late father’s favorite U.S. president.

“Seeing Bill Clinton has always been a dream,” Oubadji said. “I’m impressed with the system here that makes people so close to politics. When people hear a president in the U.S., they can see him on a campus. Back home you have the president and you see him on the news, but you never get to see him in person. Americans should be grateful they have this system.”

–Deborah O’Neil MA ‘09