New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer made a call to arms at the Center for the Arts Saturday afternoon as part of a gubernatorial campaign stop at the New York State College Democrats Convention.
His short appearance brought several rounds of applause from a group of about 75 College Democrats from schools across the state and other spectators as he spoke on politics, integrity in business and higher education.
"The reason we need a new generation is that ideas have the energy, by and large through our history, to come from folks who are recently out of college, who see the world in a different way, are willing to stand up to the status quo or willing to say, 'Wait a minute, we don't agree with you, and we're going to push that'," Spitzer said.
There are two types of politicians, "those for whom politics is a profession and those for whom politics is a cause," according to the democratic hopeful for New York State Governor.
Spitzer also touched on his legal ventures as state attorney general, where he focused on holding big businesses accountable for their actions.
"We've changed the ethical conduct of some major institutions on Wall Street," he said.
According to Spitzer, there is no one so powerful that they are above the law and no one so powerless that the law does not protect them.
"A lot of people around the country are applauding this," said Clair LaVaute, a sophomore law student.
LaVaute, who is originally from California, was familiar with Spitzer's work even before she moved to New York due to the national publicity his investigations have drawn.
"He's (working) for the people that want to see the game played fairly," LaVaute said.
LaVoute isn't Spitzer's only fan, as his views on higher education draw much applause.
"The current administration has viewed education as a cost and not an investment," Spitzer said.
State legislators recently allocated $270 million for higher education, eliminating Gov. George Pataki's budget proposal to both restrict the Tuition Assistance Program and raise SUNY tuition by $500.
"Education is the foundation for all future economic growth," Spitzer said. "If we don't invest, we lose an opportunity."
Overall, Spitzer spoke about what he believes are points to improve higher education across the state: lowering tuition, investing more in universities and drawing the best scholarship funding to New York schools.
Student Democrats picked up "Spitzer 2006" buttons and were invited to share their views on the upcoming race for New York State Governor.
"It's about time we've had a fresh face," said Justin Vernold, vice president of College Democrats at Buffalo State College. "It's been 12 years since we had a democratic governor."
Students from other schools echoed Vernold's enthusiasm for a democratic governor.
"A democratic governor can work much more effectively with our already democratic assembly, particularly on more state-wide issues," said Jeremy Bennett, a sophomore political science major at Bard College.
UB Democrats said they were looking forward to an interesting election.
"It's good to see that we have some energy," said Corey Mohr, President of UB College Democrats. "Spitzer really wants to turn things around. He's obviously been a watchdog. We've seen that in his office as the attorney general. We've seen him go after Wall Street and the big companies, so he's actually looking out for the people of New York."
Where some students complimented Spitzer on his political agenda, others also praised his views on education.
"He wasn't just (speaking) for the government, but natural investment, to keep people in this state and working here, which is a huge incentive for people," said Scott Nichol, a history and political science major.
Representatives for the Spitzer campaign said they have 16 formal clubs throughout the state in addition to the College Democrats.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
