You’ll notice a couple of changes to ONE.org/campus over the next couple of days, but I want to point out one in particular that you might find handy: the Rock the Vote widget.

Clicking on this little puppy (which you also see to the right here) should give you a screen with a pretty simple form on it. After you fill out this form it auto-completes a voter registration form for you, and you just print and mail. Couldn’t be much easier than that.

Hopefully you all have already gotten the email asking you to take action, but just want to remind you here that President Bush is heading to Africa this week - and we’re ask the presidential candidates to pledge to do the same when they get into office.

You’ll get 500 points for signing the petition, and for the final challenge, that might just be the boost you need to get over the top.  So sign the petition and tell your friends to do the same: 

http://www.one.org/visitafrica/

So where were you last Saturday? Perhaps just chillin in your dorm room and getting excited for Super Tuesday by watching MTV’s ‘Presidential Super Dialogue.’ Well Lucie and I from ONE Seton Hall University WERE THERE!!! Thanks to a hook up from the ONE office, we represented ONE at this event sponsored by MTV, Myspace and the Associated Press which brought together four presidental hopefuls (via satellite) to let young voters tell them whats on their minds.

Unfortunately Lucie and I weren’t able to ask Obama, Hilary, Huckabee, or Ron Paul any questions or even wear our ONE shirt, but we did load our arms up with ONE wristband and made sure that a majority of the audience got a band. The highlight had to be hearing both Obama and Clinton mention that HIV/AIDS would be one the biggest challenges that the would take action on. ONE by ONE we are changing the debate in this country and we can ensure that whoever is going to the White House come November, that they are ready to tackle the issues of extreme poverty and disease.

In preparation for Super Tuesday, Sen. John McCain made a quick stop at Sacred Heart University (his second; he was here in 2000) to campaign a bit with the help of Sen. Joe Lieberman and Congressman Christopher Shays. Many other politicians were in attendance, and ONE was there to make sure they knew about our important issues. We didn’t hesitate in getting each of them to wear the ONE bands, and McCain was included! The event was a huge success with over 2,700 people in attendance. For a full story on the event, check it out on SHU’s website below, and don’t forget to vote!

http://www.sacredheart.edu/pages/21017_mccain_event_draws_2_700_to_pitt_center.cfm

ABC News wants to know who you support for the Presidency, and ONE is making it worth your while - ONE Campus Challenge is giving 2500 points to students who participate by doing the video, and 10000 points if the video is actually shown on ABC News . Submit the video via “create your own action” with the link to your video to get credit points. Check out the ONE Vote ‘08 Site (http://onevote08.org/candidatesvideos) to see where the candidates stand on ONE’s issues.

Read the following email for more information, and good luck!!!

ABC News would like to alert you and your volunteers/members of an opportunity for registered Democrats to participate in an upcoming segment. In fairness to both parties, We are reaching out to multiple student chapters supporting all the candidates.

Gearing up for “Super Tuesday” on February 5th, we want to hear from your members about which candidate they support & why.

How does this candidate represent the future of the party? Why do you think they are deserving of your vote? Tell us which presidential hopeful you endorse and why.

Submit your video response for the opportunity to appear on ABC News platforms.

DEADLINE: Monday, February 4, 2008.

HOW TO UPLOAD VIDEOS:

1) Using a digital camera (we don’t request any fancy equipment) record the 15-30 second video clip.

Do you own a digital camera? Most cameras have a video function that allows the user to record 30 second-1 minute videos. Once recorded, you can upload the video to your computer the same way you’d view digital snapshots!

2) Upload it to the website & VOILA!
http://ugv.abcnews.go.com/Player.aspx?id=1057823

Click on red “RESPOND NOW” Button.

Here is a sample of how your videos could be included in ABC News
programming:

Iowa Caucus: Which Candidate Do You Support?
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4086713

Okay, so the last debates before Super Tuesday are being held in the next two days on CNN. January 30th is the Republican Debate and January 31st is the Democratic Debate. And, since we are the coolest (i.e. most technologically advanced) generation, we get to submit questions to the candidates through an online tool on Politico.com.

Well, I just looked through the 626 questions in the “foreign policy (not Iraq)” category on the Democratic side and, to my dismay, only found 4 questions that relate to global poverty!!

So I know this is a last minute blog, but they are still accepting questions for the democratic debate. I really encourage you all to get on there and either write a question about extreme poverty or vote for one! It literally takes a minute, and I think it’s a great way to show the candidates that we care about this issue and perhaps get the issue talked about on a nationally televised debate!

Oh, and if you need an extra push: you can snag some OCC points for each question under the “make your own action” category!

If you haven’t taken a look at the ONE.org blog recently, now is a good time. Two pretty cool blogs were posted today.

The first references a clip from Senator John McCain’s State of the Union response on MSNBC. While talking with Chris Matthews, John McCain actually interrupts himself to ask Matthews if he has heard of the ONE Campaign before!!!! Check it out here.

The second blog is a snippet from a David Brooks editorial in the New York Times. In the editorial, Brooks compares “the service generation of John and Robert Kennedy” to the “service generation of the One campaign.” I hope the other awesome advocacy organizations don’t get jealous! Then again, this is a campus challenge! Check out the blog here.

Nick Stevens, OCC Regional Outreach Ambassador

Write a letter to the editor to your local paper and raise the profile of global poverty in the presidential election. We have a brand new tool that you can use to write and send a letter directly to your hometown paper. We even have some pre-written letters, talking points and writing tips to get you started. Check it out here:

http://www.onevote08.org/lte

If you submit an LTE this way you’ll pick up 500 points on top of any points you’ll receive later for having your letter published.

At a recent campaign stop in South Carolina, former Sen. Fred Thompson (TN-R)
“was asked if he, ‘as a Christian, as a conservative,’ supported President Bush’s global AIDS initiative.” Sen. Thompson has yet to go On the Record officially at http://www.onevote08.org/ontherecord/ but he told ONE’s Matthew Bartlett that he will “do [his] best”to continue U.S. efforts to aid the poor overseas last year.

His response in South Carolina struck a different tone: “I’m not going to go around the state and the country with regards to a serious problem and say that I’m going to prioritize that.” ONE members have worked hard for months to tell candidates we want them to prioritize these issues. It would be great if ONE members and especially Thompson supporters stepped up their efforts to convince Sen. Thompson these issues are a priority to us.

In response to Thompson, Micheal Gerson wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post explaining why he believes, like ONE does, that “[s]upport for the fight against AIDS is not a matter of being a ‘Christian’ or a ‘conservative’ — or a liberal or a Buddhist. It is an expression of compassion and empathy, which also reflects a serious conception of America’s role in the world.” It is available here.

Birds are singing, the weather is beautiful, and politicians are everywhere you turn. With the South Carolina primaries not so far in the distance it makes sense that many of our presidential candidates in both parties are beginning to make their stops thoughout the state, in particular college campuses. A recent statistic has shown that over 30% of the participants in the Iowa Caucuses in early January were young people of ages 18-25. This is the election that students are beginning to take part in. We have seen that our voice can make the difference and we are turning out in record numbers.

Today, College of Charleston hosted Senator Barack Obama in our Bully Pulpit Series: Reflections on Presidential Communication. In a surprise turn of events, Senator John Kerry first came to the stage to endorse Senator Obama. In all the hullabaloo I couldn’t quite get the best picture with the Senator but told him thank you for supporting the ONE Campaign. And his reply? “There’s nothing else like it, thank you for being part of it; it’s a great campaign.”

Also, Senator John Edwards made his way to North Charleston to volunteer at a local Food Bank which is a distribution center for soup kitchens to feed local impoverished people. When asked for a picture, Senator Edwards jumped to the opportunity stating that the time and effort that we put in as members of ONE is truly extraordinary.

The times, they are a changin’

I’ll continue with updates from South Carolina- Huzzah!

-Seaton, College of Charleston