Though they represent opposing views on the political spectrum, Karl Rove and Howard Dean will stand on equal footing tonight -- on the stage of the Eisenhower Auditorium.
During the second installment of the Student Programming Association's Distinguished Speaker Series (DSS), Rove and Dean will each make a short speech and engage in a structured debate on health care. A moderator will ask questions submitted by students via e-mail.
"The committee is really excited," DSS chairman Mike Perone said. "It's the first time we've had two speakers in the same event."
Rove, currently a Fox News contributor and columnist for Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal, is best known for advising President George W. Bush and serving as the White House deputy chief of staff until 2007. Barbara Walters named him the most fascinating person of the year in 2004, and he has often been credited as the architect behind Bush's political campaigns and a key strategist for the Republican Party.
Dean, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has been one of the most prominent faces of the Democratic Party since serving as governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and running an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004.
A practicing physician before entering politics, Dean has long been a proponent of health care reform. He founded the grassroots political organization Democracy for America to build support for the Democratic Party and its health care campaign.
Rove and Dean will meet with the College Republicans the College Democrats, respectively. Leaders of both student groups expressed excitement at the opportunity to speak with such influential figures in modern politics.
"Health care reform is such a complex issue, and it's really exciting to have such experts come and debate on it," said Jessica Pelliciotta, president of College Democrats. "Most of us are lucky enough to be covered under our parents' health care, but as soon as we graduate, we need to worry about our own coverage."
Alex Smith, chairman of College Republicans, also stressed the importance of engaging students in critical issues such as health care.
"Everyone is really excited," Smith said. "I think a lot of people have been paying attention to health care, but on a more distant level."
Rove and Dean have previously debated each other at DePauw University in Indiana. Perone said the DSS committee would not have been interested in bringing the speakers to Penn State individually because the committee receives sponsorship from both political parties.
"I hope that it will be thoroughly civil and intellectual," Perone said. "We got really good feedback so far and were really hoping to keep that momentum going."
