C-SPAN bus visits campus

A 45-foot long bus parked in front of the Indiana Memorial Union May 22 and opened its doors to the public. Students were invited into the C-SPAN Campaign 2008 Bus to follow the footsteps of former presidential candidates John Edwards, Mike Huckabee and former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.\nThe bus stopped by IU after greeting winners from Lora L. Batchelor Middle School in CSPAN’s StudentCam competition. The competition encouraged junior high and high school students to create a video involving significant political issues that affect their communities. More than 90 students received rewards for their videos, said Joanne Wheeler, vice president of education relations for C-SPAN. She said the bus, which usually tours around the country to interview presidential candidates, is now going around the country to give presentations and greet some of the StudentCam winners, which included two second place winners and six honorable mentions from Batchelor.\n“We have more winners from Batchelor than any other school in the country,” she said.\nC-SPAN Marketing Representative Jeremy Art said he was impressed by all of the winners of StudentCam.\n“They’re aware government exists,” he said. “They really knew their stuff.”\nAfter congratulating the students, the C-SPAN crew decided to visit campus and pay students and faculty a visit.\n“The reception we’ve had from Bloomington has been wonderful,” Wheeler said.\nMembers of the Bloomington North Rotary Club hopped on the bus after a meeting they had in the IMU. The cameras located in the back of the bus captured some of the members in real time, while others saw them through the monitors in the front. The bus was equipped with two cameras, three large monitors and equipment that cost more than $1 million.\nRotary members were able to watch old C-SPAN footage of Bill Clinton’s interview on the bus in July 1995. They also saw clips of Robert F. Kennedy speeches. Members also played a game called “Faces of C-SPAN,” which flashed many faces of political candidates, former presidents and entertainers who have boarded the bus. Players had to recognize six names and occupations of the people who flashed on the screen.\nArt said the crew of C-SPAN was happy to make a stop at IU, and they look forward to visiting again.\n“I’m not going to rule it out,” he said. “This is the crossroads of America.”\nBus driver Mike Connors has been driving this C-SPAN bus for 12 years, driving the bus through 49 states – excluding Hawaii. He said he wouldn’t want to have any other job than driving the bus, meeting influential Americans and learning more about the country.\n“It’s a waste of an accounting degree,” he said. “But it offers more education. Every person we meet has a story to tell.”\nVice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission and IU Center on Congress Director Lee Hamilton decided to pay a visit. He signed two copies of his book, “How Congress Works and Why You Should Care,” for Wheeler. He and the crew expressed admiration for the IU campus, and Hamilton gave extra admiration for C-SPAN.\n“It’s a terrific thing C-SPAN is doing,” he said. “They make the government more transparent, and the government needs that badly.”\nHamilton said he thought the bus was “very nice” and said C-SPAN offered the public not only information, but a voice.\n“Ordinary people have a desire to know and have a desire to talk about what they know,” he said. “This is good for them to see.”