Andrea Knies, the internship coordinator at the Center for Engagement and Opportunities (CEO), got the Sarasota Democratic Party in contact with NCF in order to take eight students to an all-expenses paid Clinton campaign fundraiser.
“My goal is to give the students an experience they would not have on campus, something that could possibly relate to something they are learning or talking about, and something where they would learn something or meet somebody new that’s going to expand their thinking,” Knies said. “With everything I do, with internships and experiences, I try to make sure that it is offered to all students. I don’t want students to feel like their AOC is equivalent to what they are going to do later in life and so I think it’s really important that all students have these options.”
New College students were invited to attend a dinner reception sponsored by the Sarasota Democratic Party and attended by Dennis Cheng of the Hilary Clinton campaign. The reception took place on Nov. 1 at 5:30 p.m. at The Francis hotel and was run by Christine Jennings, the chair of the Sarasota Democratic Party and the person responsible for bringing Cheng in as the keynote speaker.
Cheng is the deputy chief of protocol for the U.S. Department of State and was the Clinton Foundation’s chief development officer until he was asked to join Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign efforts as her campaign finance director. According to the New York Times, Cheng could be responsible for bringing in more than $1 billion in fundraising for Clinton’s presidential bid. The event focused primarily on fundraising, but it also provided general information about Hilary Clinton’s platform and contained a short question and answer portion.
This reception came only a week after Clinton announced the details of her “New College Compact,” which aims to increase college affordability by raising the amount of aid given to states and making college debt-free by partially subsidizing tuition for students who sign a work agreement. Clinton’s plan is a moderate approach to candidate Bernie Sander’s call for tuition-free colleges and, pundits say, is most certainly a response to Sander’s increasing appeal with young people.