Josh Hartnett to Host Greater Together Student Summit

Actor and Minnesota native Josh Hartnett will join Obama for America National Field Director Jeremy Bird and DNC Vice Chair Mayor RT Rybak to host a student summit at the University of Minnesota on April 14th. The summit is a chance for young Minnesotans to meet other students and young people who are driving this movement in Minnesota.

Students and speakers will discuss strategies for talking about the President's accomplishments -- like student loan reform and affordable health care -- that have had a big impact in Minnesota. Students from campuses across the state will be in attendance including the University of Minnesota, Macalester College, St. Olaf College, Augsberg College, Carleton College, and Hamline University.

In 2008, Minnesota's young people from all regions and all backgrounds came out like never before and helped elect Barack Obama our nation's president. They proved that when we all work together, we can accomplish great things.

The Summit starts at 10:45 at the University of Minnesota's McNamara Alumni Center, but buses are available for students living in St. Paul and Northfield.

Interested in attending, or do you know a Minnesota student who should come? RSVP by clicking here.

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Hartnett, Rybak rally 2012 Obama support on campus
The campaign is attempting to appeal to young voters who helped President Obama into office in 2008.
Actor and director Josh Hartnett, state director for the Obama campaign Jeff Blodgett and Mayor R.T. Rybak connect over personal experiences before going on stage to answer questions on Saturday at the McNamara Alumni Center.

President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign is recruiting big names to speak at college campuses to re-energize the student base that played an integral role in the 2008 election.

Actor Josh Hartnett, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak — who’s also vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee — and the Obama campaign’s National Field Director Jeremy Bird spoke to nearly 250 students at McNamara Alumni Center for the Greater Together Student Summit on Saturday.

The summit is part of the Obama campaign’s strategy to get students involved in the campaign on college campuses. The event included speakers and a forum for students to ask about issues that affect them.

The summit tour has been to several colleges across the country, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Michigan and the University of Iowa.

Obama won with 66 percent of voters under the age of 30 in 2008, but a December 2011 poll from Harvard University showed that Obama’s approval rating among 18 to 29 year olds dropped 12 percentage points to 46 percent over the past two years.

The visit also comes on the heels of Rick Santorum’s exit from the race for the Republican nomination, making it almost certain that Obama will face Mitt Romney in November.

“Obama has a clear record of helping the youth in the last four years, and I think that will speak volumes,” Hartnett said. “I think what [Obama] stands for suits younger people more than the other guys. I think people will be really turned off by Romney, and it will energize people.”

Despite the campaign’s focus on young adults, Nick Amell of the University of Minnesota’s College Republicans said Obama’s policies haven’t created enough jobs — a top concern for students coming out of college.

“I can’t speak for all students, but for conservatives, his pushing of health care reform and job-killing legislation has not sat well with us trying to find jobs,” he said.

Hartnett, who has been absent from the campaign trail since campaigning for John Kerry in 2004, said he was eager to volunteer and help out the president when the campaign called.

Hartnett, a Minnesota native, said he originally became involved in politics when the late Sen. Paul Wellstone spoke on campus before his death in 2002. He’s been interested in the political system ever since.

“There’s a fear, I think, that politics is untouchable and that we don’t have an involvement in politics,” Hartnett said.

During the last election cycle, companies in the entertainment industry donated about $9.2 million to Obama and $1.2 million to Sen. John McCain, according to OpenSecrets.org. The Obama campaign has recruited other stars such as actors America Ferrera and Kal Penn to speak at other Greater Together Student Summits. Penn has also worked on the campaign as a liaison to Asian-Americans.

Although the entertainment industry tends to support Democrats more openly, Amell said celebrities often campaign for Republicans too. He said this can be a useful campaign strategy.

“My opinion is basically, if it’s effective in generating a large group of people rallied around an idea or candidate, then it’s effective in campaigning,” Amell said.

Bryan Martin, a freshman at Macalester College and student volunteer for Obama, said bringing celebrities out may help bring back student enthusiasm.

“I think for some people, seeing a big face like Josh Hartnett or another celebrity getting involved may inspire some people to come out and get more involved in the campaign,” Martin said.

Not all students in attendance were drawn to the celebrity speakers.

Melate Tibebe, a political science sophomore at the University, said the celebrity speaker wasn’t why she attended the event.

“I still don’t know who [Josh Hartnett] is,” Tibebe said. “The younger demographic is not usually motivated, so it’s good to have events where students can express their views.”

Attendees included students from Macalester, Augsburg College, Carleton College, Hamline University, St. Olaf College and other University of Minnesota campuses

The event began with a video laying out all of Obama’s accomplishments in his first term but also highlighting some aspects of the president that could appeal to younger voters, including playing basketball, dancing with Ellen DeGeneres and singing at a campaign event.

The campaign also encouraged students to use different social media outlets to connect their friends to the campaign and rally support.

Rybak said these events are important in regaining the youth support and engaging young people.

“We’re getting people fired up here, and they’re going back to their campuses and getting more people fired up,” Rybak said.

Bird, the campaign field director, said the president’s accomplishments reveal his passion for students and younger voters.

“I think there’s no question that the president’s policies are in line with the success of young people here today and the future they want to have — look at everything from health care to the policies we’ve put on the economy,” Bird said.

“I think when you look at the policy differences between the president and Mitt Romney, I think we have a huge advantage with young people because we’re on the right side.”

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Getting involved with a Hart-throb

Hollywood celebrities and sports stars alike have a large public platform that they can use to do good in their communities. More of these stars need to take advantage of their popularity to push our society toward a better future. With the recent arrival of Hollywood star and Minnesotan Josh Hartnett to campus, the University of Minnesota community got a refreshing voice from someone who is using his celebrity to do good. Hartnett and others got students involved in our democratic and political processes.

Along with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and the state director for President Barack Obama’s campaign, Hartnett came out to speak to students to try to re-energize the very population that helped elect Obama. Their goal was to share Obama’s message about the work he has done for young people. But more importantly, they urged students to be more politically involved by getting out to the polls and participating in forums.

Students seem to need an extra push to get involved in what may be a foreign realm of social responsibility. Hartnett pointed out to the Minnesota Daily that our democracy can be intimidating for young people and “we don’t have an involvement in politics.”

Simply being cynical and complaining to our friends is not enough to see change; we need to be more proactive. More celebrities, including professional athletes, ought to motivate those groups that don’t voice their opinions in order to be more proactive.

Whether you agree with his political leanings or not, Hartnett is being responsible by encouraging political involvement of young people. If we are going to change things for the better, we need to be involved. As Hartnett has shown, celebrities can be a great source for inspiration and motivation.

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Actor Josh Harnett pledges 'total faith' in Obama

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