Kennedy School Students Benefit From Outsiders

Kennedy School of Government (KSG) student Erik C. Jorgensen was listening to a speech at the ARCO Forum when he recognized an audience member.

The face looked familiar, but Jorgensen could not remember how he knew the man--until he realized that it was the man who usually asked him for spare change in the subway.

The two ended up conversing after the event about non-profit issues.

"We're a school of government and public service, so it's nice to see the public involved," Jorgensen says.

Many KSG students say their school seems distinct from other Harvard graduate schools because the graduate school community, and the Institute of Politics (IOP) in particular, tend to attract both other members of the Harvard community and area residents.

But students contend that instead of destroying their graduate school community, these visitors enrich it.

KSG student Robyn L. Pangi says she appreciated the public's involvement at a recent forum about Medicare.

The audience was mostly comprised of students, Pangi says, but at one point an elderly man stood up during the forum to ask a question.

"It was just nice to have a real-world question instead of academic questions," Pangi says.

And appreciation of this mixed community seems to be reciprocal. Just as KSG students say they believe the community involvement adds perspective, community members say they feel that KSG events allow them to learn about current events and hot-button issues.

Jim Lauper, a Boston resident attending a panel discussion this week, says he has been attending IOP events for years for the "intellectual enhancement" they offer.

And Willard S. Kasoff '99 says he finds the topics of the frequent speeches and panel discussions at the KSG "stimulating."

Kasoff adds that when big-name speakers come to the KSG--making seats in the small ARCO Forum hard to come by--the event is always broadcast in rooms elsewhere in the KSG.

In fact, the only complaint of Forum attendees is that the central space is not always adequate for the large crowds drawn when big-name speakers appear there.

Amy C. Dondero, assistant director of the ARCO Forum, says there have been conversations among Forum staff members about possibly rebuilding the space to accommodate more people.

"There's been talk about making renovations, and there have been discussions and meetings with architects," Dondero says. "But there are no definitive plans."

Now, Dondero says, the Forum's capacity depends on the nature of the event.

Normally, the Forum can accommodate 200 to 300 people, with about 150 seats on the floor and more in the balcony and mezzanine areas, Dondero says.

But when Former President Gerald Ford spoke on March 16, for example, rented chairs were set up in the Forum, seating 700 people.

Large events usually require ticket lotteries--with the lottery entrants restricted to Harvard students, faculty and staff.

Those who don't win tickets in the lottery can still watch the presentations on monitors set up in "overflow rooms," Dondero says. If there are empty seats in the audience, though, people in the overflow room may be able to take a seat in the Forum.

Osborne says the closed-circuit broadcasts of Forum events to other rooms allow more people to participate when they might otherwise be turned away at the door.

"This way, the whole Forum is open to the entire community even during major events when tickets are limited to Harvard affiliates," he says.

And because of the open nature of the Forum, attendees say they feel welcome. "We're part of the college community," says Paul A. Janka '99. "I definitely don't feel like I'm imposing."

Pangi adds, "Much like we want access to things going on at the college or the Divinity School, I can't imagine being denied access to them or excluding anyone here."