tl20080904-01 "Sept. 4, 2008 www.thetowerlight.com The Towerlight Published by Baltimore Student Media for the Towson Univeristy Community Thursday Now on TheTowelright.com: View video Word on the Street and footage from Rep. John Sarbanes speech... FREE Obama camp rallies for student vote Rep. Sarbanes speaks on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Ashley Rabe Assistant News Editor With November rapidly approaching, politicians everywhere are reaching out to the voters. Amidst political conventions and Puff Daddy viral tirades, one locally elected official took time away from the nation�s capital to visit Towson Wednesday. John Sarbanes, D-Md., took center stage at the Speaker�s Circle, located next to Hawkins Hall, in front of a rowdy group of potential young voters. Governor Martin O�Malley was scheduled to speak at the rally, but was unable to attend due to a com-mitment in Ellicott City, according to Sarbanes� commu-nications director David Paulson. C o n g ressman Sarbanes spoke and encouraged students to get out and vote and to be a margin of difference in the November election. �You have a lot of heavy lifting to do to show that you matter,� he said addressing the crowd of students and staff along the hill outside Smith Hall. �If you don�t turn out on Election Day nobody will listen to you come January. There�s a different feel to it this time, different energy. I know you�re going to be there.� Sarbanes and others are scheduled to give similar addresses at Bowie State University, University of Maryland at College Park and Morgan State University. Along with Towson, the tour has also hit University of Maryland Eastern Shore so far. �Essentially what this tour is, is an unconventional rally for change,� Travis Tazelaar, the coordinating campaign director for the tour, said. �Due to the Republican convention this week, we are holding these conventions to coun-terpoise us against the Republicans.� Sarbanes encouraged students to become volunteers, crediting their ener-gy and enthusiasm to get things on the ground done. �They have the ener-gy to spend 12 hours a day knocking on doors,� Sarbanes said. One key point Sarbanes highlighted was that the upcoming election is not about Barack Obama, despite being from the same political party. People who think that need to get reoriented, accord-ing to Sarbanes. �It�s about you, and if you make a difference on Election Day, the history we�ll be celebrating is that young people in this country beat the odds and fought back and made the margin of difference in this election,� Sarbanes said. Some student organizations were present at the rally, including the Progressive Democrats of Towson. �We are here because we want to talk about not only progressive candi-dates but progressive issues,� Heather Kangas, junior political science major, said. �The six months before an election Kristofer Marsh/The Towerlight Representative John Sarbanes addresses students at the Speaker�s Circle during a rally supporting presidential candidate Barack Obama Wednesday, Sept. 3. If you don�t turn out on Election Day nobody will listen to you come January. There�s a different feel to it this time, different energy. John Sarbanes Congressman Democrat, Md. �don Elec Gifts, grants continue to flow in for Towson Latest $300,000 EDA award example of recent fund-raising success by University See VOTE, page 13 Nick DiMarco Senior Editor Towson has been awarded $300,000 over the next three years to help better busi-ness development in Baltimore and Western Maryland. The University received the United States Department of Commerce�s Economic Development Administration grant. This is the second consecutive competitive cycle in which Towson was designated an EDA University Center. From a press release, the grant, �enables [Towson] to enhance economic and business development in the city of Baltimore and in western Maryland by providing their local gov-ernment agencies and business with research, business consulting, economic strategies and technical assistance.� Since President Robert Caret returned to Towson in 2003, the number of contracts and grants to the University have nearly tripled. �One of the areas that we needed to pick up was grants and contracts and we�ve made significant progress,� provost James Clements said regarding the University�s 2010 plan. �Last year, we got just a whole slew of brand new grants and contracts.� In fact, in 2003 Towson operated with about $8 � 9 million in grants and contracts and today is reporting numbers in the low-to mid-20 range. Typically, grants and contracts are funding used to supplement graduate assistantships, See GRANTs, page 12 "
