Twenty members of the University Democrats spent Friday night attending the Kennedy-King Memorial Dinner, where President Clinton and other prominent Democrats converged to promote the party's success. According to University Democrats members, Clinton addressed national concerns like health care, nuclear testing and the prosperity of the economy.
"Clinton gave a stirring and optimistic speech," said fourth-year College student Dan Payne, who attended the dinner. "He credited a lot of why the economy is doing so well to the democratic leadership under his last two terms as President."
While Clinton declined to discuss upcoming elections, for the 2000 Senate race he did endorse Sen. Charles Robb (D-Va) over former Virginia Gov. George Allen (R), who now works in a Richmond law firm, Payne said.
The dinner, which is held annually, serves both as a tribute to Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. and as a fundraising event for local Virginia races.
"It's mostly a dinner to honor the Civil Rights Movement and specifically the efforts of Kennedy and King," University Democrats President Ashley McDonald said.
The dinner also was organized to help raise funds for Democratic candidates running for Virginia General Assembly seats this year, said Rhodes Ritenour, fourth-year College student and former University Democrats president.
University Democrats Vice President Ade Patton said the event raised $100,000. A seat at the dinner cost between $75 and $3,000 per plate, depending on its location and prestige.
However, students were required to pay only $50 to attend because dinner organizers wanted to make the event more affordable for students and to promote the "future of the party," Ritenour said.
The dinner provided University Democrats members with the opportunity for a lot of "mixing and mingling around," McDonald said.
"We also got to talk to other members from other schools like JMU and Randolph-Macon," Payne said.
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