When 20-year-old Sara Mailander casts her vote for the first time on Nov. 3, she will have an advantage over others her age. She experienced politics in action firsthand. Mailander, who is enrolled in the pre-med program at Washington University, was a student volunteer for the Commission on Presidential Debates, which sponsored the first 1992 presidential debate. For three fast-paced days of excitement, stress and fun, the Atlantic, Iowa, native was elbow-to-elbow with the famous and powerful.
"I'm naturally interested in this debate and this campaign because it is the first time I'll be able to vote," said Mailander. "I'm really thrilled to work here. It's a great opportunity to be this close to something so important."
Mailander and fellow student Sam Moyn, a junior in history, were selected to assist in the commission's work at Washington University. Moyn, a University City native, has worked for Student Life, the Washington University student newspaper, as a writer and editor. This year he is a copy editor.
Mailander chose Washington University because of its academic reputation and its women's volleyball team, which has been highly successful. She played for the volleyball Bears her freshman year. Moyn and Mailander were among nearly 100 student volunteers who worked at the event.
From early Friday until late Sunday, Mailander and Moyn answered questions from the media and the public, helped credential the press and staff who needed access to the Athletic Complex, answered phones, relayed messages, photocopied memoranda and press releases, and arranged the filing system for the commission.
The pace was frantic. The goal was to provide the best arrangements for everyone so the debate would function smoothly and give the public its best chance yet to evaluate the presidential candidates.
Mailander is used to crowds and pressure. This past summer she lived in New York City and worked at Mount Sinai Hospital, an institution that employs 10,000 people. As a volunteer at the hospital from May to August, she worked for a group of doctors who performed blood marrow transplants for patients with leukemia and lymphoma.
"I basically observed everything they did, went to clinics, meetings and conferences with them and tried to see firsthand what the medical field is like," she said. "I'm a pre-med student and I wanted to know if medicine will be right for me."
It was during this summer of discovery in New York that she was first exposed to the political world.
"The Democratic National Convention was held in New York this summer and it completely took over the city," she related. "It was exciting to be where it was happening, and that experience awakened me politically. I wasn't particularly interested in politics until then."
To help facilitate the first 1992 debate, Mailander and Moyn assembled passes late Saturday afternoon in the office of Joe Worlund, director of intramurals. The passes were color-coded. Purple was the most sought-after pass because it allowed access to nearly every place in the Athletic Complex, including the most coveted of all sites, the Field House, where 600 people would witness the debate firsthand. While neither Mailander nor Moyn had purple staff cards (they had blue), their status still made their friends outside the complex "green with envy."
"My friends are a bit jealous," said Mailander as she placed Washington University stickers on a stack of yellow passes. "One of the big thrills is being around influential people who are shaping America today."
"The man who just walked by is Jack Smith," said Moyn, standing behind a counter. "He does the opening segment for 'This Week With David Brinkley.' They're going to tape that segment tomorrow morning in the room next door."
"And we saw Jim Lehrer (of the McNeil-Lehrer NewsHour) just stroll through the hall a little while back. It was neat," Mailander said.
A CBS staff person poked his head through the door and hurriedly asked if passes for his crew were ready.
"No, I'm sorry," Moyn said. "It'll be another 45 minutes. Then you can pick them up."
The man left, and Moyn bustled out of the room, bringing back another stack of passes.
"We've had to deal with all sorts of questions," Moyn said. "From people wanting to get into the debate who can't, or people like the high school student from California who keeps calling, or people pushing a certain issue or agenda they want covered in the debate, like the man who keeps calling and trying to get a question asked about 'the banking crisis.' I just have to tell them that I'm not the one making decisions, but I'll get the message to the right person."
Mailander and Moyn were joined by Sam Adler, a senior business major from Atlanta, Ga., who had just returned from Lambert International Airport where he had picked up Jim Lehrer, anchor for PBS evening news and moderator of the Oct. 11 debate. "A nice guy," was Adler's capsule evaluation. "He's very easy to talk to."
Chauffeuring a national celebrity and working with the debate commission was a big thrill for Adler. However, his biggest thrill as a student volunteer at Washington University was meeting former President Jimmy Carter before he presented a lecture in the Assembly Series. Adler visited with Carter for 30 minutes before his lecture in the spring of 1991 and marveled at how relaxed he was.
As Adler darted off for another assignment, Mailander and Moyn worked steadily.
Neither offered a prediction on the outcome of the debate, but both were interested in strategies.
"I'm curious to see how the three-way format will affect the debaters," Mailander said. "It could lessen the impact of one person's statements to the other's. It's a first for a televised debate, having three candidates instead of two."
Moyn pondered Bush's strategy as underdog and Perot's role in the debate.
"It's do-or-die for Bush, many people believe, so he may be planning something big for the first debate," he said. "Also, Perot could force both of the other candidates to address the problems of the deficit, which would be very interesting."
Aside from the 45-minute security check of the Athletic Complex that forced everyone outside into the bright October sun, Mailander and Moyn remained bound to the building. Mailander spent much of the day at a photocopier producing a packet for media detailing debate information. She worked furiously on the project up to the debate, and afterward helped to get the debate transcripts onto the floor for the media.
"My experience working for the commission was fantastic," said Mailander. "Not only was I able to be so close to a historic event, but I was in on the logistics of it. Afterwards, I went down to the press center near "Spin Alley." I was surrounded by Tom Foley, Joe Biden, Ron Brown, Marlin Fitzwater and Tom Brokaw. It was incredible to see everyone you see on TV news in front of you at the Washington University Athletic Complex."