As the presidential election quickly came and went, voters became more engrained in the political issues most important to them. Despite those passions, most Americans are frustrated with the state of politics in this country, and the political climate is more polarized than ever before. Yet, there are the rare moments when Republicans and Democrats, Conservatives, and Liberals can come together and embrace differing opinions. Although we are warned by our families to not discuss religion and politics at the dinner table, sometimes it is a rule worth breaking when a unique opportunity knocks on the front door … of your chapter house.
The Psi Chapter brothers at Cornell University hosted political heavyweights Rick Santorum and Howard Dean, Eta ’71 (Yale) at the chapter house on October 18 for dinner. Rick Santorum (R-PA), former U.S. Senator and 2012 presidential candidate, and Howard Dean (D-VT), former governor, DNC chairman and 2004 presidential candidate, attended dinner at the Psi Chapter before a debate presented by the Cornell Republicans and Cornell Democrats on campus. Senator Santorum and Governor Dean came to Cornell to debate “the role of government in a free society,” as it pertains to contentious topics such as healthcare reform and Middle East foreign policy, to name a few. While 1,000 people got the chance to watch the debate in person and several thousand more watched the debate online, fewer than 100 people had the opportunity to sit down, eat dinner, and meet the guests of honor.
The Psi Chapter came upon this opportunity to host Senator Santorum and Governor Dean in July by a stroke of good luck. I serve as the vice chairman of the Cornell Republicans and was one of the three student coordinators who brought Santorum and Dean to campus. When the likelihood of both Santorum and Dean became a definite, I approached our chapter Phi, Peter Galbo ’14, and Gamma, Mike Grisanti ’14, about the possibility of hosting a dinner at our house before the debate. Galbo and Grisanti fully supported the event and gave me the go ahead to include the dinner in the debaters’ contracts. Two weeks later, Santorum and Dean returned the signed contracts, agreeing to attend dinner at the Psi Chapter.
Shortly afterward, I announced the October 18 dinner via email to the chapter’s actives and elders. Tom Roerden ’83 and Grand Chapter Delta Alpha, rallied alumni to attend the event and recruited brothers from other chapters. We were grateful to host Phi Alpha Andrew Nunez, Iota Alpha ’94, and brothers from International Headquarters in Pearl River as well, all thanks to Brother Roerden.
The dinner was a truly amazing experience. Brothers and guests enjoyed taking pictures with Santorum and Dean, talking about the presidential campaigns, and laughing about college days at Penn State and Yale. Roerden even had the opportunity to reteach Dean the “Grip.” At the end of the dinner, Jim Doolittle ’67, the owner of Frontenac Point Vineyard and Estate Winery on Cayuga Lake and our chapter adviser, presented both Santorum and Dean with a bottle of his Founder’s Reserve, a dry red wine dedicated to the founders of Zeta Psi, as a gift for attending. Santorum insisted on trying the wine since he could not take it on the plane, leading to a pre-debate drink with some brothers and guests. Tyler Boisvert ’10 and Sims McGrath III ’10 followed up with presenting both gentlemen with Vineyard Vines ties with the letters of Zeta Psi; they appropriately gave the red tie to Santorum and the blue tie to Dean.
Despite the divisions of red and blue, symbolizing the association as a Republican or Democrat, both men laughed at the joke, shook hands, and patted one another on the back before heading out to Cornell’s Bailey Hall to debate. The remaining actives and elders smiled with pride that this event was successful and that our chapter had put on its best face possible.
I learned later that Santorum and Dean are not enemies at all; on the contrary, they send one another’s family holiday cards and are fairly close. The dinner and debate highlighted that the state of politics in the U.S. has potential to become less divided, and people with very different views can come together. Perhaps talking about politics at the dinner table—albeit with influential guests—is not taboo, especially with a glass of wine.
In TKPhi,
Alex Pruce ’13
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