Students share opinions on candidates through darts, pats

Bush patted for resolve, Kerry patted for poise

Students expressed compliments and criticism toward Sen. John Kerry and President George W. Bush during a dart/pat fund raiser for Free Thinkers on the commons Monday.

Free Thinkers sponsored the event to earn money for its organization, charging 50 cents for each comment. With less than two weeks until the presidential election, students were able to convey opinions on the candidates.

The pats and darts were a fun and creative way to make students think about the election, said senior Maggie Ardiente, vice president of Free Thinkers.

"It’s a good way to get people interested in voting," she said. "We want to remind people what the candidates stand for."

Students offered their opinions on pieces of paper with pictures of either a hand or a dart on them.

Students then anonymously wrote down how they felt about a particular candidate.

"One person spent $5 on darts for Kerry," Ardiente said.

Varying views of each candidate were expressed by students. "Some of [the comments] are funny and make you wonder if they know anything, while some of them make you realize these students watched the debates," said junior Julia Stewart, treasurer of Free Thinkers.

Some of the light-hearted comments included statements such as, "too much botox" as a dart for Kerry. A pat for Bush read, "my daughters are hot."

"I think it’s funny, but at the same time, you hear everyone else’s opinions and get opinions out without forcing them on people," freshman Erin Bennett said.

Students also commented on pertinent issues such as the economy, stem-cell research and the war on terrorism.

About 100 darts and pats were given out, Stewart said.