Activist Jared Duval '05 is summer intern
for Dean campaign
This summer, Jared Duval '05 is pairing two of his passions--environmental preservation and political activism--as a full-time volunteer for the campaign of Democratic presidential hopeful Howard B. Dean, the former governor of Vermont.
A 2003 winner of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship for undergraduate excellence in environmental studies, Duval is interning at Dean's national headquarters in Burlington, Vermont, with the support of a Wheaton Fellows award. The Bethel, Vermont, resident is bunking with eight other young volunteers from across the country, in an apartment he describes as "wall-to-wall mattresses." The campaign pays the rent, but not the grocery bills.
"We all live on ramen noodles," Duval says with a laugh.
But who has time to eat? As the campaign's environmental and energy policy intern, Duval is immersing himself in the issues that are closest to his heart.
"I've never worked so hard, 10 to 12 hours a day, doing in-depth research on so many issues--global warming, land protection, [Dean's] record in Vermont. I'm learning stuff I would have wanted to learn anyway," says the political science and economics double major who is aiming for a career in public service.
Practical experience
He's also getting an inside look at a real-life political machine--not a bad opportunity for a young man who aspires to a place in Congress someday. "I'm in the middle of the most successful campaign right now. That's so exciting. It's helpful to see how it all works. You can talk about it in political science classes, but it's not the same."
This hands-on experience is all the more gratifying when facts and figures from Duval's research and analysis appear in the candidate's speeches and position papers. Duval has met Dean during the candidate's regular visits to the Burlington headquarters, although Dean is now spending most of his time in Iowa and New Hampshire, where the presidential primary season begins early in 2004.
A self-described independent, Duval admires what he calls Dean's "smart, common sense" ideas on the environment, but he adds, "What attracts me to Dean is not [so much] about the issues as what he represents for politics in America. The political labels of 'Democrat' and 'Republican' have become meaningless. George W. Bush is moving to the right, and the Democratic leadership in Congress is following him and not providing an alternative.... Dean is standing up on issues Democrats have been wary of lately." As an example, Duval cites the political risk Dean took in 2000--an election year for the then-governor--by signing the controversial Vermont bill allowing gays and lesbians to enter into civil unions.
"That's what leadership needs to be based on--not looking at polls and focus groups, but doing what's right," says Duval. "He won [re-election] easily."
Youthful energy and Internet savvy
Summer polls indicate the maverick candidate is tied for first place in New Hampshire with Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. Dean has particular appeal among America's youth. The chapter of Students for Dean that Duval co-founded at Wheaton last spring is one of about 190 nationwide, "far more than any other candidate," according to Duval.
"I've worked on other campaigns," he says, "where there were older, more cynical, established workers. This one is different. Everyone is so excited and dedicated." Though the hours are long, they pass quickly, he adds. "I don't even notice."
Consonant with its appeal to youth, the Dean campaign has fully exploited the Internet as an organizing and fund-raising tool, bringing thousands of supporters together to strategize and kibitz in bars, cafés and bowling alleys and raising $7.5 million in the second quarter of 2003--more than any of the other eight Democrats vying for the nomination.
"The donations were flooding in," says Duval, "largely through the Internet."
Moving on
In early August, Duval will travel to Arizona to accept his Udall award, which carries a $5,000 scholarship toward his studies at Wheaton. When he returns to Wheaton, he will be joined by his sister Juliet, who will be a first-year student at Wheaton this fall. Duval is delighted.
"She's my best friend," he says. "I'm so excited she's going to be there."
Duval says his internship has been "the experience of a lifetime," from which he has learned a lot. "I've always had an interest in environmental issues. Taking that knowledge back to my economics and political science classes will be very helpful."