---

BY ALEXANDER ROLLE

In print | Published March 19, 2009

The Phoenix’s Alexander Rolle recently conducted an e-mail interview with Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.). Levin is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services and graduated from Swarthmore in 1956.

Alexander Rolle: You’ve long been an advocate of increased federal spending on education, including funding to decrease class sizes. How did your experiences at Swarthmore affect your views on education?

Carl Levin: I entered Swarthmore with a love of education instilled by my parents. I left Swarthmore with a passion for education instilled by my professors and fellow students.

AR: An important aspect of the Swarthmore experience is social responsibility. What do you think colleges and universities can do to accomplish more on this front?

CL: Teach history of what results from not having a cop on the beat, be it Main Street or Wall Street. Teach examples of the contrast in satisfaction between lives motivated exclusively by self-interest and lives motivated more by community well-being.

AR: How can college students become more active in politics, especially after an election?

CL: Offer to intern with office-holders, study history of recent elections and join candidates’ efforts for next elections (Candidates you’ve checked out so you can be sure you believe in them).

AR: Political debate at Swarthmore is famously left leaning. How did this atmosphere affect your philosophy, and do you think it’s good for students?

CL: Debate was freewheeling, open and reflected different points of view when I was at Swarthmore.
That’s the way it should be. What affected my philosophy was that freedom, not the substantive domination of any particular philosophy.

AR: Do you think Swarthmore prepared you well for the world of politics?

CL: Yes. Its environment of academic freedom makes it a great training ground for taking on preconceptions and sacred laws.

AR: What do you think the federal government can or should do to make college more affordable?

CL: We recently have taken the following steps. For the 2008-2009 school year, Congress has increased Pell Grants from $4,050 to $5,100 to help eligible students and families with the cost of college.

Congress has also reduced interest rates on student college loans. In addition, we have joined with President Obama in continuing to make significant investments in these programs.

The recent Recovery bill passed by Congress and signed into law by the President increases the Pell Grant by an additional $500. The Recovery bill also creates a refundable tax credit for up to $2,500 to make college more affordable. These are steps in the right direction.

AR: Did anything you experienced at Swarthmore help you decide to go into politics?

CL: Many, many experiences — including the poverty in Chester compared to the comforts of Swarthmore town. Also, my active involvement in political campaigns in Philly, on student council and in Students for Democratic Action.

AR: What was your favorite place to get away from the work and relax on campus?

CL: The Cutting Collection of Classical Records.

---

« RETURN TO NEWS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »