It brought back quite a few political campaigning memories last week attending a political forum on campus after being active in election cycles as a teen, college student, and 20-something.

It was good to see the number of young adults — and others — engaged in organizing and attending the forum in which nine candidates and campaign representatives participated. Iota Mu, UALR’s political science honor society, hosted the forum Oct. 21, in the EIT auditorium. Cory Liebhardt, president of the organization that has won six national awards — four in a row, served as moderator.

Retired Col. Mike Rose (left) represented Sen. Blanche Lincoln’s campaign and spoke of the tax incentives and grants she has helped bring to Arkansas, such as the Recovery Project that supported the EIT building. Zac Wright (right) represented Gov. Mike Beebe’s campaign. Wright told students, “You are the future of our state. You have more at stake in the race for new jobs created.” He asked how many attended public school and talked about the importance of strong K-12 education. Wright also touted Beebe’s grocery cut tax by two-thirds.

Rep. Jeremy Hutchinson (left), District 31, is running for state senate District 22. He responded to a question on the health care bill under President Obama with concerns that the bill didn’t address financing, such as its mandate on state costs.  John Brady (right) is running for U.S. Senate and is concerned about manufacturing jobs going to other countries. He would also like to get back to Thomas Jefferson’s idea of a free education.

Carolyn Ann Smith is running for House District 34. She says she’s a new breed of a politician who wants to get the men in her district who have been incarcerated into a trade.

Rep. Mark Martin, District 87, is running for secretary of state and wants to incorporate his information technology skills to the office to make it more efficient.

Dr. Art English, professor of political science, and Cory Liebhardt thank students for coming — even if they got class credit.

Rep. Dawn Creekmore, District 27,  is running for state senate District 22. She took a question about being a conservative Democrat. She replied that she does support tax cuts but feels she differs in that she sees more of a need for programs to assist — not enable — people in need. Her focus is on getting more college graduates.

John Walker (left) is running for state house District 34 and is concerned about who is funding the lottery and who is receiving the scholarship and the amount of remediation needed with college students and the poorer towns in Arkansas.

David Sanders (right), who is running for the state house District 31, represented the Jim Keet for governor campaign. Sanders is concerned about the amount of taxes Arkansans pay and the relationship taxes play in recruiting companies to the state. Sanders asked how many in the room had at least part-time jobs. It seemed all hands were raised. He told students that they are probably working harder now than they will have to in their professional lives. He would like to see college students be able to pay the same tuition level when they are finishing as when they started.

With mid-term elections now just under a week away, the forum provided an opportunity for the campus community to think about current issues and ask candidates about their views. I just wish we would have gotten to more of the students’ questions, which were  good ones. But we know when politicians get an opportunity at a mic, they know how to use it.

The Iota Mus learned another lesson in event planning: get good food. They got Dynamite Donuts in Searcy to provide fall cookies, American flag cupcakes, and other lures to attract college students.

I think I got a little burnt out of the laborious door-to-door campaigning, making phone calls when no one wants to hear from you, attending numerous rallies, and sending direct mail that no goes straight to the trash. It’s encouraging to see young people who have the enthusiasm and energy to do that thankless work for causes and candidates they believe in. The youth who came by our house sharing the values — that are also important to my household — may have more influence on my vote than he realized, particularly when other guys his age were playing video games.

Don’t forget to vote Tuesday — if not before.