Hot views during a cold caucus

January 18, 2024

This past weekend, a group of 30 students from the PPP (Philosophy, Politics, and the Public Honors Program), Smith Scholars (Williams College of Business honors cohort), and Political Science programs had front row seats (sometimes literally) as Republican presidential candidates made their final pitches ahead of the Iowa Caucus.   The student trip, funded by generous donations to the Matt Greenaway (’15) Fund for Experiential Learning, gave students the opportunity to learn firsthand about the presidential nominating process, ask presidential candidates questions directly, and share their experiences in interviews with reporters from around the world.   The trip was especially meaningful because Matt’s mom was able to join us and we were able to share stories about Matt’s personal political journey.  Matt, who passed away in 2019, was a Xavier political science alumnus and served as our unofficial tour guide during our trip to Iowa in 2016.   
 
Since nothing that involves presidential politics can be simple, our visit to Iowa coincided with a once-in-a-decade winter storm and frigid temperatures (-19 degrees!) that led to a number of candidate cancellations and at least one fender bender – luckily, nobody was injured, and Xavier University budget officials will be glad to hear that the damage was minor.   The snow did have an upside, as Xavier University students’ heroic extrication of a snowed-in vehicle at a Vivek Ramaswamy event led to a nice write up in the Des Moines Register.   
 
The 2024 Iowa trip represents the fourth time in the last five presidential elections that Xavier has sent students to observe an early presidential campaign (the other three being Iowa in 2008 and 2016, and New Hampshire in 2020).  Special recognition should be given to our fearless group of drivers and chaperones – including Dr. Katie Robiadek, Sean Comer, Juan Patino, former City Council member Liz Keating, and recent alums David Reeves and Maria Fulhorst for braving the cold temperatures and giving students the benefit of their expertise on campaigns and presidential politics.    
 
With the Iowa trip in the books, we are already looking ahead to 2028 when we hope to visit to a warm weather state like South Carolina.   For information on the Matt Greenaway Fund for Experiential Political Learning, visit the fund website.   
 
Dr. Mack Mariani
Professor, Political Science
Interim Director of Philosophy, Politics and the Public Honors Program