By Mike Manzoni
HYDE PARK, N.Y-The Oval Office desk on which President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the G.I. Bill. The 1936 Ford Phaeton convertible designed especially for him. The study he used for a couple of his “fireside chats.”
These are some of the many historical items University students saw when they arrived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum here on Saturday.
University History Professor Michael D’Innocenzo, and a handful of his students, traversed part of the 16-acre estate, touring the home where the 32nd president was born before pausing briefly at his rose garden gravesite.
But the reason students took the almost three-hour trip to the Hudson River Valley was to discuss the state of health care in the U.S. at an event sponsored by the National Issues Forums Institute, a non-partisan organization.
The Henry A. Wallace Center-the education center of the library-was the site of the discussions, where a mix of students and adults talked about various ways to improve health care in the U.S.
Some discussed their personal health experiences and difficulty dealing with insurance companies. Others talked about the confusing paperwork from Medicare as they together tried to better understand the complexities of the issue.
“It was interesting to see everyone’s point-of-view, especially from the elderly,” said Anthony Pagan, a freshman.
At the end, a representative from each of the three groups announced their findings and the consensus was unanimous: comprehensive health-care coverage should be provided to all Americans.
Franky Vivacqua, a freshman political science major who attended the event, thinks more young people should get involved in policy discussions.
“We should all act as one community to make sure the issues are known,” he said, “and to help try to get policies implemented so that these issues are resolved.”
D’Innocenzo plans to take another group of students back to the historic library on Oct. 6 for another forum set to focus on the country’s economic problems.