The Rev. Al Sharpton, former Democratic primary candidate and minister, will speak at 8 p.m. April 12 in Goldstein Auditorium. The College Democrats and University Union Speakers will co-sponsor the speech.

‘I’m really excited because we’ve never had two speakers in a year,’ said Jessica Klos, president of the College Democrats.

Paul Begala, co-host of CNN’s ‘Crossfire’ who spoke March 20, was also sponsored by the College Democrats. But fewer than 50 students attended the lecture, a fact organizers attribute to the SU men’s basketball game against University of Maryland held that evening.

Organizers believe many more students will attend the Sharpton speech.

‘We’re pretty positive it’s going to sell out,’ Klos said.

The ticket price is not yet determined and may end up being free, Klos said.

University Union approached the College Democrats and asked them to co-sponsor, and the two groups decided split the cost of the speech, Klos said.

Sharpton, 49, of New York joined the primary race in September 2003 and left the race in March after trailing behind other candidates in the initial primary elections. He is sharply critical of the Bush administration and has endorsed John Kerry for the presidential bid.

Published on April 4, 2004 at 12:00 pm