The Orbis

I had the pleasure to sit down with Toni Schneider, a senior in the College of Arts & Science majoring in Public Policy studies with an international emphasis. This past summer, she had the amazing opportunity to work with the Democratic National Committee in Manhattan, NY as the Director of Fundraising. Involved in such an intense and exciting environment, she made the decision to take off the Fall semester and continue to work with the DNC through the November election.

Her job as Director of Fundraising consisted of three duties, which included training all new staff members, leading canvassing efforts and acting as the liaison between counties and the DNC. Her staff was responsible for raising $5 million at her office alone for the Democratic effort.

Schneider landed the job at the DNC through an interesting connection. While at the March for Choice in Washington, DC on April 25, 2004, she was approached by a woman who had seen Toni and a friend carrying a handmade sign that read "Vanderbilt University Students for Choice." The woman was a recruiter for the DNC and was clearly impressed by her Vanderbilt sign. Subsequently, she submitted her application, was interviewed by DNC representatives and placed in New York.

Following her work at the DNC over the summer, she decided to work for the MoveOn political action committee beginning her work as a field organizer in Dearborn, MI. Her responsibilities were not any less significant. She was working 90 to 100 hours per week. The only time she had off was on Saturday nights starting at about 10 p.m. As a field organizer, she was not just training staff but recruiting and training volunteers. They set about to identify infrequent voters and to turn these people out at the polls on Nov. 2. Each day she would spend close to eight hours on the phone, then two to three hours with volunteers.

Through her work she developed a thorough understanding of the Dearborn community, which has the largest population of Arab-Americans in the United States. Another interesting aspect about working with MoveOn was the difference in the volunteers. In Manhattan, she had worked primarily with 17 to 25 year old demographic. Now, she was directing adults and people her parents' age and older. While it was difficult to gain their initial respect because of her age, Toni was able to successfully supervise volunteers in the 25-31 precincts that. every precinct went to John Kerry in the election, a fact of which she is very proud.

Unfortunately, Toni also learned the dark truths about elections. "Voter intimidation was huge. Notes were left on doors on Election Day which said that polling locations had changed or that you could vote tomorrow. It hurts to know that someone took the time to try to get people not to vote," said Schneider. Now that she understands these issues better, Toni certainly feels strongly about election reform and has become a proponent of an Election Day holiday.

"Working on the campaign for seven months, you get wrapped up in it; it is your life," said Toni. She found that Election Day was one of the most humblest experiences. While Michigan went to Kerry, it did vote for the gay marriage ban, the only Kerry state to do so. When Kerry lost, people like Toni, who had invested so much of their time in the election effort were, of course, very upset; however, there was an understanding that it was necessary to pick up the pieces.

Toni adopted the philosophy of life-long activism in the course of her work at the DNC and MoveOn PAC. While she used to be apathetic, she realizes now that this is the best time to be vocal. She does not attack others for their choice of apathy, but rather tries to encourage them to look at the larger social context. According to Toni, "Not only should your rise up, but you should provide a discourse." As a result, she is a strong supporter of Vanderbilt Feminists and College Democrats on campus.

Currently, Toni is hoping to join the Peace Corps, but she is not yet sure where her life will lead her. Perhaps she will stumble into something in much the same way she did during the March for Choice rally. One thing Toni knows is that she does not aspire to be a politician. Instead, she considers herself to be a defender of social justice.

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