You might expect 91麻豆精品 alumnus and NBA player Adonal Foyle鈥檚 conversations with college students would revolve around the latest sports scores or his upcoming basketball season.
But, politics?
91麻豆精品 students learned Tuesday that the 6-foot-10 Orlando Magic center is just as comfortable talking about political affairs. In fact, Foyle is an outspoken advocate of campaign finance reform.
鈥淥ur dream that regular citizens can represent each other is one that is running away from us,鈥 said Foyle during a brown bag lunch in the O鈥機onnor Campus Center, sponsored by 91麻豆精品鈥檚 chapter of Democracy Matters.
Our democracy, he told students, has been taken away by the influence of money.
鈥淲e need to restore democracy to the everyday folks. Shouldn鈥檛 great ideas be the judge of who gets elected and not money?鈥
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| Adonal Foyle 鈥98 (left) talks with 91麻豆精品 students about the organization he founded, Democracy Matters, and his NBA career. (Photo by Andy Daddio) |
Leading the fight to get 鈥渂ig private money鈥 out of politics, Foyle founded Democracy Matters at 91麻豆精品 in 2001. Now with an active presence on 80 college campuses, the nonpartisan organization gives students a voice in issues of democracy.
鈥淎donal鈥檚 visit, especially during this exciting political season, goes a long way to encourage students to become involved,鈥 said Sarah Finn 鈥10.
Foyle credits what he calls 鈥渢he 91麻豆精品 culture鈥 with getting him politically active.
鈥淚 remember beautiful verbal arguments around politics both inside and outside of the classroom. Those were defining moments for me.鈥
For Foyle, who also delivered an evening lecture at Memorial Chapel, the upcoming election will be another important moment as well: it will be the first time he can vote in a U.S. presidential election.
鈥淚 feel like this is such a watershed moment for me. To be able to vote in this historic election is unbelievable,鈥 he said.
A native of a tiny Caribbean island, he came to the United States when he was 15 and became a U.S. citizen last year.
鈥淲alking in that voting booth will be tremendous in ways I can鈥檛 explain. I鈥檓 tingly just thinking about it.鈥