Hillary woos Vegans

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

If she wants to, Chelsea Clinton can attend UNLV.

First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, during a campaign visit to the UNLV campus Tuesday, accepted a couple of Rebel-oriented gifts on behalf of her teenage daughter.

UNLV Student Body President Aaron Rosenthal presented Clinton with a UNLV sweater and an admission application for Chelsea, who reportedly has not decided where she wants to attend college.

Clinton said that although she and her husband are loyal to the Arkansas Razorbacks college basketball team from their home state, they have watched several UNLV Rebel games on television. Beyond that, she did not comment on Chelsea's choice for a college.

At an afternoon outdoor rally at UNLV, followed by a speech inside a packed Artemus Ham Concert Hall, Clinton underscored the importance of educational goals.

Those include teaching every child to read by third grade, tax-free accounts to save up for college, tax credits for college tuition and tax deductions for other college expenses, she said.

She also defended the Department of Education, one of several federal departments Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole vows to eliminate.

"We have to make sure that all of our schools are part of the information network," she said. "We cannot allow two classes of children, the information haves and the information have-nots."

Clinton said that issues affecting children in today's technological age are just as critical as they were toward the end of the 19th century, when America transformed from an agricultural society to an industrial-based economy.

"Some people still believe that children's issues are women's issues, soft issues," she said. "But I believe they're the hardest issues we face. Strong families create strong communities, which create strong countries."

About as close as Clinton came to bashing the Republicans was when she implied that they want to "pull up the ladder and say no more" to college student loans. Congressional Republicans say they actually have voted for increases in education spending, but Democrats disagree, arguing that the GOP proposals are "cuts" that don't keep up with demand.

"We're investing in America's future, and that's good for all of us," Clinton said. "Bill and I each had federally backed student loans when we went to college. It took a long time to pay them off, but we're grateful we had them."

After the UNLV events and Tuesday evening fund-raisers, Clinton was to have wrapped up her Las Vegas visit this morning by attending a forum on women's economic issues at the Lied Discovery Children's Museum.

Her appearance, following a visit this week by Vice President Al Gore, came a mere two weeks before the Nov. 5 general election.

The rally at UNLV was a Democratic love-fest attended by about 800 people, mostly students. When a small group of Dole supporters held up signs, they were roundly booed, and the crowd followed up by chanting, "Four more years."

Local officials in attendance included Gov. Bob Miller; Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones; Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev.; Clark County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates; state Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas; and Assembly Whip Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas.

State Sen. Bob Coffin, a Democrat vying to unseat Rep. John Ensign, R-Nev., in Nevada's 1st Congressional District, also got a plug from Clinton.

But Clinton mostly stuck to topics pertinent to college students.

While praising the youth of America, she criticized the media for portraying them in a negative light.

"We have the finest generation of young Americans we have ever had in our country," Clinton said.

She urged parents to get involved in their children's education, but she also stressed the need for federal programs such as Head Start that assist needy students.

"If a child can't read by 8 or 9 years old, that child gets discouraged," she said.

Speaking later in the Ham Concert Hall, Clinton stressed familiar campaign slogans such as "building a bridge to the 21st century" and "it takes a village."

That portion of her visit, which included a question-answer session, was part of the Barbara Greenspun Lecture Series sponsored by the publisher of the SUN.

Although both major presidential candidates have been criticized for failing to address racial divisiveness in America, Clinton used the "village" theme to promote unity.

"I don't want my daughter to grow up in an America divided by race, income or religion," she said. "I want her to believe the American dream is within the reach of anyone willing to work hard and take responsibility."

Noting that the president is fond of quipping that the government couldn't manage a "one-car parade," she nonetheless spoke of his view that it can provide for the common good.

"It's a view of government as a partner with businesses, families and communities," Clinton said. "It's a government working side by side with the rest of us."

Clinton also answered a handful of questions forwarded through SUN Editor Brian Greenspun, who attended Georgetown University with the president.

Responding to a question about affirmative action, the first lady said: "Affirmative action does not or should not mean quotas for people not qualified. As the president says, he wants to mend, not end affirmative action. We have to do what we can to ensure that every American, regardless or race or ethnicity, has a fair chance."

She cited South African President Nelson Mandela as a personal hero, noting he sought forgiveness and reconciliation with his former enemies once he was released from prison. Clinton also expressed hope that a woman would become president of the United States within 20 years.

As for her critics, she remarked: "When you are in the public eye, particularly these days, you will be criticized." She noted many first ladies have been targeted over the years such as Dolly Madison, who was chastised for purchasing a $40 French mirror for the White House.

Clinton acknowledged the pain of losing her father to a stroke and her mother-in-law to cancer since her husband became president. She also expressed sorrow over the suicide of longtime friend and White House aide Vince Foster.

"All the personal sniping and political attacks -- after a while you can't be bothered by it because it's part of the landscape," Clinton said. "But losing people you care about can be difficult."