Education, health care and stem cell research were three issues Cate Edwards tackled when she spoke to more than 100 ASU students and Tempe residents at a town hall meeting Monday at the Memorial Union.
Edwards, daughter of Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards, told the crowd that her father and John Kerry have a better plan to handle the issues than what the Bush-Cheney ticket is offering.
Katy Chapman, an early childhood education senior, asked Edwards about the campaign's position on the No Child Left Behind Act, a leading educational initiative of the Bush administration aimed at improving the education of disadvantaged students at the pre-collegiate level.
Edwards said the act is a "little bit of a disaster" and the main problem is the lack of funding.
"[No Child Left Behind] identifies failing schools and then abandons them without proper funding," she said.
Tempe resident Sandra Dudden asked Edwards whether the Kerry-Edwards ticket is serious about stem cell research, which is being studied as a possible treatment for diseases such as Parkinson's.
Dudden said her nephew, who is an ASU student, would undergo a stem cell operation in Portugal at the end of this year. She said she is upset because her family has to travel to Portugal to have the operation because of the limited stem cell research allowed in the United States.
"Stem cell research is one issue why I, a registered Republican, am voting for a Democratic candidate," said Dudden.
Architecture freshmen Jonathon Worst, said she really enjoyed Edwards visit.
"She comes here wearing flip flops and a skirt and she is just like us students," Worst said. "She is someone I can relate to because I would have responded differently if she came here wearing a flashy suit."
Political science senior Aaron Begay said he wished other issues were covered.
"I'm a little bit disappointed because she didn't talk about issues such as the economy, which I think is important," said Begay. "But overall, I liked what she had to say."
Reach the reporter at laosamoa.poasa@asu.edu.
