Ralph Nader

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader will visit the UA today.

Nader, who ran in the last presidential election as a member of the Green Party, will be speaking today at 4 p.m. at the College of Law building.

Nader will give a lecture on international law and ballot access.

The UA Young Greens and Alliance for Peace and Justice in the Middle East worked quickly to put the event together after being contacted by Nader's campaign manager late Friday afternoon.

John Feier, accounting senior and member of the Young Greens, was contacted because he signed up to help the Nader campaign. The Young Greens is not a club recognized by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, although it has been in previous years.

"I was contacted by e-mail and was told he would be coming by, and all he would need is a place. So (I) turned around and did the best I could," Feier said.

The Nader campaign has taken advantage of the Internet to correspond with supporters solely over e-mail, Feier said.

"The Internet has created a different way of campaigning," Feier said.

APJME volunteered to help organize the event.

"They were in a pinch, essentially, so we worked with them to find a venue. It was unexpected," said Nesreen Khashan, a Near Eastern studies graduate student and APJME co-president.

Although APJME doesn't endorse presidential candidates, Khashan felt her club couldn't turn down the opportunity to help set up the event.

"We stepped up on principle of free speech. I feel he has a message and should not be suppressed. This is a democracy," Khashan said. "What chilling message would that send if we didn't welcome him?"

Both Feier and Khashan stressed that their clubs do not endorse Nader for president.

But Feier said students should attend the event.

"He is an incredible human being. He works for the common man and he looks out for the consumer," Feier said. "Whether or not you agree with him on his

presidential race, he is a person worth listening to."

UA College Republicans president Pete Seat only recently became aware of the event but also encouraged students to attend.

"It is important because he is a presidential candidate coming to campus. It doesn't happen very often," Seat said.

The James E. Rogers College of Law does not endorse Nader, said Andy Silverman, a law professor who helped schedule the event.

The event will be located in Room 146 in the College of Law building from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.