"I'm hoping to learn a great deal," Howell said. "Young people with fresh ideas and new ways of looking at the world are really what keep politics interesting and ever-changing."

The groups are: "The Politics of Community Reinvestment," led by James Carras, founding executive director of the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders; "Words as Hard as Cannonballs: Speechmaking and Political Communication in 'The Information Age,'" led by Martha Eddison, a former speechwriter for Mario Cuomo; "Development, the United Nations and the 21st Century: The Need for a New Development Para-digm," led by former U.S. ambassador and U.N. representative Anne Forrester.

"Affirmative Action, Race and Contemporary Politics," led by James S. Hoyte, assistant to the President of Harvard University for diversity and affirmative action and former attorney; "The Emerging Republican Party in the South: A 'Gtass Roots' Perspective," led by James Lombard, former Republican leader of the Florida State House of Representative; "Barbarians at the Gate Independent ant Third Party Politics," led by R. Clayton Mulford, manager for H. Ross Perot's 1992 presidential campaign and general counsel for Perot's United We Stand America, Inc.

"Beyond the Beltway: Flexing Media Muscle in a Presidential Campaign," led by Mary Anne Sharkey, political editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer; "Economic, Social, and Political Forces Affecting Women's Lives. The Search for Solutions," led by Ellen Snee, who worked on the Harvard Project on Women's Psychology and Girls' Development and now teaches at Boston University; "Can a Nation Govern itself When Its Citizens Don't Trust Their Government?" led by Jolene Unsoeld, former Democratic member of the House of Representatives.

"Leadership Styles and Skills: What Works in the Public Service Arena?" led by Kathy Whitmire, former mayor of Houston; and "The Nuts and Bolts of Political Campaigns (or, 101 Uses for Duct Tape," led by Raymond P. Howell, manager for the Weld-Celucci 1994 campaign.

There is also a weekly current affairs dinner table for undergraduates only, led by Paula Childs, an editorial columnist for Tab newspapers