KEENE, N.H.--With the national election still 10 months away and President Clinton facing no major Democratic challengers, it might seem that serious campaigning isn't necessary.

But in a show of support for Clinton, about 35 students from four Boston-area colleges traveled to Keene, New Hampshire on January 20 to campaign for him.

A strong showing in next month's New Hampshire's primary, one of the first steps in the election process, could set a tone for the rest of Clinton's campaign.

"A lot of times people look to the New Hampshire primaries to see a candidate's national strength," says Dan Carney, a sophomore at Boston University, who joined the campaigning effort. "It's important that he have a large voter turnout on his behalf."

Students from Boston University, Northeastern, Brandeis and Harvard met at 9:15 a.m. and were driven to Keene by other Boston volunteers.

The students chose areas with traditionally high Democratic turnout for canvassing. After a short meeting at the Clinton/Gore headquarters to discuss the agenda for the day, they were taken to local neighborhoods to drop off campaign literature.

The students distributed fliers for about two hours and were then driven back to campaign headquarters. Students were provided with lodging in the local YMCA and returned to Boston on Sunday.

The New Hampshire trip was coordinated by Clinton/Gore volunteers, who contacted the college Democrat clubs throughout Boston, asking them to help distribute material.

H. Thayer Kinsberg, a Democratic state legislator from New Hampshire who volunteered to campaign with the students, says he believes the experience will benefit the students and American government in the long run.

"I feel if you become active early, it will be a lifelong process for you on a state and national level," Kinsberg says. "And you develop a sense of awareness which makes for a better government."

The students who participated in distributing fliers say they hope their volunteering will help improve the government.

"I figure the future is in my hands right now and I'm going to do anything I can to save it," says Andrea Lin, a first-year at Boston University. "If [re-electing Clinton and Gore] means giving up a weekend, it's worth it."

The New Hampshire trip gave some active college Democrats the assurance that they did everything in their power to help re-elect the president.

"It's important that people show beyond a vote that they support a candidate," says Dani Deigle, a first-year at Brandeis. "I want to know after the election that I did the best I could to get the person I believed in elected."

Grassroots efforts