A ARCO Forum In 1978, the $1,131,280 bill to build the Forum space was paid for by the oil company Atlantic Richfield or ARCO. At a 1977 news conference, ARCO President Thornton Bradshaw explained why. “Big government, for good or for ill, probably is with us to stay. And it is up to all of us — to all Americans — to help make it as effective, sensitive, rational, and responsive as possible.” In September of this year, the ARCO Forum was renamed the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum. A commemorative plaque recognizes ARCO’s contribution, and a new ARCO Lecture Series is slated to begin next year.

B behind the scenes The Forums don’t run themselves. Crews from building services, media services, and catering get the events set up, filmed, and fed. There have also been many Forum directors over the years, including most recently Cathy McLaughlin (now Institute of Politics director) and currently, Bill White MPA 2003. Two staffers, Karin Kane Bloom and Greg Wilson, work long hours rounding out the team. With White they track down speakers, coordinate schedules, book flights and hotel rooms, hire ushers, and push for publicity. They also attend every Forum — even if there are six or seven in one week. (This happens.) Luckily, the staff doesn’t also have to come up with all the ideas for Forums. Students, faculty, book publishers, politicians, friends, and even family members make pitches — 600 to 800 each year.

C cartoonists Dan Wasserman, an editorial cartoonist at the Boston Globe, once wrote that, “Political cartoons, by their nature, are rude. They interrupt, they raise their voices, they wave their graphic hands. They specialize in prodding and provocation.” They can also be just a plain ol’ good time as audiences witnessed when the editorial cartoonists came to the Forum back in 1980, then again in 2002. During last year’s event, the panelists were caught off guard when David Pryor, then-director of the Institute of Politics, asked them to do some impromptu sketching. Hesitant at first (perhaps the muse wasn’t around?), the crew eventually pulled out sketchpads and started to draw.

D dress rehearsal After a long career filled with live concerts, Oscars, and paparazzi, it seems improbable that when Barbra Streisand spoke here in 1995, she insisted on having a closed, full dress rehearsal the night before because she was so nervous. (A first in Forum history.) Joao Abss, media services manager, was one of the few people allowed in. “She was very detail-oriented. We had to set the whole thing up, cameras and all, like it was the real thing,” he said.

E excitement Former Forum Director Nick Mitropoulos once likened the Forum to the old Boston Garden when the Celtics were on a roll. “You can have that kind of excitement in the Forum’s space,” he said in 1998. Add smoke and fire and it gets that much better. On election night 2000, the Forum was packed with return watchers. The place was buzzing with excitement in what would become one of the nation’s most contentious presidential battles in history. People were booing. People were cheering. Then the fire alarm went off at about 11:30 p.m. The old-fashioned popcorn machine started smoking. In no time, the Cambridge Fire Department evacuated everyone to the sidewalk. It was cold. The sky was pitch black. But no one left. After the fire department gave the all-clear sign, everyone came back inside and picked up where they left off. Eventually, at 1:15 a.m., a weary Bill White went to the podium and told people they had to start heading home.

F first forum Ever wonder who graced the stage first? September 20, 1978: “Personal Perspectives on Politics with IOP fellows.”

G green room Yes, there is a Green Room! Also known as the Living Room or the Hold. It’s where speakers have their pictures taken — usually by freelance photographer Martha Stewart, an icon at the school for nearly 25 years — and then get ready to go on. If you’re facing the school from the JFK Street side, it’s to the right of the front steps. But remember: green may mean go in some circles, but this Green Room is VIP only!

H hard numbers First academic year: about 36 Forums. Today: 80 to 100. More than 1,700 events in 25 years. The space fits 500 people; 700 if smaller equipment is used. About 150 extra spaces are available in overflow rooms set up with televisions. Four mikes on three floors.

I Institute of Politics Known as the “IOP,” this group funds and runs the Forum Program. Created in 1966 as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy to inspire students, especially undergraduates, to enter careers in politics and public service, the IOP was a favorite of former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. At initial planning meetings, she was adamant that the IOP inspire debates. “I want an environment like the Boul Mich — Boulevard St. Michel on the Left Bank of Paris — with people sitting around in cafés, talking among themselves,” she said.

J JFK’s birthday Every year from 1988 to 1995, the Forum celebrated President John Kennedy’s birthday with a panel discussion exploring some aspect of public service and his legacy. John, Jr., and Ted participated in almost all of them.

K Kennedys Scores of Kennedys have been active in the Forum over the years. John, Jr., served on the IOP’s senior advisory committee for 15 years before his death in 1999, and spoke many times. Ted is on the advisory board and was at the Forum’s dedication in 1978. He’s spoken at many events and coined the now often-quoted phrase describing the Forum: “A crossroads by day and a meeting place by night.” Caroline; Rory; Robert, Jr.; Kerry; Jean Kennedy; Michael; Ted, Jr.; Patrick; and Joe have also been speakers.

L letting it rip A recent Forum poll shows that people want more debates. The first Forum debate may have set the standard. Back on October 24, 1978, during a live radio broadcast, Massachusetts gubernatorial hopefuls Ed King, a conservative Democrat, and Francis Hatch, a moderate Republican, faced off. Hatch opened with, “Ed King ran Massport…with a credit card for the boys in one hand and the other hand on the throttle of a bulldozer.” It got ugly. As Boston Globe columnist Mike Barnicle wrote the next day, “The two candidates tossed words around like they were chairs in a barroom fight, and they did it only for the benefit of the crowd in the auditorium and a radio audience.”

M much ado about something! George H. W. Bush. Cesar Chavez. Betty Friedan. Carl Sagan. Mario Cuomo. Queen Noor. Desmond Tutu. The Dalai Lama. Marion Wright Edelman. Oscar Arias Sanchez. Jeanne Kirkpatrick. Saul Bellow. Bill Kristol. Zoran Djindjic. Benazir Bhutto. Jack Kemp. Dick Thornburgh. Jesse Jackson. Sarah Jessica Parker. Doris Kearns Goodwin. David McCullough. Cornell West. Gerald Ford. Madeline Albright. Vaclev Klaus. Studs Terkel. Lesley Stahl. Bill O’Reilly MPA 1996. Bill Clinton. Newt Gingrich. F. W. deKlerk. Noam Chomsky. Gloria Steinem. Need we say more?

N neighborhood regulars You see them at every event. The older people sitting up front, having a great time. Usually from the neighborhood, “they’re as reliable as the mailmen,” said one Forum staffer. They’re often retired. Some get all dressed up. Others bring their dinner and make a night of it. They even hold seats for one another.

O opera boxes Study carrels by day, cushiony Forum perches by night. The upholstered seats that line the staircases in the Forum that look like opera boxes are one of the unique features of the space. There are 12 boxes, each measuring 53" x 120". The boxes got a facelift with this past summer’s renovations: new carpet, new seats, and refinished maple benches. The railings remain the same.

P press riser To most Forum goers, the press riser in the back of the room means nothing. The gray, carpeted steps are usually taped off for reporters and TV cameras. If you’re lucky enough to get on it, you’re elevated a little, giving you a slight advantage in seeing the speaker. But for the most part, the press riser is just the press riser. To those who made the transition from the old Littauer building to the new Kennedy School building back in 1978, however, the press riser had a special meaning. Thomas Schelling, head of the early MPA program once said: “When I was a graduate student here, I learned an awful lot on the steps of Littauer Center. But in the Northeast, the climate allows only about two months in the academic year to learn that way. Now our students have in the Forum the comfortable, finest upholstered equivalent of the front steps of Littauer, and a whole year to learn from one another.”

Q Q&A One of the unwavering features of the Forum is the requirement that all speakers answer questions from the audience after they’ve given their talk. As Heather Campion, a former Forum director, noted after Chinese President Jiang Zemin spoke at Harvard’s Sanders Theatre in 1997, without having to answer questions, “The controversy surrounding Jiang Zemin’s speech is an important reminder that the Forum’s firm policy — that everyone who speaks there must take unfiltered questions — is the right one. Even in a university setting, safeguarding truly free speech requires vigilance.”

R renovations Believe it or not, the Forum space has remained pretty much intact since it was first built in 1978. If it ain’t broke, why fix it, right? Unfortunately, even though the space wasn’t broke, it was getting outdated. A week after this year’s graduation, renovations began on the Forum. Plasma screens were added to make it easier to watch from less-than-perfect seats. A state-of-the-art sound system was installed. The space was wired for satellite feeds and video conferencing. New carpet, paint, and finishing touches were added. The portrait of President Kennedy was also moved from the wall near the front door to the wall facing the park entrance. Renovations wrapped up in September to the tune of $3 million, all paid for by the IOP.

S security Security at Forum events is usually pretty minimal — one police officer, maybe two if the topic is contentious. But every once in awhile, the school goes on high alert — an academic lockdown of sorts. Picture sharpshooters on top of the roof and guys in black carrying grenade bags. Imagine bomb-sniffing dogs checking lockers and the streets surrounding the school closed to traffic. It happened in 1995, with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and in 2002, with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

T tough sells Presidents. Foreign diplomats. Military figures. These are the easy sells — the types of Forum speakers that no one at the school raises an eyebrow at when it’s announced they’re going to be here. But poets? Rappers? Celebrities? When actor Warren Beatty came in 1999, there was fear his visit would “ruin” the school. There was concern when Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura — a former pro wrestler — came that same year for a live taping of Chris Matthews’s “Hard Ball College Tour.” And when it was suggested in 2001, that Eve Ensler bring her “Vagina Monologues” to the Forum, the staff got the big N-O. (She eventually came, packing in a huge female undergraduate crowd.) Interestingly, despite their initial reservations, the serious-minded become converts once they see the events.

U undergraduate participation As much as Kennedy School graduate students hate to admit it, the kids over at the college play a key role in the Forum. They sit on the advisory board, track down speakers, research and write the programs, and usher at the events. Look for the eager people walking around in crimson fleece vests.

V video Until fairly recently, if you couldn’t make it to Cambridge to watch a Forum in person, you were basically out of luck. You might be able to catch a 30-second sound bite on your local 11 p.m. news or read a story the next morning in the Boston Globe or Washington Post. A few biggies get rebroadcast on C-Span. But today, you don’t need to rely on outside media. With a computer and the latest version of RealPlayer, you can watch events live via the Internet. (To date, President Musharraf received the biggest online audience when he spoke in September 2002.) And this fall, as part of the Forum renovations, a new server is allowing all Forums to be archived, in their entirety, on the IOP Web site for future video viewing.

W water Everyone wants to know: What kind of special requests do speakers make? Bowls of M&Ms in the Green Room? Photographers shooting only from the left side? Surprisingly, there haven’t been many, at least no outrageous ones. One speaker asked to be picked up from his private jet in a Mercedes S Class. (Request denied. The staff picked him up in a black Crown Victoria.) Most of the special requests have to do with something much simpler: water. European speakers don’t like ice. Some speakers don’t want open glasses on the podium. Most ask for bottled.

X X-traneous No one’s ever accused the Forum of having a split personality, but on certain nights of the year, the space does get temporarily transformed from a center of serious debate to a center of lots of lighter things. In the late 1970s, students discoed there. In December, the space becomes the annual faculty and staff holiday party. The SIF auction calls it home, as does the annual student talent show in April. The Mid-Careers have 15 seconds to introduce themselves each September onstage. One June, the space even hosted graduation during a rainstorm.

Y yellow clapboard house Located at 78 Mount Auburn Street, this was the original, tiny home for the IOP. At the time the Forum was being built in 1978, the IOP was on the hunt for a larger place to bring in speakers. Eventually, it was decided that the IOP would move to the Kennedy School and both manage and fund the Forum events.

Z zero There may be no free lunch, but there are free Forums — in fact, all are free. That’s the beauty. There’s never a cover charge. Zilch. Zip. Zero. The speakers even speak for free. (They get one free night at the Charles Hotel and free airfare, coach only.) Democratic political consultant James Carville apparently doesn’t mind. One of the main reasons he always accepts an invitation to speak in the Forum, he says, is because of the no-cost night at his favorite area hotel. Carville’s spoken three times in the last six years.

Illustrations: Bill Jaynes