College Dems and GOPers get political, bringing U. with them

The University's two main student political groups are hoping to reverse the trend of declining national voter turnout, especially among college-aged students. With that goal topping their agendas, the College Republicans and College Democrats are set to begin another year of political activism. "Everything is in its early stages right now, so our first meeting will be really important," said College Republicans Chairperson Wendy Mongillo. Last year, the club closed its books with about 50 listed members, 25 of whom were active. Attributing these low numbers to lack of publicity, Mongillo, a College senior, said the club is currently devoting most of its energy to raising student interest. Some of these efforts include a membership booth at CUPID -- where 80-people signed up -- and a table this week on Locust Walk. The College Democrats, led by College senior Aaron Well, have experienced similar turnouts in recent years. The Democrats are hoping for a 55-60 person club with around 35 active members, much like last year. Well attributed the limited political activism on campus to the little interaction between the University and the community. "Since there is no neighborhood feeling, it is difficult to get people involved in the most local, most basic level of politics," he said. Compounding the relatively low turnout rates, participation in both groups traditionally tends to lag as the school year goes on, according to leaders. "People, especially freshmen, realize they don't have as much free time as they thought," Well said. And with no presidential election this year to increase student activism, Well noted that students tend to lose interest in day-to-day issues. To increase student activism, the groups plan to hold events focusing specifically on issues relevant to students. Mongillo said college political groups are an important outlet for young people to "speak their minds and not be bashful about saying what they feel just because they are younger." And Well noted that "young people bring a lot to politics simply by being young and having different ideas." The College Republicans are planning to do many of the same events as last year, including debates with the College Democrats and debates among themselves. The group also hopes to have more involvement with the Penn State College Republicans and to establish a Drexel University chapter of the College Republicans. The College Democrats, meanwhile, are trying to add a visit from Mayor Ed Rendell to their calendar of events -- which also includes several debates. In a year with so few elections in the country, the group will focus on community-based activities, Well said. For example, the group plans to hold a letter-writing campaign focusing on current national issues. And both group leaders said they hope to hold several joint activities in hopes of strengthening the University's political network. The Republicans' first meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday, and the Democrats plan to kick off the year September 23. Each club will hold open general meetings once every two weeks.