College Dems, Republicans Begin Post-Election Activities

By Michael Westendorf

After working hard on the election earlier this month, both the College Republicans and the College Democrats have elections of their own coming up. The two groups are slated to elect new officers, and the process can become quite competitive, says College Republicans Treasurer Tara Robishaw.

When the Vanguard sought confirmation from the senior officers of the groups in regards to their intentions for either running for their current position or for running for president, only one person would elaborate.

“I have no plans right now to run but if someone happens to nominate me for a position I would gladly run and do my best in the position,” says Melanie Ellison, the newly-appointed recruiting director for the College Republicans. The group just amended their constitution to have officer elections each semester to encourage more participation.

The College Democrats recently stopped the practice of charging incoming members a fee to join.

“We just felt that we do enough work for the campaigns to earn a membership card,” says Justin Alexander, secretary of the group.

In contrast, the College Republicans say they are pleased with the general direction of their group.

“The Youth Counts trips really helped develop some of the new members, including myself, and have really brought some of us close. I think we are doing great things and have some great plans for the group,” says Ellison.

The College Republicans plan on spending the rest of the year helping out the community with various public service projects, such as volunteering at local soup kitchens.

The group, along with the College Dems, also plan on a public debate, similar one held last year, where each organization will field representatives to debate political issues.

The College Democrats have a Casablanca film-themed party coming up, although details have not yet been released. They are also planning a dinner fundraiser and an inauguration event. On Wednesday, the group will have a ‘movie night’. After the formal organization meeting, the group will get together to watch a political film and have popcorn.

Two SVSU professors, John Kaczynski and Stewart French, are helping the College Democrats set up post boxes at the University. According to Alexander, once SVSU has 30 post boxes, the University can have a polling location.