Winter weather leaves SAD students feeling blue

By Molly Gore

When so many of the forefront issues in the political sphere are about preparing and saving the world for the new generation, there is hardly a better time for young people to get involved.

It is here the College Democrats find their purpose, and as the primaries continue and the national election draws ever closer, they are finding their cause more imperative than ever.

"There are really no words to describe how important it is for young people to be informed. It's of the utmost importance that they know what's going on, especially in California where you have the opportunity to vote on the different issues that stand before the state," said sophomore Rae Heitkamp, public relations chair for the club.

Described by Heitkamp as "a club for any Democrat on campus who wants to become active in the party," the College Democrats extend their membership to anyone interested in learning more about politics and current, politically important issues.

Students may be finding themselves more interested in politics after a year of reports on melting polar ice caps and the emptying social security pot. It's hard not to pay attention to politics lately.

"Environmental issues are huge, such as global warming. People know how much of an effect that can have on different aspects of people's lives. There is the Iraq war, and something is going to have to be done about that soon. And then there's social security, which will obviously impact young people later on," said the co-president of the College Democrats, senior Christine Dafforn.

While focused on informing its own members, the club conducts outreach outside campus boundaries to involve potential voters in registration and local and national elections.

"We are really focused right now on pushing voter registration for voting in the primaries so people don't get to election day and realize they can't vote," said Dafforn.

To encourage voter registration, the group plans to have a registration drive to make forms easily accessible and advertise their availability. To increase registration and participation, the College Democrats' members engage in phone banking, a way of urging registered democrats to vote by contacting them from a call center.

Though the club encourages students and its members to become involved and knowledgeable concerning important issues and the positions of the Democratic Party, it does not officially favor a sole representative in the presidential race.

"We decided not to endorse just one candidate or another, since there are other smaller clubs forming that endorse specific candidates," said Heitkamp.

The club supports the varying viewpoints and political preferences of its members and welcomes anyone who wants to become more involved in politics. When the cohesive political message of the year is all about change, a feeling of welcome diversity seems appropriate, instead of victory over the political right.

"There are definitely a lot of different political perspectives and opinions, and we are really lucky to have that, though our meetings are more discussion-based than styled as debate," said Dafforn.

Contrary to a frequently voiced complaint that Santa Clara is a politically inactive, relatively apathetic campus, both Heitkamp and Dafforn believe that students at Santa Clara fall on the side of the more informed when it comes to politics.

"I think it's because the students here really care about what's going on," said Heitkamp.

Becoming involved in the political sphere requires a level of informed thought and participation, especially in the midst of a currently tight race for the presidency that many predict will rely very much on the participation of the nation's youth.

Next on the agenda for the College Democrats is a forum focused on the primary elections. Though more planning still needs to be done, the Democrats hope to coordinate with the College Republicans and bring in representatives of the leading candidates from both parties.

The College Democrats also have the statewide Democratic Party convention to look forward to, which will be held in San Jose this year.

In the meantime, the club will be focused on increasing visibility and membership, pushing voter registration and participation in the primaries, and providing information resources and opportunities for involvement.

Contact Molly Gore at (408) 551-1918 or mgore@scu.edu.