The Tripod

The Trinity College Republicans Club shows their political pride with their t-shirts.

As the 2008 presidential election approaches, the question of political activity on the Trinity College campus is of increasing importance.

Many students such as, Sarah Gardiner '10, question the amount of political activity among Trinity students. Gardiner points out that, "The few protests or consciousness raising activities that happen seem to be attended by the same general core of people. There's also not a lot of political discussion in general. Sometimes being here really does feel like living in a bubble."

Not surprisingly, the number of active student voters on campus is an increasingly important area of interest. Lindsay Cline from ConnPIRG (Connecticut Public Interest Research Group) says that while it is hard to measure the exact amount of voting interest on campus, there was an improvement last year when the organization registered 80 new voters at Trinity. Voter turnout at the polling station used by Trinity students also increased by 30 percent. When asked to comment on the apathy of students at Trinity, Cline said, "I think like most things, there is a large group of apathetic students, but also a large group of students who really care."

A perfect place to find Trinity students who really do care about current politics are the Trinity College Republicans Club and VOID (Voices Organized in Democracy), the Democratic club on campus. Both groups have specific plans for getting involved in the upcoming presidential primaries and the general election.

Reid Vineis '10 of the College Republicans Club said that for the 2007 elections they will be focusing on issue advocacy, "promoting the traditional ideals of the Republican Party; smaller government, lower taxes, and higher personal liberty." Vineis said that they will begin concentrating on the 2008 presidential elections once a candidate is chosen by the Republican National Convention in September. However, Vineis emphasized the fact that the club does not currently support one particular nominee, but rather will support the candidate the party nominates after the convention.

VOID is still in the planning phase of deciding its actions for the approaching elections. According to VOID members Emily Witt '09 and Ben Schacht '08, they hope to put together a series of debates with the College Republicans Club and other interested groups. Witt said that, "VOID strongly encourages and works to facilitate public political discourse." Like the College Republicans, VOID does not officially support a presidential candidate.

VOID has also gotten involved in local politics in Hartford. They are currently supporting three Working Families Party Candidates and some VOID members will be helping the party in the upcoming Hartford City Council election. Vineis said that the College Republicans Club, on the other hand, wishes to focus their attention where they will make the most impact, such as a congressional race, rather than in the politics of the City of Hartford.

Both the Trinity College Republicans Club and VOID use their regular meetings to discuss current political issues. Witt of VOID said that they "plan upcoming actions," such as the anti-war rally that many members of the group recently attended in Boston. VOID is mostly concerned with the issues of class and war, and Schacht said that they "tend to focus on economic class as a determining factor for the broader socio-political picture."

The College Republicans Club also uses their meetings to enjoy the company of fellow Republicans and express their views in "an environment that isn't hostile to a diversity of thought," Vineis said. He feels that, "Republicans at Trinity are often chastised" because of their political conservatism. The College Republicans Club offers them a chance to feel free to express their views.

The issue that concerns the members of the Trinity College Republicans Club the most is, not surprisingly, the War in Iraq. They advocate for support of the troops, and they also feel that it would be devastating for Iraq as well as the United States if we were to withdraw our troops pre-maturely. Vineis said, "Whether you supported the war, or vigorously opposed it, we should all agree that Iraq is still fragile and a premature withdrawal would only lead to increased violence and instability."

Political opinions aside, increasing the interest in politics among students on campus is an important issue of many. Both VOID and the College Republicans encourage students to vote and are working to educate students about the importance of voting.

Cline of ConnPIRG also stressed the importance of youth across the nation becoming more represented in elections. Politicians are not talking about issues relevant to young people, and subsequently young people are not voting.

Cline hopes that PIRG will end this cycle with its new national campaign, "What's Your Plan?" They have had students ask candidates this very question about issues that young people care about, and have put videos on YouTube.com of students asking the candidates what, exactly, their plans are.

ConnPIRG would like to get students involved on campus with events such as the debate-watching party on Oct. 30. Cline also said that they hope to hold an event for the new "What's Your Plan?" campaign at Trinity sometime in the future.

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