St. Bonaventure’s recent re-installment of the College Democrats club is giving students the opportunity to speak up and get involved, club leaders said.
In the past, College Democrats has hosted a number of on-campus events to promote the Democratic Party, including viewings of the 2008 presidential election and political discussion panels.
The club has also brought a number of local congressional candidates, such as Matt Zeller, to campus for lectures.
Christopher Stanley, a professor of theology and the club’s advisor, said the group was formed because progressive-thinking students wanted their opinions to be heard.
“When I came here, there was no active College Democrats group,” Stanley said. “There was the large active College Republican group, and there were students who were bothered by that. [They] wanted to formulate a group that would represent the democratic perspective, and thus, the group was formed.”
Stanley added the group’s numbers fluctuate in correlation to the electoral cycle, which has resulted in the club ceasing regular meetings and holding events in past years.
According to Stanley, despite low involvement in past years, College Democrats will be re-installed for the semester due to heightened student interest at the club fair last month.
According to Dennis Riordan, a sophomore history major and club leader, participation in College Democrats is open to anyone in the student body.
“College Democrats is a club for students who are Democrat, lean Democrat or are just interested in politics in general,” said Riordan. “College Democrats talk about certain issues that affect both local and national communities and how can we help make a change.”
Riordan said he believes the club brings an interesting dynamic to Bonaventure.
“College Democrats contributes to the campus as a whole by informing the campus [as to] what is happening locally, nationally and internationally, about politics and current events,” Riordan said. “We want to inform the student body [on] how these events affect us as college students right now and how it will affect us in the future.”
Both Stanley and Riordan added that the club plans to host a number of events for the upcoming semester, including an event to inform students on the status of the democratic campaign and the lobbying of state officials to protect important programs from budget cuts.
The group also plans to push lawmakers to pass laws on student financial aid, environmental protection, safety net for the poor and other issues.
The club recently hosted a voter registration drive in conjunction with the College Republicans to get students involved in both local and national elections.
According to Stanley, students should consider joining the club as it provides a number of skills applicable to postgraduate life.
“The College Democrats provide and organize a channel for student with more progressive political views to learn about issues and to actively engage [themselves] in the political process— in an effort to make a difference in the real world,” Stanley said. “In the process, it prepares them to try to make a difference in the world after they graduate and to learn ways of engaging their peers.”
Students interested in joining College Democrats can contact Stanley at cstanley@sbu.edu or Riordan at riordada14@bonaventure.edu.
mcgurllt14@bonaventure.edu
