Club Spotlight: College Democrats

Katie Langenfeld

The Lawrence University College Democrats are excited for the upcoming year.
The first item on their agenda is planning the Democrats’ Indoor Picnic. The dinner will take place Tuesday, Oct. 23 in Hiett. You can sign up for the dinner the week of Oct. 15 at your dorm’s desk or at Downer Commons.
Along with picnic fare, the Dems are preparing some light entertainment for the evening, so you should bring your friends to enjoy the terrific food and company.
Heading up the group this year are President Ryan Day, Vice President/Treasurer Dorothy Wickens, Secretary Jeff Solberg and Campus Activities and PR Director Christie McCowen.
Day, Wickens, and McCowen are juniors who inherited leadership of the organization in 2006. The Dems aim to promote democratic ideas as well as to “promote political awareness on our campus,” said Wickens.
These three are thinking about hosting a Dems Dodge Ball Tournament and are “looking into getting some speakers on campus later in the year,” said Day.
The group is gearing this year’s meetings toward discussing political and candidate issues and extends an invitation to those of other political orientations to attend their gatherings. They are interested in and welcome as many opinions as they can find to enliven and enlighten the discussion.
The group will be going to Bj”rklunden the weekend of Oct. 31. If you’d like to join the trip, attending Dems meetings as soon as possible will get your foot in the door.
Two years ago, the Democrats held Dems Week, which the group will repeat this year. Dems Week is a seven-day period of events that include fun activities interspersed with education about democratic ideas.
They also participated in Progressive Week, which was made up of 15 groups who worked together toward a common goal. This event included speakers, forums, and displays and ended with an outdoor concert.
The Dems are also involved in helping with local elections. Last year, they helped with the Penny Schaber campaign. Penny Schaber ran for Assembly District 57 in 2006 and lost to the disappointment of the Lawrence Democratic group.
They are eager for next year’s elections, but acknowledge that it will be a lot of work. Instead of feeling daunted, the Dems anticipate the challenge and are ready to boost the campus with information about voting.
McCowen said, “We have a fantastic group of people this year,” and they are really excited to see what they can do.
The Dems meet Tuesdays at 8 p.m. in the fourth-floor Hiett lounge. If you are interested in joining the Dems, feel free to attend one of their meetings or, for more information, e-mail the group at LUcollegedems@gmail.com.
If you need further encouragement, the Lawrence Democrats offer candy at every meeting.