Partisan clubs lament inaction

Author: Jason F. Siegel

The College Republicans and the College Democrats have many things in common: they believe that the political scene is unquestionably liberal, they view themselves as havens for like-minded students, and they suffer from the political apathy that pervades the campus.

Zach Elmore '08, vice-president of the College Republicans, said that while on campus, Democrat or Republican students tend to be disengaged from political or partisan activities. He believes that students were more likely to get involved in political campaigns at home and not Vermont.

Tara Sun Vanacore '06, member of the College Democrats, agreed. "Middlebury is liberal in name, apathetic in reality," she said. Though she acknowledged that there are fluctuations in attendance coinciding with the political atmosphere in the country, she also admitted that the group has around 100 people on its mailing list, and that fewer than 10 percent of them come regularly to meetings.

This is not to say that the groups have accomplished nothing. Recently, the Democrats brought in Anthony Arnove, author of "Voices of the People's History of America," a performance companion to Howard Zinn's landmark textbook, "The People's History of America." Last year, the Democrats and Republicans together sponsored a voter registration drive, and for the last two years they have organized a Career in Politics Panel. This year's panel will be on April 11.

Both the Democrats and the Republicans view their meetings as a safe space for students. Elmore said that conservative students on campus especially need the space, since they tend to stay quiet about their views. Vanacore described the Democrats' meetings as a place for anyone discontented with the current state of affairs in the nation, rather than just for Democrats.

Additionally, Middlebury clubs are not allowed to accept funding from outside organizations, which means that they are not eligible for the resources of the many conservative foundations or handful of progressive organizations that offer money to spread their viewpoints and hold events amenable to the outsiders' ideologies.

Even so, both groups have nominal connections with their larger parties. The College Republicans recently had dinner with Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie, while the Democrats attended a rally led by former presidential candidate Senator John Kerry in the fall.

Unavailable for comment were representatives of the Progressives. Vanacore remarked that the Progressives were amorphous, while Elmore echoed a similar statement, saying that progressives on campus tend to gravitate toward causes rather than partisan activities.