The average political volunteer qualifies for a senior citizen’s discount. College-aged
people are simply not politically involved.
Students are a vital part of the institution. The laws politicians draft today will affect you the most. Whatever your political affiliation, now is the time to get involved. The efforts of the average citizen will influence the laws of tomorrow. Are you comfortable with your role in the process? If not, step up – volunteer your time for your party of choice.
Republican Party: According to their website www.ncfyr.org, the College Republicans are the largest and most established organization for conservative college students in N.C.
Michael D. McKnight, N.C.’s state chairperson, said one of their main goals is to “provide voices of reason and rationality on campuses dominated by left-wing bias.” To contact McKnight about joining his organization, e-mail him at [email protected] .
Another Republican-affiliated group is the N.C. Federation of Young Republicans (NCFYR). It is for registered Republicans aged 18-40 who want to be more involved with the party. Their website is www.ncfyr.org .
Interested in attending the greater Guilford Republican forum? It meets the third Wednesday of each month at the Painted Plate on Church Street. For more information, call 288-6479.
For general questions about the Guilford County Republican Party, check the website, .
Democratic Party: Guilford County has only two college Democrat groups-one at High Point University, the other at A&T.
Guilford alum Mandy Lotz (’58) volunteers with the Guilford County Democratic party. “I would hope that students would become involved in politics with the goal … of being actively involved in the process not only as a volunteer but perhaps as a candidate,” she said. “We’re missing a very large group of people who are going to be impacted by the decisions that the politicians are making.”
To set up a chapter of College Democrats, register at wwcollegedems.com . For more information, contact Tom Coley, the Guilford County Democratic chairperson, at 275-4918.
The Young Democrats of Guilford County will have their last meeting on Nov. 20. For more information, contact Bernadette Wilson at 691-9391. Lunch forums are held on the third Thursday of every month at 12:30 p.m. at the Greensboro Cultural Arts Center. Contact Rob French at 886-1354 for reservations. Lunch costs $8.00 for non-members, $7.00 for members.
Libertarian Party: According to Sean Haugh, executive director of the N.C. Libertarians, “Now is a special time in our history. More than ever, I see young people wanting change, and being willing to make it happen.”
The Libertarians promote people based on merit instead of experience, so they have a higher number of young leaders. Many recent elections across the country yielded elected officials in the party who are in the 18-22 range.
“I’ve met national convention delegates who are in their early teens, and [I’ve] worked with college-age county chairs,” Haugh said. “We encourage young voters to run for office as soon as they are eligible.” In N.C. one must be 21 to run for public office.
UNCG hosts N.C.’s largest college affiliate, which meets each Wednesday from 6:30-9 p.m. Contact Allison Jaynes at 312-2293 for more information.
Green Party: The four basic values of the Green Party are ecology, nonviolence, social justice, and grassroots democracy. Their platform states that “we must have agricultural practices that replenish the soil; move to an energy efficient economy, and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems.”
Currently, one of the critical issues the N.C. Green Party faces is gathering 60,000 signatures to put a Green candidate on the ballot to run against Richard Burr. To help achieve this goal, you can download the petition from their website, http://triadgreens.org , and gather more signatures.
For information about upcoming events, contact Storm Bear Williams, the local Green affiliate at [email protected].