Republicans ready to 'kick ass'
By: Scott Carroll
Issue date: 2/1/10 Section: Other Stories
After a two-year hiatus, the student organization College Republicans is organizing to spread their ideals and counter what they believe to be a liberal bias at The U of M.
"People are starting to get fed up," said College Republicans President Tyler DeWitt.
With The U of M hosting notable left-wing speakers Reverend Jeremiah Wright and Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now founder Wade Rathke in the last two years, DeWitt, a sophomore accounting major, questioned the absence of a well-known conservative speaker on campus.
"It's unfair to not include the other side," DeWitt said.
With that in mind, DeWitt and the newly reinstated College Republicans will host the recently-elected Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey at the Panhellenic Ballroom on Feb. 5 at 12:30 p.m. Kelsey, a Germantown native, is expected to speak to the group on what it means to be a young Republican.
DeWitt said he hopes Kelsey sparks the interest of the "quiet Republicans" on campus.
"We're trying to get the Republican message out there," DeWitt said. "We're just trying to unite people and give people a forum to get together and talk about what it means to be a young Republican."
The group has designed an attention-grabbing t-shirt as part of their efforts to recruit new members. On the shirt, a muscle-bound elephant with the American flag tattooed on his bicep stands before a beaten, bandaged donkey. Printed underneath is the phrase, "It's time to kick ass!"
The group plans to push for gubernatorial debates on-campus, as well as volunteer for Republican causes. Though they have found new life under DeWitt, the last two years were a struggle.
Lisa Huffstetler, political science instructor and College Republicans faculty advisor, said the organization fell apart after an unsuccessful transition to new leadership.
"Sometimes you can have real vibrant leadership, but when that leadership graduates and they pass the baton on to someone and they don't keep up with it, it's just really easy for the organization to fall apart," she said.
"People are starting to get fed up," said College Republicans President Tyler DeWitt.
With The U of M hosting notable left-wing speakers Reverend Jeremiah Wright and Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now founder Wade Rathke in the last two years, DeWitt, a sophomore accounting major, questioned the absence of a well-known conservative speaker on campus.
"It's unfair to not include the other side," DeWitt said.
With that in mind, DeWitt and the newly reinstated College Republicans will host the recently-elected Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey at the Panhellenic Ballroom on Feb. 5 at 12:30 p.m. Kelsey, a Germantown native, is expected to speak to the group on what it means to be a young Republican.
DeWitt said he hopes Kelsey sparks the interest of the "quiet Republicans" on campus.
"We're trying to get the Republican message out there," DeWitt said. "We're just trying to unite people and give people a forum to get together and talk about what it means to be a young Republican."
The group has designed an attention-grabbing t-shirt as part of their efforts to recruit new members. On the shirt, a muscle-bound elephant with the American flag tattooed on his bicep stands before a beaten, bandaged donkey. Printed underneath is the phrase, "It's time to kick ass!"
The group plans to push for gubernatorial debates on-campus, as well as volunteer for Republican causes. Though they have found new life under DeWitt, the last two years were a struggle.
Lisa Huffstetler, political science instructor and College Republicans faculty advisor, said the organization fell apart after an unsuccessful transition to new leadership.
"Sometimes you can have real vibrant leadership, but when that leadership graduates and they pass the baton on to someone and they don't keep up with it, it's just really easy for the organization to fall apart," she said.