Of the hundreds of campus groups seeking to impact student opinion and action, the College Republicans and the College Democrats are two of the most influential. The two groups bring guest speakers and national and local campaigns to campus in an effort to increase students’ political activism and further each party’s respective views.

College Republicans

With George W. Bush in the White House and Gov. McCallum working hard at the Capitol, the College Republicans were busy this year. Members worked on local and national campaigns in an effort to get Republicans elected.

The group has been around since 1911, when some UW-Madison Republicans stormed a Socialist meeting and threw members into Lake Mendota.

College Republicans meets weekly or bi-weekly, depending on upcoming elections. Members discuss both current and long-standing conservative issues in order to help each other and the community better understand Republican positions.

The group frequently sponsors guest speakers who most often speak about conservative issues and social activities to help those with conservative viewpoints find each other.

This year, the group has worked hard on different elections around the state, including county-board races, Senate races and general-Assembly races.

Members also pride themselves on working to get conservative members elected to Associated Students of Madison, UW-Madison’s governing body. Members said this was not a new occurrence for the College Republicans, because they frequently work with other student organizations to educate the campus on the validity of Republican issues.

This year they also sponsored a clothing drive around campus in an effort to help out Madison’s needy families.

“We got out there and helped the community, which is something we’re really proud of,” said Susie Strzelec, executive director of College Republicans.