The University of Wisconsin College Democrats voted to endorse District 8 Aldermanic candidate Bryon Eagon and District 5 Aldermanic candidate Hamilton Arendsen Tuesday night.

Eagon, a UW junior majoring in political science, said he was enthusiastic about the announcement.

“I think the endorsement of political groups on campus is vital, but also reaching out to student groups is an essential part of my platform because almost all students are involved in at least one student group,” Eagon said.

Before the vote, Eagon and UW junior Mark Woulf, another District 8 candidate, spoke briefly at the College Democrats’ meeting concerning their proposed policies regarding campus and downtown safety and tenants’ rights.

UW junior Jacob Schmidt and UW graduate student Katrina Flores, also contenders for Ald. Eli Judge’s District 8 seat, were not present at the meeting.

“This wasn’t a shock,” Woulf said regarding Eagon’s endorsement. “I knew Bryon has been involved with College Democrats for some time now, but I think that my presence here echoes the core values of my campaign, which is to stay apolitical and reach out to all students in my district.”

District 5 candidates Hamilton Arendsen and Shiva Bidar-Sielaff also informed students about their respective platforms at the meeting.

Arendsen, a local lawyer, and Bidar-Sielaff, director of community partnerships at UW Hospital, spoke about the lack of communication between students and previous District 5 alders.

“I think being visible on the UW campus and working directly with UW students every day is one way I will be open to student concerns in my district,” Bidar-Sielaff said.

To increase communication with the UW campus, Arendsen proposes to create an e-mail address specifically dedicated to UW students. He also wants to pick a night to meet with student leaders.

Bidar-Sielaff and Arendsen are competing for the seat being vacated by Ald. Robbie Webber.

The College Democrats voted to table the endorsement of a candidate for District 2, another heavily student-populated area, until after the primary elections.

When asked why the College Democrats decided to wait to formally endorse a District 2 candidate, UW junior and Executive Board Chair Claire Rydell said the board wanted face-to-face interviews with some of the contenders. Ald. Brenda Konkel currently holds the seat.

“These elections are a time for students to show that Nov. 4 was only the beginning of a political movement,” Rydell said.

“Campus safety and tenants’ rights, real issues for students, affect our daily lives much more than what is happening in Washington,” she continued.

UW senior Sara Mikolajczak, chair of the UW College Republicans, had no comment regarding the College Democrats endorsement.

“We are not planning on endorsing a candidate before the primary election, but we may be endorsing a candidate before the general election in April,” Mikolajczak said.

Mikolajczak did say College Republicans will be e-mailing members of the organization encouraging voter turnout for the election.

The College Democrats endorsement comes one week before the Feb. 17 primary election. The general election will be held April 7.