When you hear the words "University of Wisconsin," a few things come to mind: Bucky Badger, State Street, awesome academics… the progressive liberal movement. That last one, however, does not necessarily have to be true. Yes, the campus is set in the heart of liberal Madison and yes, most universities, including our own, tend to lean left on the political spectrum. What most people now know, however, is that there is a large conservative movement on campus — and it is growing. More and more students are starting to question the partisan rhetoric force-fed to them in the classroom and engaging in intelligent political discussion. If this sounds like you, do not be afraid that you are "the only one out there." You are not alone. UW is actually home to one of the largest and most recognized College Republican groups in the country. There is more room for involvement this year than ever before, and we have some amazing activities planned to get people interested. There really is something for everyone. For example, it has come to the attention of the CRs that UW does absolutely nothing to recognize the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11th, except to hire lecturers who preach that 9/11 was an inside job. That is why this year, the CRs are setting up a memorial on Bascom Hill for the 2,977 Americans killed in the tragedy. If you happen to be a morning person, we would love to see you out on Bascom at 6:30 a.m. to help us construct it. The day will end with an invocation and a speech by Lt. Col. John Krenson who was in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. That is only our first meeting; aside from our 9/11 project, we are also planning a day to shoot guns and learn about the joys of the Second Amendment. We want to bring major issues that are important to students onto the campus so they can hear both sides of the story on border control, health care, the Iraq War, business and the economy, and other topics. If something is important to you personally, tell us. We are always open to suggestions. With any luck, we will even end the first semester with a visit from author Michelle Malkin. Not discounting the values of the Republican Party, we are also planning numerous service and volunteer activities, from Christmas card drives to supporting our veterans. If you want to get involved with one of the campaigns, we can help you with that too. Aside from joining the CR activities, the most important thing to us is educating potential voters, especially with the 2008 elections fast approaching. The insults are flying on both ends of the spectrum, and it is only going to get worse. Having intelligent conversation and learning both sides of any topic is vital to the survival of our current political system and is what we base our very existence on as Americans. Taking into consideration all of the activities and informational sessions that we have planned for first semester alone, there is reason to believe that there is something for anyone who does not hold the "traditional campus values." If this sounds anything like you, check out our website at http://uwcr.rso.wisc.edu./ (please bear with us, as it is currently under construction) or talk to someone who is already involved. Even if you find out that you are a staunch Democrat, you have still educated yourself to the other side of the story, and understanding what you believe is more important than any label. Sara Mikolajczak ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science and legal studies. She is currently serving as Chair of the UW-Madison College Republicans.