College Democrats gear up for elections

Maria Britos/ Contributing Writer

With presidential elections around the corner, the College Democrats are experiencing a busy season.

The organization’s president, Leonardo Curiel, an international relations student and one of the founders of College Democrats, explained the purpose of the organization.

“The main purpose of the organization is to promote the ideologies of the Democratic Party and to basically show the students what the Democratic Party is all about and what it promotes,” Curiel said.

Curiel also shared his concern with the number of people currently registered.

“There are a lot of people that are not registered to vote on campus, mostly freshmen,” Curiel said.

One of the organization’s main goals is to help qualified students register to vote. Curiel said he is not registered to vote because of his residency status. However, he believes that being involved in the community and encouraging others to use their power to vote shows what being a true citizen is all about.

“Members are a weird topic here,” Curiel said about the member’s role within the organization.

The organization has around 500 members. Some members recruited during summer freshmen orientations. According to Curiel, 20 members attend general meetings and participate in events for the organization because it’s hard to accommodate all members and their schedules.

However, Curiel says active members participate in other activities, such as registering students to vote, tabling in the Graham Center, community service, marathons and beach clean ups. Most of them also take part of another branch of the organization called Panthers for Obama where they are in charge of promoting everything dealing with the Obama campaign.

When elections are over, the organization participates in activities and members participate in community service events in the city and on campus.

The president also faces a tough, yet engaged role within the organization. Apart from making sure everything runs smoothly, Curiel has done everything from interviews to meeting elected city officials to meeting the former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Going to Washington D.C. to represent the University’s College Democrats and meeting White House officials are also part of Curiel’s agenda at College Democrats.

Curiel explained his reason for supporting Obama. He said that the hard work the president has put in favor of students, in regards to the loan programs passed during his four years in the White House, has impacted students and is the reason why students are willing to vote for him. “Students are a big part of his re-election,” Curiel said, “and I believe that he should be president again next year.”

Curiel encourages students to join the organization, not just for the politics but for the experiences gained. Members of the organization participate in community service activities, can build their resumes if an executive position is acquired and have the opportunity to meet elected officials, such as former presidents, governors and mayors.

“It just gives you so many unique opportunities,” Curiel said.

The organization does not have a place or date in which it meets regularly. However, the president contacts the organization’s members through email, Facebook and text to inform the members of meeting dates, times and locations.