As the semester winds down, MSU College Republicans are busy wrapping up a year in which they helped re-elect President Bush and got students to vote. Now that Bush is in office, group members plan on spending the next year energizing new members.
"We had a really great year, and the election was a great way to start off and keep the energy and excitement going," current chairwoman and political theory and constitutional democracy senior Erin Trussell said.
In preparation for next year, the group elected its executive board last week.
Although the election dominated most of the group's time, Trussell said they also worked on supporting Bush's proposed plans for changes to Social Security and participated in a nationwide competition to collect student signatures in support of the changes.
In the executive board election, political theory and constitutional democracy junior Justine Ivanoff was elected as chairwoman.
Ivanoff said she became involved with the organization during the election and enjoyed being with students who shared similar views.
"It was amazing; I worked so hard and didn't sleep. I was always at the Victory Center making calls," Ivanoff said. "Having the reward of Bush being re-elected made my life - it was the first presidential election I got to vote in and being able to take part in that was a monumental experience."
Ivanoff said the group is going to plan for the 2006 election, in which Gov. Jennifer Granholm will be up for re-election, along with local and national representatives.
Ivanoff said she also wants to bring more conservative speakers to MSU and hold weekly events.
"Since it is an off-election year, we have a big responsibility to get more Republicans out to our meetings so we can get excited and get more Republican leaders elected," Ivanoff said.
History junior Craig Burgers, who was elected first-vice chair said working to get Bush re-elected allowed him to meet people from all across the state.
"We have the duty to stand up for conservative voices on campus," Burgers said. "The majority of the professors on campus are left-leaning so we need to stand up for conservative students."
Although the College Republicans and MSU College Democrats usually are on opposing sides of issues, MSU College Democrats spokesman Stephen Purchase said they have often come together on issues.
"We understand that democracy and youth activism are very important, and we both have a role in that," said Purchase an international relations and political theory and constitutional democracy junior.
The College Democrats will vote on a new executive board on April 26, Purchase said.
