Second in Nation New York Representative, Jack Kemp. Later in the fall, they sponsored an 8 day drive in which they registered nearly 1,000 voters. During the voter's registration, they worked closely with Senator Ed Bethune and Congressional Candidate Judy Petty. In early November, the members had the opportunity to hear President Reagan at the Little Rock Convention Hall. The College Republicans also hosted speakers on campus to get non-members interested. One of the speakers they hosted was a student from Grenada. He spoke about the Grenada invasion and the reflected on the military presence which emphasized his non-partisan views of the invasion. Having such activities sponsored by the College Republiicans helped increase the enthusiasm of the politically minded Harding students. Many awards and acknowledgements have been accredited to College Republicans. After the elections, the members attended the College Republiican Convention which was dominated mostly by Harding representatives . At this Convention, Kevin Henson was elected as State Chairman. Mark Dillingham represented Harding at the State Republicans Convention which also was held after the elections. College Republicans have received much attention from local media. Because the 200 members have taken such an active role in the state. Harding's College Republicans are known to be the most prominant organization in the state. They have received a congressional letter of recognition for their work on the campaigns for the elections. Dillingham, chairman of College Republicans, was awarded with a plaque from the National Award College Republican Committee. This plaque recognized Harding's College Republicans as the second best organization in the nation. The purpose, as stated by Dillingham, was to educate and influence students in order to encourage their participation in the political process . . ~ A group of 15-20 people met in American Heritage Room 186 to reawaken the spirit of an organization that had been sleeping since the spring of 1983, the Young Democrats, Acting president of the Harding group, Alan Rogers, said, "I thought it was time to get a second view on the board for students to see." Rogers and Kevin Evans went to see former Young Democrats sponsor, Betty Ulrey, about revitalizing the organization. The group consisted of about 20. They appointed temporary officers for the fall with plans to officially elect them in the spring. Officers were: President, Alan Rogers; Vice President, Brett Kirkman and Secretary, Robin Umberger. The group had a table with literature supplied by the White County Democrats set up in the student center (for the past two weeks). They met several students interested in the Democratic party through the table, according to Ulrey . "Young Democrats became inactive in the spring of 1983 because of a lack of interest," Ulrey said. "Since this is an election year, more people get interested in College Republicans Young Democrats politiCS." Ulrey and Mr. Duane McCampbell are sponsors for the group. One of the goals of the Young Democrats was to change the idea that "you can't be a Christian and be Democrat. " "Many students have chosen the Republican party because they have heard that you cannot be a Christian and be a Democrat," Rogers said. "Students need to keep an open mind about who we are selecting and why. We need to look over the qualifications. " ftf~ College Republicans. Front row: Keim, Out/aw, Young, Dillingham, Hansen, Simpfendefer, Lewis, Merritt, Huffman. Second row: Meeks, Usery, Holder, Kieffer, Young, Billingsley, Super, . Maddox, Alexander, Miller, Baber. Back row: Reed, McCrary, Gentry, Barnes, Madden, Hensen, Pieratt, Ogrin. - photo by James McCreary. Manning the Table. Robin Umberger, a Young Democrat, helps pass out election information during the fall semester. - photo by Tam; Kerr. Special interest groups 69
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