In an effort to lend support to the American troops in Iraq, DU’s College Republicans hosted Support Our Troops last week by organizing donations of products to be shipped to the Middle East and by hosting a letter-writing effort and holding a rally.
“This is our first year doing the event,” said College Republicans member Ethan Eilon. “A lot of kids at DU are typically more politically apathetic than the kids at bigger universities. We thought this would be a very positive way to spark interest on campus.”
Students were encouraged to drop off donations at tables in front of both Sturm Hall and Daniels College of Business. At the end of the week, the club sent a large box filled with goods and toiletries to the Middle East.
The College Republicans also encouraged students to write letters to the troops. The club suggested letters contain personal connections with the military, personal experiences and reasons for supporting the troops. DU students filled two large envelopes with letters to the troops.
At the end of the week, the club organized a rally on Driscoll Lawn, where a variety of speakers, including State Sen. Mike Kopp and Lt. Gen. Joel Witzel from the Air Force Academy, addressed the crowd of about 30 students. DU student and former U.S. Army soldier Logan Grover also spoke.
Club members said they were impressed with the turnout given rainy weather conditions. Rain caused the rally to end earlier than scheduled.
Planned since December, the events were geared to be nonpartisan. “We were really careful about not putting politics into the matter,” said College Republicans treasurer Reema Alsayegh. “It was strictly about our troops. But I think some people couldn’t get past the fact that it was College Republicans who were hosting it.”
However, according to Alsayegh, the week overall was a success.
“It went really well,” said Alsayegh. “We had a really great turnout…better than expected. We wanted to spread youth awareness of the sacrifice the troops are making and to show that the youth still support the troops.”
The College Republicans meet weekly, boasting over 400 registered members. Meetings are generally dedicated to the delegation of upcoming events, but also include screenings of movies and roundtable discussions.
“It’s a fun way both to explore political activism and to learn more about the issues that we face,” said Eilon. “There is a wide perspective of opinions within the group. The activism component is something a lot of kids are interested in.”
The club also worked this year to involve students in the ’06 election as volunteers. However, aside from the Support Our Troops week, the club mainly focuses on smaller social gatherings, giving DU students an opportunity to be politically active.
“I feel like there are some students who sometimes act like we don’t even have political groups on campus,” said Alsayegh. “I think it’s good to understand what your country is doing. It’s up to you if you support it or go against it, but I think it’s important to be informed about what’s going on.”
