Upcoming Events
School's out for the summer!
Look forward to an exciting 2008-2009 school year. College Dems will celebrate our 30th Anniversary at UD with fun events and campaigning for state and national elections! See you in September!
At our last meeting of the semester, the College Democrats voted on endorsements for Governor and Lt. Governor of Delaware. In order to receive an endorsement, a candidate has to receive a 2/3 majority of the votes. We are pleased to announce our endorsements of Jack Markell and Matt Denn.
Jack Markell, who is the current State Treasurer and a candidate for Governor, overwhelmingly received our endorsement. Students at UD and especially in the College Democrats can attest to Jack's strong support among young people. I came to UD as a student in 2004 and have been extremely impressed with Markell's involvement in the Newark and University of Delaware community along with his outstanding record as State Treasurer. His executive experience combined with his progressive ideals will lead Delaware on a road to prominence and success in the years to come.
With a large majority the College Democrats also endorsed Matt Denn, the current Insurance Commissioner and a candidate for Lieutenant Governor. As the Insurance Commissioner, Matt has had an impressive record representing consumer interests. Perhaps one of the biggest issues for the College Democrats is health care coverage. Last month Matt was a guest at a forum on health insurance at UD which was organized by the College Democrats, where he proved that he is a strong advocate of quality, affordable healthcare for all Delawareans. In 2006 he wrote a law that allows young people to remain on their family's health insurance until age 24. This was something that really resonated with us, and we are thrilled to be working with such a great leader.
"We are very excited to unite our chapter with two great Democratic candidates who will take the state in a progressive direction", said Tricia Connor, the Membership Coordinator and Vice President-elect of the College Democrats.
The College Democrats will be working hard to campaign for Markell and Denn throughout the summer and fall. We will be doing everything we can in order to reach out to students and get them mobilized around these two excellent Democrats. Though our age group is often largely overlooked by elected officials and candidates, Markell and Denn are actually making youth issues a priority. We look forward to helping elect these two excellent leaders!
After 30 years on the UD campus, the College Democrats have finally gained full funding from the University. This is huge! Until last week, the allotment of funds to partisan groups was half that of other groups in an attempt to keep the University from favoritism. However, in a joint effort with the College Republicans and College Libertarians over the past semester, we have finally proven our case. This is a huge step forward for UD, as it now recognizes the great potential for a more civic-minded student body. What does this mean for the future of the Dems? Better programming, more trips and programs, bigger name speakers, and free food! :) So look for some free pizza at this week's meeting among all our smiles of success!
Don't forget to buy a College Dems T-Shirt. There's no better time to sport your pride in the party! Come next fall and the Presidential election, everyone will have one!
Other news:
- On Tuesday April 29th at 8:30 in the Scrounge, a left-wing comedian named Lee Camp will be performing. Apparently he's appeared on Law and Order: SVU, so that makes me really want to go...
- We are planning a trip down to DC on May 10. We hope to possibly tour the Capitol and maybe go to the Spy Museum. If you are interested, come to our meetings to learn more or e-mail Liz at elcoyne@udel.edu and put something about College Dems in the subject!
- The Annual College Democrats/College Republicans debate is happening May 6th. Look forward to more details!
By the way, I crack up every time I see this video below. Maybe you will too:
Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early
Obviously, this blog has been somewhat abandoned since spring break. Please accept our most sincere apologies, as we suspect the multitudes of readers out there have really been lost without it... Also, look forward to this Pennsylvania voter's reaction to last night's election in the days to come!
Tonight we are hosting a big event - a panel discussion called Confronting America's Health Care Crisis. The panel will include:
-Matt Denn, DE Insurance Commissioner
-Marianne Palley, UD Political Science Professor
-Kathy Jarvis, Physical Therapist
This is a great forum to learn how current health care policies will affect you, especially for you graduating seniors! The forum lasts from 6:30 until 8:00 pm in Purnell 115, and I'm told there will be home-made cookies! We are asking that everyone please bring a donation to benefit Kerri Jarvis, who is currently fighting against the chronic pain disease, RSD. To learn more about this disease, check out www.rsdhope.org.
Also - if you haven't bought your new College Dems t-shirt yet, bring $10 tonight and you can pick it up. While canvassing in PA last week, we had several people take pictures of them and ask how they could get one. So get one while they're hot!
