As national politics took center stage on campus this week, students expressed conflicting opinions about the role of political parties on campus. While a speech by Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe and a planned address by Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth (CAS ‘93, MA ‘96, LAW ‘96), (Dem.-S.D.) indicated Georgetown’s importance in national politics, political sentiment on campus may not be as high as these events would suggest.
Both Jady Hsin (CAS ‘07), Chairman of the Georgetown University College Republicans, and Scott Zumwalt (CAS ‘05), President of the Georgetown University College Democrats, emphasize the unity that exists within each of the parties.
“Most conservatives on campus are firmly united and staunchly in support of the president,” Hsin said.
Zumwalt echoes similar sentiments on the Democratic side: “Bush has been a unifier for Democrats,” he said.
He argued that most within the party have resolved to vote together against Bush and in favor of Kerry.
The College Republicans and College Democrats together claim to have registered between 750 and 900 new voters both through door-to-door campaigns and tabling in Red Square. Both organizations also pointed to high attendance at meetings this year as another sign of student interest.
While the groups have focused on shoring up their base, some believe this concentration has been detrimental to larger political discourse on campus.
Some students also said that the two groups do not reach out enough to the Georgetown community.
“If I didn’t get the e-mails from the College Dems, I wouldn’t know they exist,” Lucia Franzese (SFS ‘07) said.
Even outside the partisan sphere, some students said they were either intimidated by or indifferent to discussing national politics.
Beth Mueller (CAS ‘06) said that students are reluctant to adopt a questioning attitude with regard to political issues, preferring instead to throw out facts and clich?s. According to Mueller, truly substantive political discussions are few and far between.
“You’re voting for Bush-what, are you stupid?” Mueller, a Republican, said that this is a typical response to her personal political beliefs, making her reluctant to talk about them.
Franzese, a Democrat, expressed similar reservations about discussing her political views, fearing that she could be judged because of them.
Adam Giblin (CAS ‘06) said that the political groups on campus do not tend to represent the nation in general, which is more moderate-a belief which has kept him from joining one.
Interest in discussing politics, Giblin observed, can wane even in the midst of such a politically rich environment.
When he first got to Georgetown, he said, he was excited by the opportunities for political involvement the campus offered, but he quickly found that his fellow students simply didn’t want to talk politics.
