Despite harsh budget cuts and increasing tuition at ASU, student political organizations are doing little to get students involved at the Downtown campus.
In the face of a crucial election year for both Arizona Republicans and Democrats, students do not have many opportunities to gather and express their political views with other likeminded students.
The Arizona Democratic Party Communications Director Jennifer Johnson said it is extremely important for students to be involved.
“College students are at the core of what’s going on with our state,” Johnson said. “They are experiencing first-hand, the problems with education. Students know, as well as anyone in this state, we are on the wrong track.”
The Downtown Young Democrats and the AZ College Republicans Federation Downtown, however, are not actively mobilizing students this semester due to schedule conflicts of the executive board members.
The Downtown Young Democrats chapter, established in the spring of 2010, did many things in its first semester to get students involved in politics, such as hosting Attorney General Terry Goddard and Representative Chad Campbell to speak to students.
At the speech, Goddard and Campbell spoke to students about the 2010 elections and the importance of getting involved with the candidates’ campaigns.
In their second semester as a club, however, DYD has not provided any opportunities for students to actively participate in campaigns, or even politics in general.
According to Pedro Silva, DYD Director of Operations, the club has not had any meetings and has been inactive this semester.
Silva said some of the executive board members have not had the time to establish an active presence on campus this semester. President Joe Pettinato has been busy studying for the LSAT, and Vice President Andres Cano has been interning in Washington D.C. for the semester, Silva said.
“Unfortunately, there has not been much activity and we have not been able to actively mobilize our students downtown,” Silva said. “I feel like the fact that we haven’t had any activity hurts the students who want to be politically involved, especially during an important election year.”
Freshman journalism student Kayla Garbison said she would to get politically involved, but hasn’t had the opportunity.
“Because the clubs are lacking downtown, I feel disconnected,” she said.
Downtown students are allowed to participate in the ASU Young Democrats in Tempe, but many of the students are unaware that this opportunity even exists for them, Silva said.
College Republicans at ASU President Tyler Bowyer said the downtown chapter has recently undergone a leadership change, which could affect the presence of the College Republicans at the Downtown campus.
Bowyer said all meetings and events on the Tempe campus are open to all ASU students.
“For now, I would be willing to make the trip to Tempe,” Garbison said. “I think students would be willing to go to the Tempe campus also. It’s only a light rail ride away.”
Silva said student demographics downtown could have an effect on student political participation.
“One of the problems getting students involved last semester and one reason why we didn’t have a solid foundation was because the Downtown campus is largely made up of journalism majors,” Silva said. “Many of the students feel, as journalists, their job is to be objective. So they do not want to appear biased by joining a political club.”
Contact the reporter at jehoagla@asu.edu
