Spring Fever

After the hectic haze that was fall 2010, USC college democrats welcomes the equally exciting but less demanding spring semester. Welcoming new recruits and imagining the directions in which our club can grow brings about great thrill each semester. If our main focus during the fall was to promote the election of democrats in California (perfect recipe for many sleepless nights and likely loss of voice), spring seeks to strengthen our member base.

Although the elections did not turn out as we hoped (the Republicans won majority in the House of Representatives), the commitment to political participation and activism USCdems found on campus was tremendous. Personally, I found students' eagerness to campaign to be the most inspiring factor during the 2010 elections. Walking into a room full of tired but happy club members phone banking was all the reason I needed to throw myself into the electoral race. This camaraderie and willingness to make our democracy work is exactly what we are looking to fortify this semester.

Campaigning during the fall proved to be a quick bonding experience, and this semester we will explore new ways to get to know each other as well as our interest topics within politics. We are encouraging dialogue, idea exchange, interesting conversation, and most importantly fun. Yes, we will have outings, hikes, movie-nights, the exciting Democratic Convention in Sacramento... and more!

USC College Democrats welcomes the spring and the opportunity to get to know you better! See you Tuesday!

You've probably heard the big news, but if you haven't, here it is. On Friday, October 22, President Barack Obama will speak on McCarthy Quad at USC's campus. Gates will open at 11 AM, with the event running until 2:30 PM. Full details and RSVP available here: goo.gl/VTP9

Needless to say, the USC College Democrats have been leading the charge to make the President's visit a success. Our Facebook event has over 4,000 RSVPs in the first 30 hours, and we're working around the clock to promote the event. Today several of us were at the Coliseum when the call came in: we need people to hand out flyers after the game. Across the student section, our members responded, and we passed out over 1,000 in less than an hour.

We're not even close to being done. Tomorrow we'll be in Senator Barbara Boxer's campaign office to promote the President's visit, we'll be tabling on Trousdale throughout the week, and Friday we'll be getting up early and volunteering at the event itself, from several hours before the start through the finish.

The work isn't always easy, but it is fulfilling, and we can always use more help. Let us know whenever you can give your time to help President Obama. We have no doubt that California will be a great state for Democrats on Election Day 2010.

Oh, and when the President moves on, so do we. The next morning, 20 of our members will head to Las Vegas to spend the weekend canvassing for some great Democrats there. And on Tuesday the 26th we'll welcome Kal Penn and Melissa Fitzgerald, two superb actors and individuals who will discuss Senator Boxer's campaign. You can get the details on that here: goo.gl/9mC6. And you can bet we'll be working through Election Day.

Now is the time to get involved. When the President is here, our dues paying members will get special access to his speech. You can sign up for that at goo.gl/hLTX, and get involved through the website or emailing an e-board member. See you soon!

-Micah Scheindlin