Though President-elect Barack Obama will be occupying the White House in a few short months, it was only a few weeks ago that the country was embroiled in a bitter general election. Like millions of other college students, his candidacy sparked an interest in civic duty that I hadn’t yet experienced.
In September, my first instinct was to join the ranks of the NU Democrats. The student organization seemed like the ideal forum to begin my effort to help Obama get elected.
After a promising first meeting, which included rousing calls to arms through an extensive and rigorous agenda that included voter registration drives, phone banks and canvassing opportunities, I was ready. The e-board seemed energized and organized, and the meeting’s turnout was impressive.
Yet after that first encounter, the group squandered any enthusiasm I had.
The next group meeting was not scheduled for another month. It seemed naive to only hold general meetings once a month, especially when you’re the sole liberal political group on campus representing a national party during a presidential election year.
Voter registration drives came in the form of “dorm storms,” where we were supposed to descend upon freshman residence halls and encourage students to register face-to-face. This approach sounded like an effective strategy in theory, but they were shuttered early after the e-board failed to get approval from the administration beforehand. The “dorm storms” resumed a week later, but only after losing crucial earl support.
The NU Democrats then began to promote opportunity to canvas in the swing state of nearby New Hampshire on weekends. But when the first canvassing trip rolled around, I was one of two Northeastern students who showed up. There were no e-board members, and Northeastern’s Democrats were easily outnumbered by students from Boston University, Emerson College and MIT. A few weeks later, a subsequent canvassing trip revealed how much the NU Democrats’ support had eroded – I was the only Northeastern student who boarded the bus.
Then days before Election Day, I was one of four students who arrived at a phone banking opportunity on campus, and only one was a member of the NU Democrats’ e-board. The NU Democrats cannot expect to remain an influential presence on campus when they can’t even get their own e-board members to participate in their own events.
Perhaps the silver lining was the club’s Internet savvy. My inbox was filled with e-mails and Facebook messages from the group’s president, but aside from a weekly update from time to time, they were mostly announcements of canceled canvassing trips or phone banks.
As a former editor at The News in various capacities over the past three years, I understand how difficult it is to balance student leadership with classes, a full-time co-op and a social life. Juggling is no easy task. But that’s no excuse for the appearance of indifference. The group has undoubtedly lost its ability to lead as a true student voice because it has alienated a potential new crop of members, myself included.
The NU Democrats threw itself a “Victory Party” to celebrate Obama’s win in the Curry Student Center last night. Yet when so few of its members actually contributed to the election campaign this year, I can’t help but think, “Victory? What for?”
– Jeff Miranda is a junior journalism major and member of The News staff.