MU College Democrats stress involvement
Guest speakers outlined internship opportunities.
Published Sept. 4, 2009
Although the Democratic Party is coming off of a big election year, MU College Democrats President Brian Roach said there is still more to be done. This effort began last night when the group held their first meeting of the semester.
"Last year was huge for us, we were able to turn Boone County blue and we were able to influence a lot of students on campus," Roach said. "Even though this year is not as big, we are still focused on getting a lot of people involved and to get some good discussions going about health care reform and to let our members know the great jobs our senators and representatives are doing."
During the meeting, which was in Allen Auditorium in the Arts and Science Building, a variety of students said they were excited about the upcoming year.
"I came here with my friend Emily because we were part of our Democrat club in high school," freshman Paige Flores said. "In high school our Democrat club was a lot more informal, I liked this a lot and I will definitely try to get involved and come to the next one."
At the meeting, Vice President Iavora Vlaytcheva began by describing service opportunities in the club, and she introduced guest speaker Brian Zuzenak, Executive Director for the Missouri Democratic Party. Zuzenak spoke on behalf of the Legislative Victory Fund.
"The Legislative Victory Fund is the governor's push to win back seats in the Missouri House of Representatives," Zuzenak said. "There will be 55 open seats in the new election and at this point we are only eight seats down, we need those seats for the governor to push his agenda."
Zuzenak said he became involved in politics when he was in college and it led him to choose a political career. He said the turnout at the meeting was impressive.
"For folks who still don't know what they want to do for a career this was a great turnout," he said.
Kelly Schultz, the 2010 candidate for the 21st District seat in the Missouri House of Representatives, also attended the meeting. Schultz came to the meeting not only to promote her candidacy but also to advertise openings in her campaign team.
"There are a lot of opportunities in staffing campaign events, I need someone who will be right there with me," Schultz said. "I am also looking for a campaign manager."
Vlaytcheva said she walked away from the meeting viewing it as a success.
"I thought we had a great turnout and I am really excited about the internships that we are offering," Vlaytcheva said. "This group always makes a big difference on campus and it is a great tool for networking."