While Barack Obama stole the show and the youth vote in the 2008 presidential election, the QU Republicans were unfazed.

Barack Obama swept the youth vote in the 2008 presidential election. So went the wind from the sails of the QU Republicans.
But according to two-term president Katelyn Bermudez, a junior, the group will continue to raise awareness on campus.

The QU Republicans have been a chartered organization on campus since 2004 and strive to motivate students to become politically active. Leading up to this year’s election, members of the organization were involved in four campaigns throughout Connecticut as well as Sen. John McCain’s campaign nationwide. This involved making cold calls, going door-to-door, holding open forum discussions at their meetings, and helping students register to vote. They also co-sponsored events with the QU Democrats including the MTV Voter Drive, which brought Brooke LaBarbera and Cyrus Yarbrough from MTV’s “The Real World” to Quinnipiac.

Nov. 4 was a tough night for the QU Republicans according to Bermudez, “but we pulled ourselves together, and he won fair and square,” she said.

She also explained that despite supporting and respecting Obama as the President of the United States, she “will be critical of his policies and of the decisions he makes.”
In this past election, the youth vote played an influential role in campaigns throughout the nation. The QU Republicans already have plans in place for their continued political involvement on campus and on a larger scale.

In recent years, Quinnipiac University has ranked highly on the Princeton Review’s list of most apathetic schools. Therefore, the group’s main goal is “raising awareness in general,” said Bermudez.

In order to do so, they have events lined up for the remainder of the semester. This month they will be participating in the Conservative Political Action Conference, which includes distinguished speakers such as Newt Gingrich, Gov. Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Ambassador John R. Bolton, and Rush Limbaugh. Then, in April they will receive political training from the Leadership Institute and they will be attending a state convention.

Besides their political activism, the QU Republicans participate in community service. In March, they will be cooperating with other chapters in a statewide “Support the Troops” movement. They have also helped to organize several food drives.
Bermudez said that the QU Republicans welcome any student who wants to get involved.