"Some students really seem motivated to change the apathetic atmosphere that exists at the school," said Pem Brown '06. "Many people, especially first-years, understand the importance of the upcoming presidential election and want to encourage their peers to be more active and interested in politics."
The College has also seen an overall increase in participation and enthusiasm for politics, though there has not been any correlative evidence of a substantial increase in membership in political clubs on campus.
"There are a lot of fascinating things going on in American politics now and for most students this is the first time that we can vote in a Presidential election and we want to effect the outcome," said Community Outreach Council Chair Emily Silberstein '06.
"Increased news attention on the elections leads to an increased awareness, which leads to increased inquiry and increased commitment to political awareness," said Jake Maguire '07, a registered Democrat. He said that he has noticed students making more of an effort to know who the candidates are and what issues concern them in making their decision.
Kevin Daly '05, a member of the Generation Dean group, has noticed that students have enjoyed working for their favorite presidential candidates. "People are excited about the election and are getting involved in candidates' campaigns."
The Chronicle also noted a recent trend of political views shifting to the right, with roughly half of students surveyed claiming to be middle-of-the-road.
"Students who value diversity of thought and abhor discriminatory race-based preference schemes are attracted to the College Republicans, and the incoherent ramblings of leftist academics who profaned September 11 in LeFrak Gymnasium two years ago contributed to the growth of the club at Amherst," said Theodore Hertzberg '04, former chairman of the College Republicans.
Ethan Davis '05, co-chairman of the College Republicans, agreed that there has been a rise in political awareness, but believes there is always room for improvement. "People at Amherst College tend to be superficially involved in too many clubs that don't produce real results. We [the College Republicans] hope to get people to see increased dialogue on campus and have students who can show total commitment," he said.
"Conservatives are too pissed off to be enthusiastic. For better or worse, we are going to have to cast our votes for George W. Bush in November, but the President's plan to grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants is the latest of several moves on his part that makes that decision all the less pleasant for us," said Hertzberg.
Regardless, the College Republicans can still plan to campaign actively for Bush in the upcoming election. They have not, however, started yet. "Since Bush will be the Republican candidate for the 2004 election, there has been little need to begin campaigning during the Democratic primaries," said Nancy Kwang '04, a member of the College Republicans.
The College Republicans want to bring a series of speakers to campus to raise the image of the Republicans by focusing on fiercely-debated party issues. "Most of the buzz going on around campus seems to revolve around the war on terrorism and homosexual marriage," said Kwang.
"Personally, I've found that many students aren't aware of the process, but with a presidential election in November, students are coming to the Democrats looking for answers and a way to make a difference," said Rosalyn Foster '05, co-president of the College Democrats. "Trying to give students the answers has been the biggest challenge." Foster has employed various methods to raise political awareness on campus, from voter registration drives to voter education efforts. She has also noticed individual students interested in a particular candidate taking the initiative and organizing tabling events.
Foster and other members of the College Democrats are currently working to organize a colloquium with other clubs on campus to learn how various politically controversial issues relate to one another.
Both College Democrats and Republicans have advice to offer to the student body. Foster hopes students will "take the time to read about the candidates and their positions before voting. I'd hope that students make an informed choice rather than choosing the front-runner or a name they know," she said.
Davis had even simpler advice-"Get involved."