Ohio University's Black Student Communication Caucus will host a forum featuring representatives and students from the Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigns today.
A lot of students aren't informed
said BSCC executive board member Will Cooper. They need kind of a kick in the pants to get involved in this election.
The forum will be an event for everyone and speakers won't be discussing strictly minority issues, he said.
They'll be talking about general policies and why students should be excited about the election Cooper said. With all of the people coming here students are just getting talked at. This will let them ask questions and interact.
While BSCC tried to involve Republican representatives, they had a conflict and chose not to come, he said. -
you're going to see more folks organizing for Democrats than Republicans
he said. The reason that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have sent folks to Athens is that Ohio University is a small island of liberal voters in the vast sea of conservative voters that is the rest of Southeast Ohio.
OU Students for Barack Obama, which was organized last March, has around 75 members, said Liz Clark, chapter coordinator. Of late, the group has been passing out literature about voting early. Members have also been canvassing neighborhoods in the area and working to insure that today's Michelle Obama visit goes smoothly.
OU Students for Hillary, which was established last week, has about 55 members. The group has aided the campaign in making phone calls, canvassing door to door, making posters for the Bill Clinton event and helped organize the Bill and Chelsea Clinton events.
Our group started out because of the need for college Democrats to have someone to support other than Obama
said member Sarah Kilbarger.
Athens County Republican Party Chair Pete Couladis said that to his knowledge, neither frontrunner John McCain nor Republican challenger Mike Huckabee have campaign staff or support groups in Athens. Of the Republican candidates, only Ron Paul has a student and community group.
The reason Ron Paul has a presence here is that his libertarian views likely align better with those of students than the more conservative views of McCain and the very conservative views of Huckabee
Bates said.
Between the OU Students for Ron Paul and Athens for Ron Paul groups, which were both established in August, about 50 people are involved in the campaign. The two groups work very closely together, so it's difficult to differentiate between the two, said Eric Lee, a founding member of the OU group. The groups made signs, organized events, passed out literature and canvassed door-to-door, said Lee, an OU alum.
While Athens for Ron Paul organizer Arnold Chambers said he plans to take a break after the primary, Lee said he would campaign through the general election even if Paul does not receive the nomination.
The message of Ron Paul is not just to get him elected
it's to show his approach
Lee said. It's bigger than just Ron Paul.
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