News-Letter

Media Credit: Laura Bitner Alex Degolia and Stephanie Farquhar campaign for Obama.

Less than a week before the Maryland presidential primaries, political participation among Hopkins students remains low, according to many campus political groups.

While media across the nation are reporting increased turnout among young voters, representatives from many major Hopkins political groups agreed that student political apathy seems to be the trend on campus.

Evan Lazerowitz, president of the Hopkins chapter of the College Republicans said, "As for low visibility of student groups, I would say that student apathy is the number one cause."

Hopkins's political organizations have been making the effort to engage the student body over the course of the past semester, and they have plans for this spring, many of which are contingent upon and related to the upcoming presidential election.

Over the course of the past few months, Students for Barack Obama have been busy Building up his campaign in Baltimore. Laura Berlinsky-Schine, Media Coordinator for the group, said, "Most recently, we've been doing phone banking - calling for votes - and canvassing for Obama, in the library, at FFC, in Shriver." They began canvassing for voting last semester in coordination with JHU Votes.

Students for Obama members have traveled to other states to canvass for the candidate, and are planning to canvass in Baltimore neighborhoods prior to the Maryland primaries.

As far as Hopkins qualifications go, they have been a fairly active presence on campus.

"We organized a trip to see him speak at Prince George's Community College last semester ... I do think we have good visibility on campus," Berlinsky-Schine said.

The College Republicans have plans for the coming semester, including a trip this weekend to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C. They are also holding an on-campus lecture by Republican State Sen. Andy Harris, a Hopkins graduate and doctor who is challenging Rep. Wayne Gilchrist for the U.S. Congress in Maryland's 1st District in the upcoming primary.

Last semester, the College Democrats co-sponsored an awareness week with the Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and former presidential candidate Howard Dean.

Continued...

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