As the home of the federal government, D.C. is the political hub of America. It comes as no surprise, then, that many students who come to AU are politically active. You certainly don't need to be politically active to have an enriching experience at AU, but if you do take an interest in politics, this is a great place to spend four years.
Depending on your political views, your first stop at AU may be the College Democrats, College Republicans or College Libertarians. These organizations are very active in the AU community, with guest speakers, activities and discussions. For more information on these organizations, check out www.audems.org, www.aurepublicans.com or www.aulibertarians.com. There are also groups for the other political parties, as well as organizations devoted to specific causes. Whatever political interest you may have, there is a campus organization that takes the same interests, and even if there's not, it's easy to start an organization of your own.
The politically-minded student may also choose to get involved in AU's student government. AU's various government systems take a hands-on approach to running student life at the University. The Student Confederation, led this year by President Polson Kanneth, makes decisions on campus policy issues and how to spend Student Activity Fee money. Last year, the Kennedy Political Union brought prominent speakers such as Mikhail Gorbachev, Gov. George Pataki, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Daniel Pipes to campus, while the Student Union Board brought us performances by Bob Dylan, Dashboard Confessional, N.E.R.D., Andrew W.K., The Ataris and several other big bands. Student government also oversees funding for campus clubs through the AU Club Council, as well as services and events like Eagle Nights, AU Transit Organization (AUTO), Homecoming, the Student Advocacy Center and many others.
Lastly, we at The Eagle offer students a chance to sound off about anything. No topic is off limits, whether political or not. We will print letters to the editor, of about 100-300 words in length, as well as full editorials, of 500-700 words. Whether you want to talk about something on campus, a national issue like the election, or even a reaction to something printed on these pages, we will provide space for your voice to be heard.
You can e-mail your submissions to the editorial page editor at EdPage@TheEagleOnline.com.
