If Ronald Reagan could see AU's campus today, he would surely say, "It's morning again at American." As always, the start of a new school year has AU students feeling renewed, reinvigorated and reengaged. You can see it in our faces. You can feel it in the air. The positive energy on campus is palpable. And we are going to need it, fellow Eagles, because, starting today, we have a mission. We begin a quest to reclaim our rightful place atop Princeton Review's list of America's "most politically active" campuses. We have been there before. We can be there again.
Princeton Review may have ranked us second this year, behind George Washington University, but we know better. And because we know better, it is imperative that we remind Princeton Review why they ranked us first last year, and why we have received this distinction in the past. We can do that. We can write our own destiny. Together. But we need all hands on deck.
Students of every political stripe must band together to make our student body more politically aware and active than ever before, because this is bigger than political parties and ideologies. Just as we all put country first, so too must we put campus first in this effort. We must, to use an Obamaism, "come together around a common purpose." In the end, this is about who we are as a university, and this could be a defining moment in our history. Our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor may be at stake. Not to be grandiose.
So how do we begin our quest? First and foremost, we must remember that there is nothing wrong with American that cannot be cured by what is right with American. We can build on the political passion that already exists on campus by raising awareness about on-campus outlets for that passion and expanding these outlets.
Academics
AU programs in public affairs and international relations are among American's best. The university provides an excellent education for aspiring leaders, in part by engaging expert professors, many of whom work with political leaders in Washington and around the world. Class discussion is lively and students often talk about political issues at dinner and in the dorms. In fact, students often stay up late together, discussing passionately into the wee hours of the morning. There is diversity of opinion on campus, but students relish the opportunity for discussion, debate and a shared sense of civic-mindedness. It sounds trite, but they truly learn from each other as much as from professors.
Student Groups
Many of AU's politically engaged embrace the university's mantra of "ideas into action," participating in political clubs and organizations on campus. These groups work on campaigns, bring a stunning selection of speakers to campus, hold events, and sometimes stage protests. They include...
AU Students For Liberty AU Bull Moose Party College Democrats College Republicans Collegiate Society of America Foreign Policy Association Objectivist Society at AU Patriots For Peace Radical Feminist and Gender Club Students For A Democratic Society Students For Choice Students For Life Students For Israel Students For Justice in Palestine Students For The Preservation of the Second Amendment Youth For Western Civilization
Notably absent from the above list is the Kennedy Political Union, arguably AU's most popular and high profile student group. It deserves special distinction. As its Web site describes, "[KPU] is AU's student-run, student-funded, on-campus political speakers' bureau. As one of the premier student-run lecture series in the United States, KPU has brought such speakers as Madeleine Albright, Bob Dole, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the 14th Dalai Lama and Mikhail Gorbachev to campus, among hundreds of others." Students love KPU events, which are always extremely well attended.
AU students weigh in on the pros and cons of a politically charged campus:
"I think it's inspiring. There's nothing like walking around AU and being able to talk to anyone about politics. You're able to receive opinions and have your own opinions respected in return, no matter your political affiliation."
- Kaitlyn MacMannis, sophomore, SIS
"AU is a place where students are more interested in who represents them in Congress than how their hometown sports team is doing."
- Will Hubbard, junior, SPA
"Politics on AU's campus is like an ideological contact sport of constant but enjoyable debate."
- Michael Monrroy, sophomore, SPA
"AU has certainly had political cooperation with the different groups on campus, but I feel that the rivalry and conflict are far more present. We are all capable of having positive debates on issues, but these debates can often turn into quarrels rather than two groups searching for a resolution. Sometimes social groups transcend their actual political beliefs, which may sound stereotypical on my part. When we view a political situation at times, it's not always liberal versus conservative, but a type of social group versus another."
- Joseph Brewer, junior, SIS
"I often describe AU to friends and family as a place where it's considered quite odd to have no interest in politics whatsoever. I can't even imagine AU without some sort of political event or conversation going on at any given moment. But hey -- that's why so many of us chose this school in the first place, no?"
- Alex Knepper, sophomore, SPA, Columnist for The Eagle
"I would say that the political climate on the AU campus is pretty outstanding; it represents all opinions from the political spectrum. Additionally, opinions and arguments are well thought-through and earnest, something that I believe stems from the fact that AU students do so much work in politics, and not just study. Members of the community are always abreast to recent developments in the news (not just politics, but everything). All of it just makes the classroom and campus more interesting and lively."
-Caitlin Reed, sophomore, SPA
The Eagle's Editorial Page
Among the political chattering class in Washington, D.C., the editorial pages of papers like The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal are viewed as invaluable forums for discussion of national issues. Likewise, The Eagle editorial page will continue to be a place where students challenge each other on campus issues as well as local, national and international topics. But things will only get interesting if the campus gets engaged. We need you. So please, read our editorials and letters to the editor in print and online. Send us your own opinion pieces (about 500-800 words) and letters to the editor (about 300 words) by e-mailing edpage@theeagleonline.com. If you've got issues, we want to hear about them.