College Democrats rally youth in Boston

While the national spotlight is focused on Boston this week as millions watch the Democratic National Convention unfold, another convention of sorts is also taking place.

The College Democrats of America have also convened in Boston with 1,000 delegates from states all over the country coming together for a series of trainings, speakers and events.

The CDA convention, taking place in the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Stadium, is attempting to mimic the pageantry and formality of the national convention, while also seeking to mobilize its delegates to initiate a grassroots campaign in their home states to elect John Kerry as the next president of the U.S. As the official student outreach arm of the Democratic National Committee, the CDA is expecting to mobilize college students on campuses nationwide to turn out the vote this November.

During the Convention, the CDA is bringing in a variety of inspirational speakers to motivate delegates. Former presidential candidate Michael Dukakis spoke to students about the need to get back to basics and organize a major grassroots campaign.

"This is the most important election of my lifetime because this is the worst national administration I have ever lived under," Dukakis said. "And if I had beaten George H.W. Bush you'd have never heard of his kid, so blame me."

One of the major focuses of this year's CDA convention is organizing a Student Corps for John Kerry that will mobilize 100,000 foot soldiers who will help inspire one million voters to go to the polls in November.

In addition to setting and implementing a political agenda, the CDA convention is also a chance to honor state federations and school chapters across the country for superb achievements. Pennsylvania won the State Federation of the Year award for organizing and motivating chapters throughout the state and building a broad base of College Democrats.

Jill Stracko, president of the Pennsylvania State Federation, said, "We have had explosive growth this past year. In February of 2004 we had two chapters with four members, and by May of '04 we had over 30 chapters with over 40 delegates."

Stracko, a junior at St. Joseph's University, outlined her goals for the 2004 election as "getting everyone on the same page and raising a corps of volunteers to help register voters, canvass neighborhoods and organize mass mailings to get John Kerry elected President."

Through campaigns run on college campuses across the country, the College Democrats have often played a large role in mobilizing the youth vote for certain candidates. Founded in 1932 to aid the presidential campaign of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, CDA has had a rocky history, from their hey day in the '50s and '60s, to dwindling numbers and influence in the '70s.

However, in 1992 the College Democrats rallied around the Clinton/Gore campaign to expand to 500 chapters with over 50,000 members. The CDA has a seven member executive board charged with determining and implementing the organization's goals on a national level.

National President Ashley Bell spoke to the delegates about the need to organize in this particular election because of the importance of the swing voter, who will most likely determine the outcome. Bell is also running for State Legislature in Georgia, his home state.

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