Penn’s student political groups shared their goals and agendas for the rest of the spring semester in interviews with The Daily Pennsylvanian.
As President and 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office, the groups — Penn Democrats, Penn College Republicans, and the Government and Politics Association — emphasized the importance of maintaining space for political dialogues following an active election season. The groups also noted that they will continue to engage with the student body and keep the Penn community informed of administrative changes.
College junior and Penn Dems President Eunho Jung told the DP that although the "outcome wasn’t what we had hoped for,” Penn Dems maintains “committed to uplifting and promoting democratic values.”
Jung said that Penn Dems is creating spaces where discussions about the Democratic Party, as a whole, can take place.
“I think having spaces for open dialogue and conversation and asking the hard questions about what the Democratic party could be doing better or what Democrats did wrong in this past election is really important,” Jung said.
She also said that the organization is working to engage students by “bringing in elected officials” and “educating our members on what’s going on with the Trump administration.”
Jung added that Penn students may feel “burnt out” or “hopeless” after the election, which she believes further necessitates conversations.
College junior Mia Antonacci — who serves as president of both the Penn GPA and College Republicans — echoed the idea of “political exhaustion,” which she attributed to the "majority of people on this campus" being "disappointed with the outcome of the election.”
Antonacci said that, as a result of the burn out, GPA is “focusing internally” to grow branches of the association that may not solely be covering the Trump administration.
“[We’re] still focusing on the aspects of politics and government that aren't necessarily just constantly bombarded with the Trump admin,” Antonacci said.
College junior and Political Director of College Republicans Peter Kapp told the DP that the organization’s goals “don’t really change” following the election. He emphasized the group's commitment to fostering discussion for a range of different viewpoints.
“I think one of the things that I like most about College Republicans is that we definitely have a diverse base of views in the club,” Kapp said. “I think a lot of people have a lot of opinions, and we definitely don't show up at our DBMS every month and agree about everything.”
Antonacci also highlighted GPA's efforts to keep students informed about the Trump administration’s recent policies, particularly those that have “direct effects” on the student body. She added that this is the first time many people, including herself, are “actually feeling these big changes happen,” which coincides with more Penn community members getting involved with political conversations following the election.
“For better or for worse, I’m generally happy to see kind of where discourse is heading and to see that more students are kind of getting involved with all that stuff,” she said.
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