Smith
Republicans Gain Statewide Attention
By
Jennifer Gabrielle ’06
 Following
up on its recognition as Club of the Month in February, the
(SCRC) was recently named Outstanding
Chapter of the Year by the Massachusetts Alliance of College
Republicans (MACR), a coalition of clubs from 47 colleges.
Two Smith club
members were elected to the MACR executive board. Elizabeth
Morgan ’09, who will be co-president of the Smith club
next year, was named Massachusetts Regional Director for the
alliance, and Natalie Vernon ’08, current SCRC Chief
of Staff, will be Secretary. Vernon worked as a White House
intern this spring.
“It’s
fairly rare to have two people from the same college [on the
board], because they like to have diversity,” says current
club president Elyse Braner ’07J. “This year we
just took the club to a whole new level. The difference between
my first year and now is incredible.”
The Smith club’s
Outstanding Chapter of the Year award is one of three distinctions
given annually by MACR. Emerson College’s club was named
Most Improved, and nearby Westfield State College has the
Best New Club.
The SCRC transported
people all across the state and around New England this year,
often to as many as four events per week, and even traveled
twice to Washington, D.C., working hard to make Smith’s
name known in support of Republican causes. The club also
focused on professional development, says Braner, such as
networking in the political field. “Now we’re
known on a national level,” she says. “We probably
know a college Republican in every state.”
In recognition
of the club’s campus awareness efforts surrounding the
Vagina Monologues in February, the SCRC was named Club of
the Month by the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute, a conservative
organization that focuses on training and educating young
women.
In addition to
attending weekly club meetings, SCRC members participate in
panels and conferences on topics such as social security and
leadership positions for conservative women, and frequently
catch lectures at other colleges. When they’re not traveling,
the club members help run the , who is
running to represent the Hampshire and Franklin counties district.
“We literally
eat, breathe, and sleep college Republicans,” says Braner
of SCRC members. “This is what we do. Anytime there
was an event, there were always Smith girls there, bringing
people.”
In addition to
club members’ dedication, Braner also attributes the
club’s success to the management and efficient organization
of its activities. “We’re training freshmen and
sophomores to take leadership positions,” she says,
“so it’s not just juniors and seniors on the executive
board. We give each person ownership of something, of some
subset. Especially with the freshmen we have now, this club
will be amazing in four years. I’m definitely passing
it on to good hands.”
Braner admits
she didn’t do nearly as much as a first-year club member
as current first-year members do, but after her White House
internship with the Office of Strategic Initiatives last spring,
she brought a huge leap in professionalism back to her club
leadership position. Over the past two years, three other
Smith Republicans have interned at the White House: Molly
Ritchie ’06 worked in the Office of Strategic Initiatives
during the fall of 2004, followed by Sarah Gelinas ’05J
in the spring; and Vernon, who worked in the Office of Political
Affairs.
As they reach
the end of the semester, the club will continue running LeBlanc’s
campaign and work on plans for a conservative newspaper on
campus. And, true to the spirit of Smith College, the club
will also set up a women’s leadership conference in
Boston with Young Republicans in November.
Amid the liberal
Smith campus, the success of the Smith College Republican
Club is a testament to the members’ enthusiasm, says
Braner. “I knew of Smith’s reputation before coming
here,” she says, “and I didn’t pick it for
its political leaning. But the club’s really learning
more on this campus from the students’ liberal leaning.
We have to do our reading, really know what our arguments
are.”
With 139 students
on the SCRC mailing list and 30 active members, the club often
has to fight for a voice on campus. Braner views that as a
positive.
“I’ve
been openly Republican from the beginning,” says Braner.
“From my first year, the climate on campus has changed,
for the better for us. I think when you’re talking politics,
no matter what side you’re on, there’s always
going to be some sort of tension. I absolutely love Smith,
and I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else.”
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