Get Herald RSSThe Brown Democrats were busy last year, and it shows -- the College Democrats of America has recognized them as their 2005 "Chapter of the Year."
"We were very excited," said Seth Magaziner '06, former president of the Brown Democrats. "I think that at the end of the day the award just shows how hard everyone worked."
Magaziner, with Sean Siperstein '05 and Ben Hudson '07, presented the case for Brown to a panel of judges at the CDA national convention in Washington, D.C., on July 23. Brown was one of 14 student groups from around the nation seeking the award, including Harvard University and the University of Texas at Austin.
In their presentation, they outlined the group's activities over the past year: 14 trips to battleground states during the 2004 election season, a voter registration drive at Brown, support for local candidates, a lobbying program at the state level, a community service program and hosting the Northeast College Democrats Conference in May, attended by representatives from 44 schools and former president Bill Clinton.
"I think what impressed the judges most were two things," Magaziner said. "First, the community service program, and second, the fact that we had such a direct impact on the politics of Rhode Island by supporting local candidates and lobbying at the state level."
Tor Tarantola '08, communications chair of the Brown Democrats, said the award surprised him because "there were a lot of really qualified chapters that went up against us." But he still echoed Magaziner, saying the award recognized "all the hard work we did during the election and after the election."
Tarantola said the Brown Democrats, now led by Michaela Labriole '07, plan to continue their community service and lobbying projects, especially centered on a bill in the state legislature that would legalize gay marriage. He also said they would begin to gear up for the 2006 elections -- especially the Democratic challenge to Senator Lincoln Chafee '75, R-R.I. -- and focus on electing "progressive Democrats" to local office.
Magaziner, who is still head of the Rhode Island College Democrats, was also elected to serve as National Council Chair for the CDA. He will head the national council of state College Democrats organizations, and will serve as one of eight members of the CDA executive board.
Magaziner is not the first head of the Brown Democrats to advance in the national organization -- David Wade '97 was previously elected president of the CDA.
