With the beginning of the second summer semester at UA, students involved in SGA and in political organizations must keep progressing despite many members being away from Tuscaloosa until the Fall. While many student members are studying abroad and working, this provides a challenge to some organizations keeping things running smoothly.
“It is hard to coordinate anything or have events with people spread all over the world,” said Daniel Ashford, former president of Young Conservatives. “However, we have an active social media presence that keeps people in the loop with articles and interesting info.”
Members of UA Democrats, Young Conservatives and other political organizations still function over the summer despite a frequent lack of available students. No matter how low participation for the summer may be, they still hold events, attend fundraisers and participate in political campaigns.
UA’s political organizations also use the laid-back summer to prepare for the upcoming fall. Some members of the UA political community believe summer is the perfect time to get the ball rolling for the school year because of the down time it provides to those still in Tuscaloosa.
“Over the summer we spend our time laying the groundwork for the upcoming year and planning out the direction in which we want to take our organization when school starts up again,” said Lota Errine, Progressive Communities Liaison for UA Democrats. “I believe progress can definitely be made over the summer because we have more time to connect with each other.”
In order to stay effective, the Student Government Association at UA only has an executive branch over the summer. Much like SGA, campus political organizations have to sometimes get creative in how they stay effective during the off time. These organizations often try to connect with branches from other universities, such as UA Democrats’ attendance at the DNC Southern Regional Caucus meeting. They also try to get creative with their presence online, such as Young Conservatives’ use of social media in order to keep their members well-informed and in the loop.
Those who are available to be active over the summer in Tuscaloosa make sure they stay politically involved by doing everything from campaign invasions in Georgia to attending parades and marches. The extra time over the summer allows those from both sides of the aisle to explore even more political activism.
“During the summer, political organizations stay focused and energized by working with our state federation to plan events for students who are still in Alabama,” said Mike Smith, a member of UA Democrats. “We have had success in campaigning in special elections, attending rallies and parades and planning events for next semester.”
Fall classes are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Aug. 23, so UA’s SGA and political organizations have around a month and a half to continue laying the foundation for the year to come.
