On break and hitting up the campaign trail

Students are bracing themselves for the results of Tuesday's election, especially those few who devoted their Fall Break to campaigning for their candidates.

The tradition of Fall Break began in 1971, when the University introduced a week-long vacation so students could work on campaigns. While many students now view the break as a much-needed rest, others still see it as an opportunity to be more politically active.

The College Republicans seized the free time last week, organizing door-to-door campaigning. During both weekends, students campaigned for U.S. Senate candidate and state senator Tom Kean, Jr., covering Hamilton and Ewing townships in an effort to bolster Republican turnout at the polls. In Ewing Township, a suburb of Trenton, the group also campaigned for the mayoral race.

But student involvement was not limited to the break. Earlier this semester, the Republicans sponsored activities at the Kean campaign headquarters in Mountainside, where they worked the phone banks. Currently, College Republicans president Alexander Maugeri '07, also an associate editor for the 'Prince,' is leading a group of volunteers to stay overnight in Bergen County. They will campaign for Kean all day Monday, explained Clarke Smith '07, the Republicans' vice president and an executive editor for sports for the 'Prince.'

Though the College Democrats did not sponsor any Fall Break activities, officers will work on Election Day to watch the polls, making sure that voters are registered and voting in the correct precinct.

College Democrats president Julia Brower '08 said members will also campaign door-to-door in Princeton Township and the surrounding area for incumbents Sen. Bob Menendez and Rep. Rush Holt on Tuesday, under the slogan "Get Out the Vote."

"We're not doing any door-to-door stuff on campus, probably because people wouldn't like that very much," Brower explained.

Earlier this semester, the College Democrats organized two weekend trips to campaign for Menendez, during which members identified potential voters, canvassed and made phone calls, Brower said.

Many College Democrats have also worked as independent campaign volunteers. Some students teamed up with Tom Brown '07 to campaign for congressional candidate Patrick Murphy in Pennsylvania. Brower worked for Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic candidate running for U.S. Senate in Minnesota during the summer but spent Fall Break traveling in Chicago instead of campaigning.

Some students campaigned for candidates outside their home districts. Morganne Pollie '07 is a native of Pennsylvania but has worked with the Menendez campaign independently since September. She drives to the campaign headquarters in New Brunswick a few times a week, including during Fall Break.

"I've done a variety of things, but I'm officially a 'press intern'," she said. "I've also helped out with events. Just today I was at an event with President Clinton, which was pretty exciting."

Rob Weiss '09 also feels his campaigning experience has been "exciting." Spending his entire Fall Break on the election, Weiss is still in Florida, working on the campaign of Alex Sink, a Democratic candidate for chief financial officer, a cabinet position in the Florida state government.