The College Democrats of Case Western Reserve University, more commonly known as the Case Democrats, is an officially recognized student organization that aims to make the Case community aware of the political philosophies of the Democratic Party. The official purpose of the Case Democrats is to promote the expression of progressive thought, engage in constructive debate, discuss Democratic politics, and contribute to an informed student body at Case Western Reserve University through discussion and activities. The Case Democrats are the official outreach arm of the National Democratic Party and subsequently support many of their candidates.

Contents 1 History 2 Membership 3 Meetings 3.1 General Information 3.2 Fall 2006 Meeting Schedule 3.3 Spring 2007 Meeting Schedule 4 Events 4.1 Activities Fair 4.2 Voter Registration 4.3 Dinner with the Democrats 4.4 Election Night Party 4.5 Special Events 4.6 T-Shirts 5 Executive Board 5.1 President 5.2 Secretary 5.3 Treasurer 5.4 Campaigns and Elections Director 5.5 Public Relations Director 5.6 Voter Registration and GOTV Director 5.7 Information and Technology Director 5.8 Freshman Relations Director 5.9 At-Large Executive Board 6 External Links

[edit] History

The Case Democrats have been an officially recognized USG organization since the Fall of 2004, but operated independently before that. In 2001, the Case Democrats were headed by Jeremiah Garretson until the Fall of 2003 when Karen Morgan took over. After she graduated, the organization was turned over to Steve Lubot, who increased membership and visibility on campus after the 2004 elections. During the early years of the organization, the Case Democrats wrote editorials in the The Observer, debated the Libertarians and Republicans and worked on campaigns, as they continue to do today.

[edit] Membership

Membership is open to all current undergraduates, faculty, and staff of Case Western Reserve University regardless of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or status as a veteran. All students currently paying the Student Activities Fee shall be eligible for membership, while not excluding graduate students and faculty. Membership occurs after necessary contact information is provided and participation in an organization meeting or activity. Contact information can be sent to democrats@case.edu.

[edit] Meetings

[edit] General Information

Meetings typically occur on a weekly basis, and are usually held in the Thwing Center every Thursday at 7:30pm, until approximately 8:30pm.

[edit] Fall 2006 Meeting Schedule

Aug 31, 2006 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Spartan Room

Sep 07, 2006 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Sep 14, 2006 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Spartan Room

Sep 21, 2006 - "An Inconvenient Truth", 7:00 pm - Strosacker Auditorium sponsored by SAGES.

Sep 28, 2006 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Spartan Room

Oct 05, 2006 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Spartan Room

Oct 06, 2006 - Second Annual Dinner with the Democrats (7:00 pm)- Thwing Ballroom

Oct 12, 2006 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Spartan Room

Oct 19, 2006 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Spartan Room

Oct 26, 2006 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Spartan Room

Nov 02, 2006 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Spartan Room

Nov 07, 2006 - Election Day!

Nov 09, 2006 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Spartan Room

Nov 16, 2006 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Spartan Room

Nov 23, 2006 - Thanksgiving Holiday (No Meeting)

Nov 30, 2006 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Spartan Room

Dec 07, 2006 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Spartan Room

Dec 14, 2006 - Final Exams (No Meeting)

[edit] Spring 2007 Meeting Schedule

Jan 18, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Jan 25, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Feb 01, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Feb 08, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Feb 15, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Feb 22, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Mar 01, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Mar 08, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Mar 15, 2007 - No Meeting (Spring Break!)

Mar 22, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Mar 29, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Apr 05, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Apr 12, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Apr 19, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

Apr 26, 2007 - General Body Meeting (7:30-8:30)- Thwing Center, Bellflower Lounge

[edit] Events

[edit] Activities Fair

At the Activities Fair during Orientation, the Case Democrats typically hand out free gifts while building their membership. Also, smarties and dum-dums are traditionally given to incoming freshman with signs indicating the smarties are given out by the Case Democrats while the dum-dums are given out by "Those other guys." In the Fall of 2005, the Case Democrats handed out free buttons to everyone who stopped by their table. The next Activities Fair will be held on Saturday, August 26, 2006 from 11:30am to 1:00pm at Freiberger Field.

[edit] Voter Registration

During the first week of classes, the Case Democrats hold voter registration drives in front of Kelvin Smith Library, the Thwing Center, Nord Hall, Fribley Commons, and Leutner Commons. During these drives, members answer questions and help others fill out their registration cards. Afterwards, all registration cards are taken to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

[edit] Dinner with the Democrats

Every year, the Case Democrats hold a formal dinner event during the first week of October in the Thwing Ballroom. The dinner is catered and notable Democrats from all over the state of Ohio are invited to enjoy the evening with students and professors.

During the First Annual Dinner with the Democrats, held on March 3, 2006, Senatorial Candidate Sherrod Brown was the keynote speaker. Others who highlighted the event were Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and Ohio State Represenative Candidate Julian Rogers.

The Second Annual Dinner with the Democrats was held on Friday, October 6, 2006 at 7:00pm in the Thwing Ballroom and featured keynote Speaker Susan Turnbull, Vice Chair of the Democratic Party.

[edit] Election Night Party

On election night of every year, the Case Democrats reserve Strosacker Auditorium and hold a party where members watch the election results come in and enjoy pizza with each other.

[edit] Special Events

Vice Presidential Debate

On October, 5, 2004, Case Western Reserve University hosted the Vice Presidential Debate between John Edwards and Dick Cheney. During this historic event for the University, the Case Democrats registered voters, held numerous rallies, distributed material for the Kerry/Edwards Campaign, and made sure their presence was felt throughout the campus. Additionally, some members were featured on MSNBC's Afterhours with Ron Reagan and Hardball with Chris Matthews. Former President Steve Lubot was even highlighted in a segment with Channel 8 news in Cleveland. Other Case Democrats were even interviewed by mtvU and the Associated Press. Several members were also in attendence during the debate, and others were in the Democratic war room during the event.

During this time, the Case Democrats were able to bring former Democratic National Committee Chairman, Terry McAuliffe to speak to a full Hatch Auditorium.

Rally with Sherrod Brown

The 2006 Election cycle saw Democrat Sherrod Brown challenging Republican Mike Dewine for his Senate seat. On October 7, 2006, the Case Democrats, along with the Cleveland State University Democrats, hosted Sherrod Brown for a rally along with The O.C. star Adam Brody. Several college students from both Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State attended to show their support for the soon-to-be Senator Brown.

[edit] T-Shirts

Every year, the Case Democrats design a t-shirt to promote unity and display their presence on campus. In the Spring of 2005, the theme was "Absolut Democrat" while the in Spring of 2006, the theme was "Voting is just like Driving..." These two designs were created by Stephen Hill and John Hill (no relation).

[edit] Executive Board

[edit] President

The duties of the President are as follows: ensure the functioning of the organization, head the Executive Board, conduct the general meetings of the organization, act as a primary liaison between the organization and the other chapters of College Democrats, give final approval for any funding requests, and create ad-hoc committees when needed. The current President is Elis Ribeiro. Note: Sasha Siminoff served as President for 3 semesters, from Fall 2005 to Fall 2006.

[edit] Secretary

The duties of the Secretary, also known as the Director of the Membership Committee, include effectively organizing communication with members, recruitment, meeting minutes, and other important documents. The current Secretary is Stephen Hill.

[edit] Treasurer

The duties of the Treasurer, also known as the Director of the Funding Committee, include submitting annual budgets to the Student Government, maintaining accurate organization finance records, and coordinating fundraising efforts. The current Treasurer is David Gasser.

[edit] Campaigns and Elections Director

The duties of the Campaigns and Elections Director include coordinating efforts by the Case Democrats to ensure the election of candidates or passage of issues, maintaining contacts with representatives of those campaigns, and bringing elected officials and candidates to speak to the campus. The current Campaigns and Elections Director is Rachel Harris.

[edit] Public Relations Director

The duties of the Public Relations Director include organizing all communications with the general student body, publicizing events, and handling all media needs. The current Public Relations Director is Sveta Binshtok.

[edit] Voter Registration and GOTV Director

The duties of the Voter Registration and GOTV Director include coordinating regular voter registration drives on campus before elections and getting students to the polls on election day. The current Voter Registration and GOTV Director is Arene Butto.

[edit] Information and Technology Director

The duties of the Information Technology Director include maintaining the Case Democrats website, updating that website frequently, and handling all important electronic information. The current Information and Technology Director is Elis Ribeiro.

[edit] Freshman Relations Director

The duties of the Freshman Relations Director include heading and organizing efforts to maintain and improve freshman involvement in organization activities. The current Freshman Relations Director is Kelli Herrick.

[edit] At-Large Executive Board

The duties of the At-Large Executive Board include attending officers meetings and voting on all issues presented to the General Executive Board. The current At-Large Members are Rachel Gentz, Jason Huber, Nona Lu, Akshai Singh and Christopher Szell.

[edit] External Links

• Case Democrats Website
• Blogging Liberally: The Official Case Democrats Blog
• Case Democrats Facebook Group (login required)
• College Democrats of America Website
• Official E-mail Address