2008 Woodie Awards
Rally lends support to troops in Iraq
College Republicans event features speakers, donation opportunities
Kara Lyons
Issue date: 5/1/07 Section: News
In an effort to lend support to the American troops in Iraq, DU's College Republicans hosted Support Our Troops last week by organizing donations of products to be shipped to the Middle East and by hosting a letter-writing effort and holding a rally.
"This is our first year doing the event," said College Republicans member Ethan Eilon. "A lot of kids at DU are typically more politically apathetic than the kids at bigger universities. We thought this would be a very positive way to spark interest on campus."
Students were encouraged to drop off donations at tables in front of both Sturm Hall and Daniels College of Business. At the end of the week, the club sent a large box filled with goods and toiletries to the Middle East.
The College Republicans also encouraged students to write letters to the troops. The club suggested letters contain personal connections with the military, personal experiences and reasons for supporting the troops. DU students filled two large envelopes with letters to the troops.
At the end of the week, the club organized a rally on Driscoll Lawn, where a variety of speakers, including State Sen. Mike Kopp and Lt. Gen. Joel Witzel from the Air Force Academy, addressed the crowd of about 30 students. DU student and former U.S. Army soldier Logan Grover also spoke.
Club members said they were impressed with the turnout given rainy weather conditions. Rain caused the rally to end earlier than scheduled.
Planned since December, the events were geared to be nonpartisan. "We were really careful about not putting politics into the matter," said College Republicans treasurer Reema Alsayegh. "It was strictly about our troops. But I think some people couldn't get past the fact that it was College Republicans who were hosting it."
However, according to Alsayegh, the week overall was a success.
"It went really well," said Alsayegh. "We had a really great turnout…better than expected. We wanted to spread youth awareness of the sacrifice the troops are making and to show that the youth still support the troops."
"This is our first year doing the event," said College Republicans member Ethan Eilon. "A lot of kids at DU are typically more politically apathetic than the kids at bigger universities. We thought this would be a very positive way to spark interest on campus."
Students were encouraged to drop off donations at tables in front of both Sturm Hall and Daniels College of Business. At the end of the week, the club sent a large box filled with goods and toiletries to the Middle East.
The College Republicans also encouraged students to write letters to the troops. The club suggested letters contain personal connections with the military, personal experiences and reasons for supporting the troops. DU students filled two large envelopes with letters to the troops.
At the end of the week, the club organized a rally on Driscoll Lawn, where a variety of speakers, including State Sen. Mike Kopp and Lt. Gen. Joel Witzel from the Air Force Academy, addressed the crowd of about 30 students. DU student and former U.S. Army soldier Logan Grover also spoke.
Club members said they were impressed with the turnout given rainy weather conditions. Rain caused the rally to end earlier than scheduled.
Planned since December, the events were geared to be nonpartisan. "We were really careful about not putting politics into the matter," said College Republicans treasurer Reema Alsayegh. "It was strictly about our troops. But I think some people couldn't get past the fact that it was College Republicans who were hosting it."
However, according to Alsayegh, the week overall was a success.
"It went really well," said Alsayegh. "We had a really great turnout…better than expected. We wanted to spread youth awareness of the sacrifice the troops are making and to show that the youth still support the troops."
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