We catered the event from Napolatano’s, and there was plenty of delicious food for everyone to enjoy. There’s nothing like sharing a good meal with good friends to cap off a semester. Everyone had a great meal before we settled in for the presentations of the evening.

One of the highlights of the evening was a slideshow put together by Kyle Mitchell. It showcased all the events we put together over the year, such as voter registration drives, caucus events, and socials. It was amazing to see all that we’d done in just a few months. Kyle also presented Club Superlatives, which served to recognize some of our outstanding members. It was a great way to thank our members for the amazing work they’d done for the club during the past year.

We also recognized our outgoing senior club members. It was both sad and wonderful to say goodbye and wish them luck in their future endeavors. Our outgoing President, Erin Murphy, was thanked in particular for all the effort she put in to make our club the best it could be. UF Democrats could not have been the incredible club that it is without her hard work and dedication. We will certainly miss our members that are leaving us next year, but they are certainly all moving on to bigger and better things.

In in all, I can’t think of any better way to have capped off the past year. The banquet was the perfect way to show our appreciation to all our members and get together for one final evening together as a club before Summer. There were almost as many tears as their were laughs as we said goodbye to our seniors, but it was a fun night for everyone involved.

But it must also be recognized that our roles in society are not somehow diminished now that our rights have been expanded upon. Now is the time for a new group of people — women and men, young and old, educated and progressive — to come together for a greater future. We must fight to keep the rights and privileges that we have, and gain those that have not yet been gifted to us. And because of this we asked our peers on campus, “How Will YOU Make History?”

We had dry erase boards and markers at our table in Turlington for people to proclaim their dreams, whether big or small. Answers ranged from personal promises to be the very best individual possible, to altruistic endeavors, and dreams of being part of a presidency that represents the interests that are most important to us as Democrats and as individuals.

We hope to one day be celebrating the history you all will undoubtedly make.

The UF College Democrats are excited to announce that we are hosting a Democracy for America Campaign Academy on our campus! The training will take place the weekend of March 24-25, at the University of Florida in the New Physics Building. DFA is a nationally recognized organization, founded by former Governor Howard Dean, that provides grassroots training for political organizing. Attending a Campaign Academy will equip you with valuable knowledge and experience for future organizing and local campaigns.

The training will include workshops on field organizing, finance, communications, online presence, and more.

Details to Know

What: Democracy for America Campaign Academy
When: March 24-25
Where: New Physics Building, UF
Cost: $70, or $35 for low-income individuals and students

 Please register for the Academy on DFA’s website!

The Florida College Democrats annual convention for 2012 is being held in Tallahassee this year, and the UF Democrats are excited to attend! All active student members are welcome to sign up and travel with us. The FCD Convention is an opportunity to meet College Democrats from all over the state, and share ideas and best practices. Get excited to hear from a wide array of speakers involved in many aspects of Florida politics. You can learn more about the convention here.

Details to know:

The convention is the weekend of March 30th – April 1st. The UF College Democrats will drive up Friday afternoon and leave early Sunday afternoon, staying in hotels in Tallahassee on Friday and Saturday night. Cost is yet to be determined. Dress at the convention will be business attire.

You must register for the convention on FCD’s website – registration is $20.

Please sign up below if you wish to attend!

At our table in Turlington we had construction paper, markers, stickers, glitter, stencils, and lots and lots of Dem pride as we had a good old fashioned valentine-making party. People came from far and wide to make a valentine, for either themselves or their significant other, while we made sure that everyone around knew that President Obama would also wish them a Happy Valentine’s Day. We later handed out Valentines to the general body members were unable to make it to the table at the meeting that evening.

At our Women’s Caucus next meeting we will be having a special discussion about self esteem and body image issues felt most harshly by women in their college years, our peers. By making Valentines and celebrating this day of love and acceptance together as an organization, we hope to have conveyed to our members and to the general student body that we, the College Democrats and the Women’s Caucus are here for you, for our campus, for your interests, and for our rights as educated, independent Women.

Happy Valentine’s Day from the UF College Democrats and the Women’s Caucus.

We (heart) You.

Each year, the College Democrats of America host their Winter Conference, and this year it is being held in Chicago, Illinois. Chicago is the location of the Obama campaign headquarters! The Conference is an opportunity to learn more about nation-wide College Democrat initiatives, meet fellow Dems from around the country, and get motivated to continue our political activism!

We are excited to travel to Chicago for this CDA event, and we hope you are interested in joining us! The trip is open to dues-paying members, although space is limited due to funding. The cost of the trip will be partially subsidized by the organization. Please fill out the application below if you want to attend. The Conference is on March 10th, and we will be traveling from Thursday, March 8th – Sunday March 11th. Be aware that this conference is during spring break!

Thanks to everyone who applied to go on the trip! Applications are now closed. Stay tuned for more details!

On Friday December 2^nd, The UF College Democrats Hosted its Second Annual Holiday Party. The event celebrated the culmination of a year and a fall semester packed with activism, advocacy, and support for the President and the spread of knowledge and education to the University of Florida and Gainesville community regarding the President’s policies and the upcoming election year. The event was also a way for the UF College Democrats’ executive board to thank the membership and community members for all the support and dedication that they have offered to the organization this fall and to provide a way to relax before students headed to their finals week.

Our Vice President, Kyle Pendergrass, hosted the party, which was organized by the Social Committee. We highlighted all our events for the fall semester and tried to establish a holiday environment with colorful “sweet” decorations and foods and a very exciting white elephant gift exchange! With a pot luck format, we were able to taste and enjoy a variety of foods that our members typically enjoy with their families during the holiday season while also keeping a very festive environment with music and dancing!

While celebrating the end of yet another successful semester and getting ready to enjoy the break and the holidays we did not forget about those less fortunate and we hosted a canned food drive at the event so that attendees could help out and donate canned goods that were later given to the St. Francis House in downtown Gainesville to help feed the homeless.

Overall, the party was a success, collecting over two dozen canned goods for the homeless and having fun with food, desserts and dancing. For those of you who attended, I truly hoped you enjoyed it and have a great winter break and wonderful holiday season with your loved ones! Better yet, I hope to see you again in 2012 ready to get back to work and have an even greater spring semester!

The UF College Democrats have begun Vote 100, an effort to turn out a minimum of 100 student votes in the January 2012 election.

Local politicians make many decisions that impact the lives of college students, even if students are not aware of local politics and do not participate in the elections. The city of Gainesville’s population is roughly 124,000 and there are 52,000 students at the University of Florida, meaning that UF students make up 42% of the population.

Despite this fact, student turnout has historically been very low in local races – City Commission, County Commission, and the Mayor. In the 2010 runoff election to elect the Mayor of Gainesville, voter turnout at the Reitz Union (the on-campus polling place) was a mere 2.45 percent! Mayor Craig Lowe was elected by a margin of 42 votes, making student voters critical to his success.

Because local elections are typically lower turnout across the board, every vote becomes that much more important in deciding the election. The UF College Democrats are proud to announce the Vote 100 Campaign – we are committed to turning out at least 100 votes in the 2012 Gainesville City Commission election.

The goals of this campaign are twofold: First, we want as many students as possible to be involved in the democratic process. Voting is habitual, meaning that once you start voting, odds are you will continue to participate in future elections. Our aim is to get students interested in voting in local races now, so that they will continue to do so in the future. Second, the UF College Democrats want to make sure that Gainesville’s elected officials are looking out for the best interests of students. The only way to guarantee this is for students to play an active hand in local politics, by showing up at the polls and casting their ballots in every election!

Remember, Election Day is January 31st, 2012!