Last weekend, I joined hundreds of students at UCLA to
participate in a convention of the California College
Republicans.
Many in the crowd had flown or driven to our campus with the
same zeal and ambitions of the stereotypical student activist. They
yearned to discuss politics, advance ideas, and, yes, to change the
world. At least, that is why I went.
My own interests were piqued by several prominent speakers and a
live radio broadcast on Friday by a local conservative radio host.
But I soon discovered this was only a pleasant facade. The
convention actually betrayed the very dangerous and ugly condition
of college activism.
The youth-run organization turns out to be nothing at all about
principles and everything about politics. The main purpose of the
annual convention is to hold elections for the board of the
CCR.
One would expect these elections to be civil, equal and
transparent. However, this was not the case. For the three days of
the convention, herds of students wore “Team Re-elect”
T-shirts and passed out “Team Re-elect” stickers. As
you might have guessed, “Team Re-elect” is a political
slate with candidates for each of the 11 board positions.
The slate was headed by Michael Davidson, a 2003 graduate of UC
Berkeley. He and his 10 colleagues swept the elections this year.
So the California College Republicans, for the second year in a
row, is chaired by a non-college student!
“Why is a non-student able to run a student group?”
you ask. This is because last year, the Constitutional Review
Committee of the CCR ““ chaired, I’m sure
coincidentally, by Michael Davidson ““ deleted a passage from
the constitution that would bar non-students from seeking board
positions.
The elections themselves are held in a biased roll-call form.
Delegates from the various California colleges stand up and
announce the endorsement of their constituencies. The problem is
the vote is public, so delegates fear retribution and naturally
vote for the candidate they think will win.
The elections aren’t about principle or even policy. They
are popularity contests that determine the future leaders of the
national party. They pit conservatives against conservatives,
replace causes with compromises, and cancel values for the sake of
politics.
The slate is omnipotent. Its victory is essentially
predetermined, and the campaigns of independent candidates or
competing slates are rendered irrelevant and futile.
Hence, the whole election business becomes a matter of secret
alliances, competing factions, the telling of lies, and the
spreading of rumors. It breeds hostility and fosters division among
the young Republicans.
The defenders of the “slate” and the current
elections process argue that unity and stability are crucial to the
end goal of the California College Republicans. So, what does the
organization actually do?
On paper, officially, the CCR performs two tasks. First, it
issues a low-circulation and, I dare say, illiterate news magazine
called “Moxie.” Second, it holds conventions. In
reality, it helps a few college students meet high-level
politicians, get internships and jobs, and make their way up the
ladder of the Republican Party.
Though this particular dilemma is most unpleasant to me, its
almost universal applicability to all college organizations should
cause great alarm for everyone. Almost all political and many
cultural groups have state and national headquarters. Almost all of
these headquarters offer propositions ““ of fame, fortune,
prestige, etc. These bids can be tempting.
But this is not the time to be politicians and diplomats.
College is a place and youth is a time to explore, gather our
convictions, and fight for them. Meaninglessness and bureaucracy
are bad enough for old-man politics. But they are far more
dangerous to our intellects, our free will and our causes when they
are forced upon us so early on in life.
Many of my friends and acquaintances will be offended when they
read this column. But I find solace and satisfaction in this
prosaic line of truth: “I love my friends, but I love truth
more.”
We must be skeptical of all groups and organizations, even when
they appear to promote our ideologies. We must be honest in our
convictions and dedicated to our causes. We must be passionate and
prudent. Above all, we must be honest, civil and fair.
With this in mind, let us expand our armies, collect our
ammunition, and step onto the political battlefield once again.
Hovannisian is a first-year history and philosophy student.
E-mail him at ghovannisian@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to
viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.