“With the youth vote surging this year, we are expecting a very large attendance at the annual College Democrats of America Convention,” CDA President Lauren Wolfe said.  

Attendees are encouraged to register as soon as possible and stay through the national convention. Housing will be provided by the University of Denver in conjunction with the DNC and is available on a first come, first serve basis. More information on housing will available soon.

The registration fee is $65 and is open until Thursday July 22. On-site registration cost $105 and will be available on Friday August 22 only.

Registration is available on the CDA Webcite:

http://partybuilder.collegedems.com/page/s/cda08
 

About the TFCD:
The Tennessee Federation of College Democrats is a group designated to unite, lead and coordinate chapters of the College Democrats of America on college and university campuses throughout Tennessee. The TFCD currently is made up of 28 chapters across the state, representing more than 2,300 members.

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Read it here.

These are students who were brought to the US as children, and who, because of their lack of citizenship, are unable to realize their dreams of higher education. 65,000 of these students graduate from high school each year and are unable to work legally, or attend college.

This is wrong for America, and it’s wrong for our communities:

1. Education (at any level) is a universal right.
2. Not helping students’ attend college results in much greater costs to the state and contributes to an uneducated workforce

The “DREAM Act” and “American Dream Act” provide an opportunity for U.S.-raised students to earn U.S. citizenship. The “DREAM Act” would allow certain immigrant students to adjust their status to that of a legal permanent resident on a conditional basis for six years based on the following requirements:

• Age. Immigrant students must have entered the U.S. before age 16.

• Academic requirement. Students must have been accepted for admission into a two or four-year institution of higher education or have earned a high school diploma or a general educational development (GED) certificate at the time of application for relief. or served in the U.S. armed forces for at least 2 years.

• Long-term U.S. residence. Students must reside in the U.S. when the law is enacted. In addition, those eligible must have lived in the U.S. for at least five years preceding the date of enactment of the Act.

• Good moral character. Immigrant students must demonstrate good moral character, a defined term in immigration law. In general, students must have no criminal record.

The DREAM act isn’t just important to immigrant students, it is important for all of us.

President Bush yesterday vetoed a $35 billion expansion of a popular children’s health insurance program, a move that left him as politically isolated as he has ever been and had even Republican allies questioning his hard-line strategy.

Bush advisers said they remain hopeful that they can secure an extension of the 10-year-old program with a lower price tag, saying they want to open negotiations soon.

The Tennessee delegation left for Columbia, S.C. via several carpools and a couple airports. For some of us it was an easy 4 to 5 hour drive, but for some it took more like 12 (driving from D.C.). By 1 p.m. everyone had arrived safely at the University of South Carolina (USC was the host site for the convention).

A few delegates arrived in S.C. in time to attend the CDA National Council meeting (the NC is similar to an executive committee or legislative body of some organizations) where Tennessee cast the tie-breaking vote in the NC elections. What is it with close elections and Tennessee being put on the spot?

There were a few other closed sessions that day for state federation officers and chapter presidents; I’ll not go into the mind-numbing details (you’re welcome).

Margaret Franklin, Kristen Spires, and Charlotte Kimsey.

But at 4 p.m. Thursday it came time for the convention kick-off and what many students had been waiting so restlessly for: Senator Barak Obama.

Following the kick-off festivities, several delegates attended the base-vote constituency caucus meetings (African American, Asian American & Pacific Islander, Disability, GLBT, and Hispanic) to elect caucus officers and plan the coming year’s events/programs.

All of Thursday’s official business wrapped up by 9 p.m., and from there several delegates attended gatherings hosted by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Day 2: Friday, July 27

The morning started off bright and early for delegates attending the breakfast meeting for the CDA Faith Caucus (yes, we have one), where students heard remarks from Rev. Romal Tune.

The rest of the day was spent attending training workshops on a wide range of topics. Here is a peak at the trainings delegates attended:

• Psychology of Making the Ask
• Earned Media and Press Outreach
• Getting Support from State Parties and Allies
• New Media Organizing Tools
• Managing Chapters, Writing Plans

All that lasted from roughly 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., when the block party began. The event consisted of a street fair with food, games, and live entertainment.

Margaret Franklin, Adam Green, Caitlin Elledge.

A lot of the excitement this evening surrounded John Edwards scheduled appearance. The students seem to like Edwards’ preference for rally-style events rather than the indoor events that keep you from crowding around a stage to see the candidate up close and personal. Many students remarked afterwards that this event showed Edwards at his best.

Day 3: Saturday, July 28

Here’s a quick overview of Saturday morning’s early activities: Women’s Caucus meeting, briefing on how to become a delegate/alternate at the 2008 DNC Convention.

Late morning gave us what was supposed to be a host of speakers, but with Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former Senator Mike Gravel canceling, we heard from House Majority Whip James Clyburn and Senator Hillary Clinton.

TFCD Vice President Caitlin Elledge with Hillary Clinton

Clinton gave a flawless delivery and was more on message to students than in past speeches to CDA (my personal opinion). The only problem she encountered was a protester who was successful in walking all the way down the center aisle of the ballroom to within 30 feet from Clinton. The students reacted quickly, drowning out her screaming with chanting and cheers. She was removed, but remained in the building to talk with students, media, et al. She threw away her sign but it ended up being a prop for dozens upon dozens (dare I say hundreds?) of photos.

Trent Thompson of the Alabama Delegation.

The afternoon began with continued training workshops and moved on to a Q&A session with candidates running for national CDA offices. The elections began around 5 p.m. Sunday, but did not take as long as expected (only two races were seriously contested). Sam Hodge (MO) and Kyle Schulberg (MA) deserve honorable mention for their election victories. [Note: Tennessee has gained bellwether status with CDA internal poltics in recent years.]

CDA closed with remarks from the eloquent S.C. state Rep. Bakari Sellers and Jamie Harrison, chief of staff to Rep. James Clyburn, and afterwards a cake and ice cream reception.

Day 4: Sunday, July 29

We hated to leave beautiful Columbia, S.C. and USC, but with summer classes, exams, internships, and you name it, our mid-morning departure was inevitable. Again, some of us drove, some flew, and some joined caravans back to their D.C. summer internships.

But our return journeys were not with out excitement. The Chattanooga delegation (along with one TSU delegate) took a unintentional “short cut”. I’ll not go into details; I’ll just post this following picture (Hint: Look at the terrain).

]]> http://www.tfcd.org/2007/08/01/tennessee-students-attend-national-college-democrats-convention/feed/ http://www.tfcd.org/2007/08/01/120/ http://www.tfcd.org/2007/08/01/120/#comments Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:42:41 +0000 Adam Green Press Releases http://www.tfcd.org/2007/08/01/120/ http://www.tfcd.org/2007/08/01/120/feed/ http://www.tfcd.org/2007/04/01/tfcd-elects-2007-executive-board/ http://www.tfcd.org/2007/04/01/tfcd-elects-2007-executive-board/#comments Sun, 01 Apr 2007 17:17:42 +0000 Adam Green Press Releases http://www.tfcd.org/2007/04/01/tfcd-elects-2007-executive-board/ Nashville, Tenn. - The Tennessee Federation of College Democrats (TFCD) held its annual spring conference Saturday in Nashville to provide chapter development training and to elect the organization’s executive board.

“The conference this year was a great success,” said Alex Youn, outgoing TFCD president. “We were able to get a lot of participation from schools that haven’t been active before. That’s something we’ve done really well the past two years, we’ve managed to grow all our existing chapters and start new ones as well.”

The new officers are:
Adam Green, President (UTC)
Caitlin Elledge, Vice President (UTK)
Molly Sneary, Communications Director (Maryville College)
Landree Brotherton, Membership Director (Tusculum College)
Margaret Franklin, Minority Affairs Director (UTC)
Michael Lipe, Political Affairs Director (University of Memphis)
Zak Kelley, Programs Director (UTK)
Leah Kirk, Secretary (Carson-Newman College)
Frankie Long, Treasurer (Carson-Newman College)

“I’ve been with the TFCD for almost 2 years, and I’ve been involved with the College Democrats for almost four,” said Adam Green, incoming TFCD president. “I can’t express how excited I am to lead this organization into its next stage.”

“I think all the new officers have what it takes to move this organization forward; we’re all motivated and have already begun implementing some of our plans,” said Green.

The training, which covered topics from recruiting members to fundraising and messaging, was facilitated by Parag Mehta, the Democratic National Committee’s director of training.

More than 30 students representing 12 Tennessee colleges and universities attended the conference.

About the TFCD
The Tennessee Federation of College Democrats is a group designated to unite, lead and coordinate chapters of the College Democrats of America on college and university campuses throughout Tennessee. The TFCD currently is made up of 28 chapters across the state, representing more than 2,300 members.

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“College Democrats are coming out of the wood work on Tennessee campuses like I’ve never seen before,” said Alex Youn, TFCD President. “We hope to have the most productive conference in the history of our organization.”

“This conference will provide the tools necessary for local chapters to grow and prepare for the coming elections.”

Participation from all College Democrats chapters across the state is encouraged. Those who attend will have the opportunity to participate in breakout sessions on a variety of issues, including: chapter development, fundraising, and voter registration.

The summit will be held on Saturday, March 31st. We ask that all those attending plan on staying in Nashville from 9 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

To attend the summit, we ask that you visit the following website and complete the registration form:

http://www.tfcd.org/2007-spring-conference/

For more information, please contact:
Adam Green, Communications Director [agreen@tfcd.org]

About the TFCD

The Tennessee Federation of College Democrats is a group designated to unite, lead and coordinate chapters of College Democrats of America on college campuses throughout Tennessee.

President Bush tonight will try to change the subject — and will fail.

That’s the consensus of the Washington press corps, which is nearly unanimous today in describing a badly weakened president desperate to boost his standing by talking about anything but Iraq.

Register Now!

This particular DNC meeting is exciting because it will attract all of the Democratic Presidential candidates for 2008. In 2003, when CDA took part in a similar event, numerous presidential candidates specifically addressed the College Democrats and students got to see all of the speeches before the DNC. This is a very exciting opportunity and we hope that you can attend!

The DNC meeting will be held at the Hilton Washington Hotel at 1919 Connecticut Avenue NW. We have a room block at the George Washington University Inn at 824 New Hampshie Ave NW. This is a short metro ride away from where our meeting will be held. The room rate is 129.99 a night and each room can fit four people. The phone number for the hotel is 1-800-426-4455. Please call the hotel to make reservations.

We will be sponsoring a lobbying day Thursday, February 1 and the Leadership Summit programming will begin in the evening. The summit will end Sunday, February 4 in the afternoon.

We encourage you to fly in to Reagan National Airport in Washington DC so that you can take the Metro to the hotel.

Register Now!