
Tingxuan Lu
Grayce McAllister, president of the ESU Collegiate Republicans and junior business administration major, speaks about the group and upcoming events last Tuesday in the Memorial Union. The group has just been reinstated as an RSO this year.
The Emporia State University Collegiate Republicans have recently been reinstated as an Associated Student Government Registered Student Organization after being rescinded last year due to a miscommunication during the application process.
“We try to have students be informed about the Republican side of politics, and just be given the opportunity that if they want to see what that looks like,” said Grayce McAllister, president of the ESU Collegiate Republicans and junior business administration major. “Or, if they share that same view, to have an outlet.”
The purpose of the Collegiate Republicans is to encourage and promote the ideals of the Republican party on campus and to create opportunities for student involvement through participation in the organization and its sponsored events, according to the Constitution of the Emporia State Collegiate Republicans.
“It is important to have groups like this on campus to help students participate in the political process,” said Gregory Schneider, faculty adviser to the ESU Collegiate Republicans and professor of social sciences. “It also may help them join a campaign and to work for a candidate if they choose. It helps them meet like-minded people interested in politics, which is always a good thing.”
The group normally has one regular meeting every month where they plan on bringing in a visiting speaker, such as a legislator or the Kansas State Collegiate Republican President, Taylor Latham, to talk with the group, according to McAllister. They then have a second meeting called a social meeting, where they might go rollerskating, get ice cream or do other fun activities.
“I like to hear from our members what they would like to do for the upcoming year,” McAllister said. “If a student wants a specific thing out of the club, like a specific speaker to come or a certain issue to know more about, then I definitely try to listen to that and plan the meetings accordingly.”
Last year the group went to the Capitol in Topeka for a Leadership Day, according to McAllister.
“We got to meet with Governor Brownback and several of the other staffers up there, which was an awesome experience,” McAllister said.
The Collegiate Republicans also collaborated with the Lyon County Republicans to host an event commemorating President Eisenhower and walked for Senator Jeff Longbine and other representatives who were running for office, McAllister said.
“Looking at our previous election, there has been a lot of discussion politically,” McAllister said. “I think that it’s good to continue that political discussion and to have an outlet for students to come in and discuss, so I think that this club is something that offers students that option.”