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| Soap,
water, politics perfect mix for these young people By RYAN REYNOLDS / Courier & Press staff July 8, 2003 I'm a sucker for charity car washes, so when I spied four young people camped out in the parking lot of the Rosenberger Avenue Burger King on Saturday, I stopped for a quick auto scrub. "What group are you guys raising money for?" I asked, because you can never be too careful whom you give money to in this age of scammers, flim-flam men and corporate attorneys. A stout young man in a gray T-shirt gave me a shocking answer. "The College Republicans." Come again? Actually, my answer was this: "Jeeeeeeeez. Wouldn't you guys be more comfortable caddying for tips at a country club?" The young man, Sean Selby, laughed. Then he saw my shirt, a gray T-shirt with this newspaper's logo across the chest. "Ah, the Courier & Press. You work there?" he asked. While I was tempted to ask him to define "work," I told him yes, I did. He laughed again. Apparently, among Republicans, the Courier & Press has a reputation for being too liberal. Of course, the friends I have who are Democrats tell me that they think the paper is too conservative in its views. One friend's exact words: "You guys wouldn't endorse Jesus for president if he was a Democrat." Funny, I never knew J.C. had signed up for one party or the other. But back to the car wash. Selby and I stood off to one side while the three others washed my Oldsmobile; thus Sean avoided any work whatsoever. Sean, a 21-year-old business administration major at the University of Southern Indiana, apparently is angling for a career in management. Since he obviously wasn't going to get within five feet of my car, I asked him to fill me in on how the USI College Republicans were doing. Selby said they've had 115 members since the organization's inception in August 2001. Later, we talked about how difficult it is to get young people involved with the political process - only one in four people between the ages of 18 and 30 voted in the 2000 presidential election, according to the Youth Vote Coalition. Polling place apathy is rampant among Selby's generation - my own generation. It's not that we're completely removed from the process, either. After all, this year's Evansville mayoral race has two candidates whose campaigns have young people high up the totem pole. University of Southern Indiana student Eric Davis, 22, is aiding incumbent Republican Russ Lloyd Jr.; and Drew Simpson, a 23-year-old DePauw University graduate, is helping Democratic challenger Jonathan Weinzapfel. "I think the best way to relate to someone is being the same age they are," Selby said. "They see someone their age involved in something, and they're more likely to take an interest. "It's not necessarily that they're not interested to start with. Sometimes, young people just don't understand what's going on. So we try to pass on the information to them." Then, another quick laugh: "Whether the Democrats like that information or not," he said. I'll give them credit - the three Republicans, Robby Jenkins, Amy Lawrence and Ryan Moren, finished my car in about five minutes, and it was shiny and clean. I joked with Selby that Lawrence, wearing a bikini top and shorts, was the only female at the event. "You need more people like her out by the road if you want to draw in the customers," I said. Selby laughed and agreed. They are young, intelligent, involved and have a good sense of humor. And whether you agree with their politics, one thing is certain: We need more of them in the community. |
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USI College Republicans 527 N. Green River Rd. P. M. Box #149 Evansville, IN 47715 1 (877) 626-7717 toll-free contact@usicr.com |
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