At the University of Michigan, there are over 900 student organizations ranging from the U-M Squirrel club to Dance Marathon. Some, however, are more politically aligned and have a clear agenda. Here is the Review's take on a select number of campus groups and the specific political agenda that they represent.
SOLE: Known for getting themselves arrested for sit-ins in President Mary Sue Coleman's office, Students Organized for Labor Equality (SORE) has consistently prided themselves on promoting socialist ideals in order to benefit the forgotten man. The group is so radical that it held a "I'd rather be naked" protest in 2008 and it was barred from speaking at the Board of Regents meeting. Constantly looking for "social justice," SOLE will continue to promote their far-left agenda, even with Democrats in both the White House and Congress. Try to avoid eye contact with them when they are protesting the latest Nike or Adidas factory that is opening in a developing country.
College Democrats: Representing the majority of the campus population, the College Democrats have defended almost every policy propagated by President Obama and Governor Granholm's. Creating a cult of personality during the 2008 presidential election, the Democrats made sure that you couldn't go anywhere on campus without seeing Obama's face or a voter registration form. With Obama now upholding some of the Bush-era policies, including military tribunals for enemy combatants, how will they respond to their "Dear Leader"? The Michigan Daily: Throughout its history as "the campus newspaper of the University of Michigan," the Daily has made sure to equate "editorial freedom" with a consistently liberal editorial page. From the editorial board tacitly endorsing almost every Democratic candidate in the 2008 election to columnists describing Republicans as "idiotic," the Daily strives to coat its editorial page with content that would rival Pravda in the 1950s. One glance at the paper and you'll be ready to be transformed into a campus lefty for the next four years.
GEO: Almost every GSI that you have at Michigan will belong to the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO). Seemingly every year, the GEO threatens to strike in order to get pay raises and increased benefits, and with the exception of an ineffective one-day strike in early 2008, it always backs down. The GEO has consistently "stood in solidarity" with lefty causes on campuses and has even earned the spite of even President Mary Sue Coleman. You'll undoubtedly hear of the GEO next year when they are either complaining about their wages or defending the latest labor injustice.
Students for Life: A group that argues against abortion, Students for Life receives support from about two percent of the campus population. While not overtly political, these group members tend to stray away from Democratic pro-choice policies. They have increased their activism on campus because of the new Democratic administration.
College Republicans: Known on campus for being drowned-out by the sheer number of College Democrats, the College Republicans attempt to defend the increasingly irrelevant GOP on a predominantly liberal campus. They promote tax cuts, the war in Iraq, and limited government in an effort to court the five percent of students who consider themselves Republicans. The group, like the Republican Party, is increasingly moving to the left to rebrand its image. However, the word "Republican" is like the kiss of death in Ann Arbor.
YAF: The Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) was designated as a radical campus group two years ago that would sponsor such ridiculous events as "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day." Fresh off of their makeover, however, YAF has abandoned its far-right roots and developed into a more mainstream conservative organization. According to most students, however, the image of the group's radical nature still lingers.
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