Umaine College Republican Group Under New Executive Management

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2-24-2020

UMaine College Republican group under new executive management

Leela Stockley

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Repository Citation Stockley, Leela, "UMaine College Republican group under new executive management" (2020). Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. 200. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/social_justice/200

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UMaine College Republican group under new executive management

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 Leela Stockley (https://mainecampus.com/author/lstockley/)   Campus & Community News (https://mainecampus.com/category/news/campus-community-news/),News (https://mainecampus.com/category/news/) |  February 24, 2020

In an unprecedented turn of events, the University of Maine Student Government (UMSG) approved the primary recognition of the UMaine College Republican organization, which has changed leadership. The executive members of the newly reformed UMaine College Republican group are President Anna Zmistowski, a third year political science student, Vice President Caitlyn McKenney, a rst year student, and Treasurer Parker Lambert, a fourth year political science and history student. Amy Fried, a professor of political science and chair of the department of political science, is acting as the organization’s current advisor. Fried had acted as the advisor to the previous executive members of the UMaine College Republicans but had stepped down due to conicts of ethics.

The new executive members of the UMaine College Republicans believe that it is necessary to promote the values of the Republican Party among the members of the UMaine community. The club hopes that they will be able to work to promote Republican candidates for state and national government and are working with various community members to help elect Republican candidates.

Zmistowski claried that the new executive board hopes to create a dialogue about Republican candidates in a way that is respectful to the climate of the UMaine community.

“We want to allow for a more open, but respectful, political discourse on [the UMaine campus],” Zmistowski said.

Zmistowski also noted that the club is working hard to create positive community feedback by working on social media platforms to clean up the image of the group, as the group is associated in the public mind with actions of past executive members.

“Rather than only focusing on posting and how we appear on social media, we have tried our very best to focus on action and relevant Republican issues on campus,” Zmistowski noted.

One way that they have pursued this goal is by bringing Dale Crafts, a former Republican member of the Maine State House of Representatives, to campus to hold a town-hall-style discussion with UMaine community members. The event, on Feb. 20, was held in the Bangor Room of the Memorial Union and was a chance for Crafts to speak with community members about his background and philosophy, as he is seeking election to U.S. Congress.

Zmistowski told the Maine Campus that she and the other executive members of the group decided to form the organization after noticing the direction that political discourse was taking in the UMaine community.

“We formed our group because we were extremely discouraged by the lack of appropriate political discourse on campus and the misrepresentation of Republican values,” Zmistowski said. “It was important to us that students have an accurate, honest and dynamic representation of what it means to be a modern Republican. We also wanted to begin providing students with the opportunities [that] previous groups were not providing. By this, I mean internships, volunteer opportunities and voter engagement. We believe these are critical for students looking to launch a career in politics, and we wanted to ensure that every student at UMaine had the ability to get involved with whichever political organization they feel the most comfortable supporting.”

The organization is hoping to create more opportunities for community engagement by hosting Congressional candidates throughout the semester, as well as hosting other notable Republican speakers who are running for elected ofce. They also hope to provide students with information on internships with the Maine GOP, Sen. Susan Collins and opportunities at the White House.

“In order to inspire better relations between political groups on campus, we will also be engaging in several service projects with other UMaine political organizations to benet the community and be a model for the public on just how well we can all get along when we put our difference aside and treat one another with respect and dignity,” Zmistowski said.

Zmistowski has experience in politics, after working for Congressman Bruce Poliquin when she was 16. She then went on to work for Sen. Collins for two years while she attended UMaine. She spent the last summer organizing and running a special election campaign for Republican KC Hughes in Cumberland and Gray, Maine. She has also interned with the Maine GOP and Trump Victory, traveling across the state to inform people of Republican values.

She noted that, through strong leadership and community engagement, she has seen a positive community reaction to the new executive members of the group.

“Generally speaking, I feel our new group has been exceptionally well-received on campus, especially by other political groups,” Zmistowski said. “We’re nally all able to work collaboratively to get kids on campus more politically involved and begin engaging others respectfully on our differing viewpoints.”

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Dr. Ed • a year ago As an alumnus, an alumnus of the Political Science Department, and a product of the "Good Government" school which once existed on that campus, I am DISGUSTED....

First and foremost, Dale Crofts is one of FOUR candidates in the Republican Primary -- the other three are Adrienne Bennett, Eric Brakey, and John Hiatt. If Professor Fried had a scintilla of professional ethics or personal integrity, she would have explained that the Republican Club needs to invite ALL the Republicans...

Crofts may be the frontrunner, with an endorsement from Paul LePage, but much as the League of Women Voters have to invite all the candidates, the y , g , g , Republican Club has to invite all the Republicans. This is Good Government 101 and something that was once championed in Orono. Apparently not any  more....

Second, while I understand that ruthless opportunism is characteristic of young people interested in politics, administrators (and it's not just Fried here) ought not facilitate it. There once was a time when the grownups would have stayed out of the internal power struggles within student organizations -- apparently not anymore.

And there once was a time on that campus when I can think of a dozen professors who'd have volunteered to step in after Fried walked away -- professors whose views were considerably left of center but who had fought in WWII as teenagers and came home with an absolute dedication to the principles of free speech for all, and diversity of opinions. These were men who'd have openly been saying that they disagree with pretty much everything that the club had to say -- but they fully intended to defend the club's right to say it. Voltaire and all of that.

Apparently things are quite different now in North Stevens Hall. Sad... △ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Dr. Ed > Dr. Ed • a year ago And there is this gem: "Zmistowski clarified that the new executive board hopes to create a dialogue about Republican candidates in a way that is respectful to the climate of the UMaine community. [emphasis added]

That has "Welcome to the Gulag" written all over it -- the land of Lovejoy has now succumbed to the speech police. Heaven forbid that the Republican Club be permitted to support the President of the United States, who just happens to be THE LEADER OF the Republican Party. Or the most recent REPUBLICAN Governor of the state, who reportedly is considering a 2022 run.

I'm reminded of the Trial of Socrates, which was more about people like Amy Fried and Robert Dana realizing that society was [is] changing and that their powerbase was [is] eroding underneath their feet. Both Socrates and the Real Republican Club represented the oncoming tide of change that can not be stopped. Much as the detested "flatlanders" couldn't be stopped 40-50 years ago, the Trump Populism isn't going to be stopped now.

Donald Trump is reshaping the Republican Party much as FDR reshaped the Democratic party in the early 1930's -- and much as the Jacksonian Democrats all became Republicans, after Trump wins reelection this fall, the RINOs will become the Democrats that they truly are.

And the sands are shifting under UMaine as well. Reality is that there is a shortage of 18-year-olds, both nationally and particularly in Maine. There are some who speculate that half of the existing colleges and universities will close in the next ten years -- UM Machias essentially already has. The Higher Ed Act still hasn't been reauthorized, and if the GOP takes the House this fall, well might not be -- and that's the end of all Federal Financial Aid. And sooner or later, someone in Augusta is going to ask why Maine taxpayers are subsidizing Massachusetts children to attend

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Mark Turek • a year ago Since Amy Fried is clearly on the Far Left side of politics, why is she even involved with a Republican group? That just doesn't make any sense. △ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Dr. Ed > Mark Turek • a year ago It actually does if you think about it

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