Club of the Year: Exeter Political Union

As the United States moves towards electing its next president, Exeter Political Union (EPU) plays an increasingly important role in mobilizing students to take political action. By sparking discussion on campus, inviting speakers, giving students the resources to be politically active and encouraging eligible students to vote, EPU has provided the Exeter community with political opportunities spanning the partisan spectrum.

This year, EPU hosted a mock primary election on the same day as the New Hampshire primary to see how Exeter students would vote if given the opportunity. The mock primary was well received by the Exeter community, publicizing the political process and provided insight into students’ political leanings.

“It was really interesting to look at the results, and I think it helped to encourage student political involvement,” senior and EPU co-head Sean Taylor said.

EPU also hosted many speakers this year with the assistance of the history department. Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Harvard Law School who had sought the Democratic nomination, gave a talk at an assembly prior to the New Hampshire primary. Lessig encouraged students to take action to reform a corrupt political system. A C-SPAN radio host, Alex Heffner, also spoke at an assembly. In his talk, he discussed the populist nature of the 2016 election.

“I’m sure that the connections we’ve established this year with various campaigns will come in handy at perhaps even bringing one of the nominees to campus.”

In addition, EPU invited two history professors from the University of New Hampshire to campus, Dante Scala and Andy Smith. They not only gave a talk at Assembly, but also took part in an event open to the public concerning the history and statistics behind the New Hampshire Primary.

With many candidates establishing offices and hosting events in New Hampshire earlier this year, EPU aided students with getting involved in the political process.

The club’s heads contacted many campaigns and developed relationships with political staggers in the area, creating internship opportunities for students and scoring invites to campaign events.

The EPU also informed students of public events being hosted by candidates in Exeter and encouraged students to attend. Candidates such as Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump and John Kasich all held rallies in Exeter attended by members of the club.

“I wanted students to know when these events were happening, encouraging them to go see candidates they wouldn’t normally agree with. I always say it’s good to be open-minded and listen to people from every angle—you might find yourself surprised,” Taylor said.

Senior Michael Shao, another co-head of EPU, expressed the importance of EPU’s presence on campus during the New Hampshire primary. “We harnessed and captured the spirit of discussion and involvement this year.” he said.

Shao further pressed the importance of students engaging with politicians from multiple viewpoints and stressed the role that EPU has played in encouraging dialogue. “I think that we have provided a serious privilege to engage students in bipartisan, active discussion with speakers and events from both sides of the isle, to help students determine for themselves what they think matters and what they think they believe in, instead of pushing a partisan agenda,” he said.

Shao said that EPU fought against the sentiment that Exeter keeps students in a political bubble. “Many students complain that Exeter does not help students become politically active. Through our lobbying, we helped and indirectly pushed Exonians to engage themselves politically,” he said.

In the future, the Exeter Political Union plans to revive the Exeter Political Review, an annual publication of political pieces. In doing so, the club hopes to further the political discussion that they have already fostered on campus through various forums and events. Shao hopes that the Review will “provide a platform for bipartisan political pieces in a peer-reviewed publication.”

The co-heads hope that the leadership next year will continue to engage in the political process and encourage students to vote in the presidential election. “We’ll continue to be involved with the federal elections for president as well as congress,” upper Bonnie LaBonté, a co-head of EPU, said.

Shao emphasized how the work done this year could lead to even more opportunities next year for the EPU. “I’m sure that the connections we’ve established this year with various campaigns will come in handy at perhaps even bringing one of the nominees to campus,” Shao said.

Club adviser and history instructor Bill Jordan shared his hopes for what EPU will accomplish in the coming year. “I hope the co-heads will continue to keep track of the candidates, spread the word if they’re coming to Exeter and get faculty to drive to rallies,” he said.

He further expressed his hope that the EPU will continue to foster political discussions on campus.

“As the election draws to a close, I’d love to see them focus more on issues and get speakers who are academics or involved in some kind of activism or political policy,” he said.