The Traveler

Issue date: 9/8/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Veronica Pucci Senior Will Watson and graduate student David Orr spend their Saturday morning campaigning at the Fayetteville Farmer's Market as a part of the Students for Barack Obama.

With the election coming up in November, more and more UA students are becoming involved in politics. Students for Barack Obama, the newest political Registered Student Organization on campus, is not only hoping to get students more involved, but is also encouraging them to support Senator Obama's campaign.

"This election has drawn more people into the political process than ever before, and we are proud to be a part of this movement," said Will Watson, chapter coordinator of SFBO.

The group started as an extension of the national campaign in order to reach students on the UA campus, and is coordinating the local work with the national organization, according to a press release.

"It is important that students become involved in the political process. In this election, [there are] a lot of issues that concerning young voters. We want them to know that the Obama ticket is the one most aligned with their interests," Watson said. "The Obama campaign has actively been reaching out to young voters. The least we can do is to show that we will be an active part of the campaign," he said.

The RSO's primary goals are voter registration and indentifying Obama supporters on campus and group membership, Watson said. SFBO has over 200 members on Facebook and around 30 active official members, but the chapter goal is to recruit 200 members total, he said.

"We have accepted students from every kind of political background from conservative and liberal, republican and democrat to independent," Watson said.

The group meets every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., but doesn't have a set location yet. Their biggest form of communication is over Facebook and e-mail, Watson said.

Upcoming events include voter registration and visibility from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Union Market on Wednesday and voter registration in Pomfret Hall Thursday evening from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Students can get involved in Obama's campaign by joining the group and spreading the word about the campaign or by volunteer to make phone calls or canvass Fayetteville communities, Watson said.

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