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Would you like to be more involved with PACD? Is there a specific issue that matters most to you? Then, you should apply to lead one of PACD’s four caucuses. Positions will be filled by the end of December, so you should submit your application today!
Below is the link to the application. Good Luck!
http://bit.ly/v5mdbY
Contact Information
Elliot Griffin
Communications Director
Egriffin@pacollegedems.com
November 28, 2011
For Immediate Release
Pennsylvania College Democrats launch WTF Tom Corbett
On Sunday, the Pennsylvania College Democrats (PACD) launched a new blog entitled Well, That’s Frightening (WTF) Tom Corbett. This blog will highlight the misguided Corbett administration and their allegiance to big business over the average Pennsylvanian.
This multimedia site will also allow for viewers to post their own opinions on the frightening moments of the Corbett administration.
PACD president, Megan Chialastri, said “since he was elected, Governor Corbett has cut funding to education, attempted to slash our voting rights with legislation like HB 934 and allowed natural gas drilling to go unregulated. This blog will allow voters to see how Governor Corbett is destroying Pennsylvania and force them to hold him accountable.”
In addition to the blog, PACD will also run Twitter and Facebook pages by the same name. To find out why Tom Corbett and his administration are so frightening visit the new blog at wtfTomCorbett.tumblr.com
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
PENN DEMOCRATS TO EDUCATE STUDENTS ABOUT HB934
CONTACT: Isabel Friedman, President
president@penndems.org
610-715-9616
From November 14th to 16th, 2011, Penn Democrats will be hosting an awareness event on campus to inform students about HB934, an act that would amends the Pennsylvania elections code to require all voters to present valid photo ID issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or a passport.
To inform students about the bill and its potential implications, Penn Democrats is reenacting an election day and asking students to cast their vote for cookies or brownies. Students who can display valid photo ID defined by HB934 will be allowed to vote for, and receive, a free baked good. Students who do not have the necessary ID will be rejected from the polls, informed of the bill’s potential impact on their future voting rights, and given raisins. All participants will be given information about HB934 and a link to our petition against the bill on change.org.
19% of Penn students come from Pennsylvania and would be likely to be able to present proper ID. We anticipate that few students, if any, will be able to present their passports at our mock voting booth. If this information holds true we anticipate that only 19% of students who attempt to vote will be able to do so.
Penn Democrats is committed to fighting the passage of HB934. The current bill does not allow for the use of student IDs and disproportionately affects minority, low-income, and elderly voters who are less likely to posses the required ID. “HB 934 would suppress student voters and shrink the Pennsylvania electorate.” said Penn Democrats president Isabel Friedman.
Penn Democrats calls upon students to take action against HB934 by calling State Senate Majority Leader Dominic Peliggi’s office, signing our petition, and pledging to get involved in Penn Dems’ future voting rights protection efforts.
Our petition can be found at http://www.chn.ge/penndems and the facebook event for this week can be found at http://www.on.fb.me/stophb934.
This Wednesday marked the official launch of the Young Americans for Obama campaign. PACD was glad to be a part of this event that was hosted at the University of Pennsylvania!
Special thanks to all of the Penn, Drexel and Temple College Democrats that made this event a huge success!
The panel included Mayor Michael Nutter, PACD Communications Director Elliot Griffin,Campaign Manager Jim Messina, and Democratic Strategist Melody Barnes
——
As the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” blasted over the loud speakers, hundreds of high school and college democrats packed into the University of Pennsylvania’s Houston Hall to see for themselves what the Young Americans for Obama 2012 campaign is all about.
The National Student Summit was the kick-off event to the Obama campaign’s “Greater Together” initiative, which specifically targets voters ages 18 to 29. The campaign just launched its website last week and it will be holding similar summits at colleges and universities across the country.
Featured guests were Philadelphia Mayor and 1977 Wharton graduate Michael Nutter, Obama Campaign Manager Jim Messina and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes.
The majority of the event was a panel discussion in which the featured guests and students from universities throughout the state answered questions from audience members. The panelists also answered questions submitted via twitter.
The “Greater Together” movement is centered around the nation’s youngest voters. In 2008, Obama was able to mobilized the youth vote with impressive success. However in recent months, numerous headlines and cable news pundits have declared that Obama has lost the magic with younger voters.
UPenn Democrats President Isabel Friedman told the Daily Pennsylvanian, the 2012 Obama campaign on campus has “a different kind of energy” compared to 2008. “The challenge will be reminding students what he’s accomplished for them — and he has accomplished a tremendous amount,” she said.
The formation and launch of this organization – replete with sleek social media campaign tools – is an effort by the campaign to combat the slide.
Nutter described seeing enthusiastic and engaged young voters as “tremendously exciting,” and he called the students in the crowd to register to vote in order to make a difference and have their voices heard.
“It is about your future. The nonsense that we see in Congress must come to an end.”
The panelists discussed issues of jobs, health care and education, and the conversation was particularly targeted to the young audience.
Soon to be Temple University graduate Elliot Griffin, expressed her strong support for the Affordable Care Act which allows young adults to be on their parents’ health insurance until age 26. Griffin says that without the Affordable Care Act she could not afford to think about law school or starting her own business.
Students were also particularly interested in Obama’s position on preventative care and reproductive rights.
“Preventative care is the smartest thing you can do to reduce health care costs,” said Barnes.
Barnes said that Obama is a staunch supporter of programs like Planned Parenthood and he supports making contraception available as a part of preventative care.
Barnes empathized with the students in the crowed burdened with the ever rising cost of tuition and daunting task of finding a job in such a tough economy. She touted Obama’s Pay as You Earn program as a way for young Americans to save money in the first years of their careers.
Although most of the students attend schools in PA, they come from all over the country. Their questions reflected an interest in federal and local issues. A UPenn student from New Hampshire asked about the implications of the No Child Left Behind program which raises the standard for public education, causing many public schools in her home state to be considered failing.
About half of the crowd raised their hands when asked if they would be voting in their first presidential election.
The Obama campaign is also initiating “Barack Stars,” an organized group for high school students not old enough to vote in the 2012 election.
Messina emphasized the numerous ways that students can get involved, including applying for what they are calling a “winnternship” for the Obama campaign.
“You all are organizers and ambassadors for the president,” said Nutter.
(Source: Ali Carey, Contributing Writer at Politics PA)
For Immediate Release
Pennsylvania College Democrats host Operation Save Education_
Today, Pennsylvania College Democrats (PACD), unite with College Democrats chapters across the Commonwealth to rally against the budget cuts to higher education.
Students across Pennsylvania are using their social networks and influence on campus to inform their classmates about the cuts the Republican Legislature and the Corbett administration have made to higher education. So far, PACD has collected over 4,000 signatures for the petition “Governor Corbett Restore Higher Education.” The petition already includes signatures from voters and elected officials across Pennsylvania including State Senator Daylin Leach, and State Representative Tony Payton.
“Last year Governor Corbett enacted an irresponsible budget that imposed drastic cuts to higher education funding,” said Megan Chialastri, President of PACD. “This year PACD is calling on students and our elected officials to hold Governor Corbett accountable for his actions.”
Students from Pittsburgh to Scranton are emailing, tweeting and writing to their elected officials and sharing their stories of why it is so important to fund higher education. As Governor Corbett prepares to give his second budget address he will know that students are paying attention.
Members of the PACD executive board will travel to Harrisburg later this month to deliver this petition directly to the Governor’s office.
To view the petition for higher education visit PAforeducation.com