April 2011 Issue

The College Democrats of Massachusetts’ 2011 Convention: “Gearing Up for 2012″

By Kate Moore, CDM President | April 24, 2011 at 07:13 UTC

By Andrew Slade, CDM Vice President

Last weekend, over 125 College Dems from across Massachusetts converged on the campus of Boston College for the annual CDM Convention. The program began on Saturday with speeches from Congressman Barney Frank, State Treasurer and former DNC Chair Steve Grossman, CDM’s Honorary Chair Senator Ben Downing, and 2012 Senate candidates. The energized mass of students split up later that afternoon for a series of breakouts led by experts in the fields of strategic communication, social advocacy, chapter development, employment in politics, and social media. Delegates participating in each session left with invaluable skills that are directly applicable to the daily operation and overall efficacy of their chapters across the Commonwealth.

The next morning, attendees got up bright and early for a panel discussion on how young people can get involved in electoral politics. Following the in-depth discourse between delegates and the young elected officials on the panel, the necessity for our engagement as candidates was underscored by Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair John Walsh. Chairman Walsh lauded CDM’s campaign efforts last fall, which contributed to the reelection of Governor Deval Patrick, as well the election of Democrats to every single statewide office and Congressional seat. With that, he reminded us that there is even more we can do; we can, and will work harder than ever to ensure that Democrats take back Ted Kennedy’s seat in the Senate, and to give President Obama the four more years he deserves!

Members of the outgoing 2010-2011 CDM Executive Board at Boston College last weekend

College Democrats of Massachusetts to Host Convention at Boston College, April 16-17

By CDM Communications Director | April 24, 2011 at 06:56 UTC

For Immediate Release – April 14th, 2011

Contact: Kate Moore, CDM President – moorek@macollegedems.org; (617) 721-6591

COLLEGE DEMOCRATS OF MASSACHUSETTS TO HOST ANNUAL CONVENTION AT BOSTON COLLEGE, APRIL 16-17

The College Democrats of Massachusetts will hold a weekend-long convention in Newton to elect new leadership and prepare for the coming year.

NEWTON, MA – Over 125 students from colleges and universities across the Commonwealth will be in Newton this weekend to attend the College Democrats of Massachusetts (CDM) Convention. Programming will consist of speeches from elected officials, internship and career workshops, and trainings for upcoming initiatives at the state and chapter levels.

Students will hear from prominent speakers including U.S. Representative Barney Frank, State Treasurer Steve Grossman, State Senators Ben Downing and Jamie Eldridge, Boston City Councillor Ayanna Pressley, Newton Mayor Setti Warren, Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh, Alan Khazei, Bob Massie, and others.

CDM has been involved in a number of races for all levels of office since holding its convention at Smith College last spring. Most notably, CDM sent over 120 students to campaign for Democrats up and down the ticket in Plymouth in October 2010, and in March this year, organized another major invasion in Southbridge. CDM will use this convention to prepare for similar initiatives during the 2012 election cycle.

Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh said, “This convention brings together leaders of the Democratic Party on college campuses from across Massachusetts and is a crucial step in our planning for success in 2012.”

The event will be held from Saturday, April 16 through Sunday April 17 at Boston College. Saturday’s programming will take place in Devlin and Fulton Halls on the main campus in Chestnut Hill, and Sunday’s will be held in the East Wing of Boston College Law School in Newton Centre.

The College Democrats of Massachusetts is the official college outreach wing of the Massachusetts Democratic Party and is affiliated with the College Democrats of America. Their goal is to advocate for college students living in Massachusetts and pro-student policies and legislation in the Commonwealth. They are committed to electing strong progressive Democrats across the state and organize on over 29 college and university campuses.

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