Join CDM for its 2008 Annual Convention, being held Saturday April 5th and Sunday, April 6th at Boston College. See this full story for the complete scoop.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction
2. Tentative Agenda
3. Declaration of Intent to Run for CDM Statewide Office
4. Convention Location/Directions
5. Convention Registration/Housing
6. College Democrats of America Convention Update

INTRODUCTION (top)

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

To Whom It May Concern:

The College Democrats of Massachusetts will be holding their 2008 annual state convention on Saturday, April 5^th and Sunday April 6^th at Boston College in Newton, Massachusetts.

This two day event is open to all College Democrats throughout the state of Massachusetts and will provide invaluable opportunities for networking, democratic activism, collaboration, and education.

The College Democrats of Massachusetts Executive Board is additionally thrilled to announce that this year's convention – for the first time in recent history – will represent a collaborative effort between our organization and the Young Democrats of Massachusetts, who will be hosting their convention concurrently at the same location.

We are excited that this collaboration will marked by substantive opportunities for networking with our peers already in the workforce, and will also maximize our ability to offer outstanding programming at this event. At the same time, for much of the convention, our respective groups will separate off onto different "tracks", so as not to mitigate our groups' abilities to focus on individual needs. This arrangement promises the best of both worlds.

We sincerely hope that you will join us for this convention, and are excited to work with you to make it a success. We look forward to using this event to help us grow as an organization, and to chart a path to both November 2008 and beyond that will fulfill the great promise of this federation of College Democrats.

Please share all of the information herein with your chapter membership and encourage them to attend this very important event. You are also encouraged to RSVP to our Facebook Event and ask your chapter membership to do the same.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact myself or the rest of the Executive Board. We immensely appreciate your help in making this convention an unmitigated success.

Democratically Yours,
Mike Vastola
Communications Director
College Democrats of Massachusets
(516) 661-0591

On Behalf of the College Democrats of Massachusetts Executive Board

TENTATIVE AGENDA (top)

Saturday, April 5, 2008

11am – 6pm Congressional District DNC Delegate Caucuses
CDM Chapters across the state are heavily encouraged to participate in the day's Congressional District DNC Delegate Caucuses. It is at these caucuses that add-on delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver will be selected. Students registered to vote in the state of Massachusetts are encouraged to attend and vote in their home-district caucuses. Students not registered to vote in Massachusetts are encouraged to volunteer for the Democratic presidential candidate of their choice at the caucuses for Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District nearby (and T-accessible) close to Northeastern University.

For information about the 8th Congressional District caucuses -- including directions and other details, please contact Melissa. (Even if you think you have everything you need to know, please still let her know because we need to have a ballpark headcount beforehand.)

Information for the times and locations of caucuses in other towns may be found at this link.

6:30pm – 8pm CDM Constitutional Convention
In order to address several problems that exist in the clarity and logistics of our constitution as it currently stands, the CDM Executive Board has compiled some proposed changes to the document that we hope will be met with broad approval. I have uploaded them to an online Google Doc accessible here. For reference, the current constitution is available typed above the proposed changes.

This constitutional convention (held at BC) is intended to be an unofficial and informal – yet cordial and brief – meeting for all CDM delegates to provide a window of opportunity to propose any last-minute alterations to the prospective amendments. Though the outcome of this meeting will have no official weight, it is our intent that all final details be ironed out here to ensure a smooth and harmonious process when they are official voted on during elections the following day.

Though this time is being set aside for any unresolved disputes regarding the proposed changes, in light of previous acrimonious conflicts regarding the constitution that have played out on the convention floor, we implore you to notify us by e-mail before the convention (ideally by April 1st) if you or any of your members take issue with any of the proposed changes. Wherever possible, we would like to work with you before convention to ensure that the amendments presented on this day are met with broad approval.

In other words, it is our goal that the issues – if any – brought up at the Constitutional Convention are only those where we have attempted to – yet failed to – address your previously stated concerns.

If, as a result of any concerns that any of you share with us, we alter the amendments we plan to offer at this convention, we will promptly let you know by e-mail to ensure that these alterations do not spawn new concerns.

8pm – 10pm Social Event/Dinner
All convention attendees are encouraged to join us as we leave BC to grab dinner at a nearby restaurant.

10pm Ice Cream Social
Afterwards, convention attendees are encouraged to return to the BC campus to socialize with their College Dems peers.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

9am – 10am Registration
Registration will take place at the door and will cost $10 per person. Only cash-money (and checks) will be accepted. Students are asked to reserve places at convention in advance, with details on how to do so in the Convention Registration section below.

10am – 10:30am Introduction
College Democrats of Massachusetts President Melissa Roberts and Young Democrats of Massachusetts President Mark William Bracken will offer introductory remarks, starting a plenary session.

10:30am – 11:30am Keynote Address
A noteworthy speaker (to be announced) will address the two groups.

11:30am – 12:15pm Breakout Session: 2008 Primaries
The College Democrats of Massachusetts will organize two breakout groups, which members may choose between.

Chapter Members will be encouraged to come together to hear representatives from the two presidential campaigns discuss Primaries 2008: How You Can Still Get Involved, the reps will be giving us an insider's perspective on where things stand at this stage in the primaries, and how students can still help out.

A seperate special session for Chapter Leaders will provide an opportunity for us to discuss Merging Splinter Groups. This section, led by the CDM E-Board, will discuss how to harvest all of the heavy excitement and participation we've seen from the primaries and ensure that it lasts through August into November and beyond.

12:15pm – 1pm Lunch
An area will be provided for delegates to eat lunch and network and socialize.

1pm – 1:45pm Breakout Session: Planning for the Future
The College Democrats of Massachusetts will organize two breakout groups, which members may choose between.

Chapter Members will be encouraged to come together to learn about How to Plan a Voter Registration Drive, where members can gain experienece in event planning by learning how to organize this extremely crucial activity which will surely be a focus of all our organizations come September.

A seperate special session for Chapter Leaders will entail a discussion on How to Create a Chapter Plan, where we will talk about this important tool and its applications in terms of fundraising, chapter building, and outreach to local/state political organizations.

1:45pm – 2:30pm Breakout Session: Working to Make CDM Important
The College Democrats of Massachusetts will organize two breakout groups, which members may choose between.

Chapter Members will be encouraged to come together to learn about the importance of student participation in local elections, and how they can make a difference, in Local Elections: Why Students Count. We will discuss the importance of local officials in the context of town-gown relations, and confront the ways in which students can influence local politics -- from joing Town Democratic Committees to running for office themselves.

A seperate special session for Chapter Leaders will entail a group discussion of CDM as a Federation: Working with the CDM Board and Other Chapters, where we will confront the organizational situation and issues presently facing CDM, and discuss how our organization can best work together with you and your members in order to see us all realize our full potential.

2:30pm – 4pm Elections
The College Democrats of Massachusetts will hold elections for the following positions for the 2008-2009 Term: President, Vice President, Communications Director, Finance Director, and Membership Director. Information about running for these positions may be found below, in the section entitled Declaration of Intent to Run for CDM Statewide Office. We will also likley be voting on proposed amendments to our constition, discussed under Saturday's "CDM Constitutional Convention" event above.

DECLARATION OF INTENT TO RUN FOR CDM STATEWIDE OFFICE (top)

Any member of a chartered chapter of the College Democrats of Massachusetts is eligible to run for a statewide office within CDM. In accordance with precedent, the Election Committee for the convention will consist of outgoing members the CDM Executive Board. For this year's convention, it will be chaired by our outgoing Programming Director, Chris Campbell.

Anyone wishing to run for a statewide office should submit a brief statement declaring the position for which they intend to run, to Chris Campbell (CAMPBEL_CHRI@bentley.edu) by no later than 11:59pm on Wednesday, April 2^nd.

CONVENTION LOCATION/DIRECTIONS (top)

The convention will take place at Boston College, located in Newton, MA. It is located approximately six miles west of the city of Boston, and roughly five miles east of the intersection of interstate routes I-90 (Massachusetts Turnpike) and I-95 (Route 128).

The convention location is accessible both by car and by T. On the T, Boston College Station is a stop on the B Branch of the Green Line. If you require additional information or travel advice, please contact CDM President Melissa Roberts.

CONVENTION REGISTRATION/HOUSING (top)

Details surrounding convention registration are still being worked out with the Young Democrats of Massachusetts, but convention registration will be available online, at a URL that will be forthcoming. Actual payment for convention (cash or check) will be collected at the door and the cost will be $10.

Any students wishing to stay at BC on Saturday night are welcome to do so. The online registration system will provide an opportunity for convention registrants to express this need, and we will put students in contact with their Boston College student hosts.

Hotels are located in the nearby vicinity for any students seeking accommodations more extravagant than the floor space that we can offer. Please contact Melissa for suggestions about nearby hotels.

COLLEGE DEMOCRATS OF AMERICA CONVENTION UPDATE (top)

On the topic of College Democrats conventions, please be aware that preparations are underway for the College Democrats of America Convention that will take place this year in Denver, and will be held concurrently with the Democratic National Convention.

Though registration for this convention is not yet available, the CDA Executive Board has begun circulating information regarding accommodations for the convention. Please see this link for a blog entry from CDA President Lauren Wolfe on the College Democrats of America website about convention registration. The same information is also available in video form on YouTube, here.

Most important in this message is the news that airlines are being booked at a very fast clip and that airfare is steadily increasing. Students are therefore advised to book flights as soon as possible. Registration will cost $65 and housing will most likely be $20-$30 (and will go quickly once it's open, so get ready to jump on it!).

Please inform your chapters of this information.

We will provide you with updates as registration for the CDA Convention prepares its launch.

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