By: Politico

It’s tough out there for a NYU College Republican.

Although their candidate, Sen. John McCain, conceded shortly after 11 p.m. on Election Night, NYU College Republicans want you to know they are still here.

According to a poll conducted by WSN, 86 percent of students on campus voted for President-elect Barack Obama. But Republicans on campus remained active throughout the entire election season and view the rise in meeting attendees as a good sign.

“The attendance at the weekly College Republican meeting tripled over the election cycle,” said Hampton Williams, president of the College Republicans. “We had over 70 people attending each week, which is a lot for a school like NYU. The members that attended showed a strong enthusiasm for Republican politics.”

Some student Republicans felt that their position during the election season was constantly challenged and often misunderstood by their liberal peers.

“Many liberal students at NYU see Republicans as Bush supporters and proponents of the war in Iraq when that is not necessarily the case,” Stern freshman Daniel Agnello said. “Unfortunately, the views of a small group become cast upon a larger group, and the policies of the Bush administration have become the representation of the entire Republican Party in the eyes of many NYU students and teachers.”

“Republican policies aren’t racist, cold-hearted or mean-spirited, despite what many students at NYU believe,” CAS sophomore and College Republican member Annie Peck said.

However, the conservative contingency is worried that their opinions won’t be heard among the Democratic majority.

“We need a multitude of ideas in order to make the best possible decisions for this country,” Peck said. “With the same ideology in every facet of Washington, I don’t think there will be enough deliberation and discussion that is typical of a bipartisan government.”

Stern freshman Andrea Catsimatidis hopes for a Republican transfer of power in the 2010 midterm elections.

“Voting for Obama became a fad and people did it because it was cool, even though they might not have known what he stood for,” Catsimatidis said. “I think that people will realize this and since Republican houses have a history of fixing problems, America will elect a Republican house in two years once they realize the detrimental effects of instating an extremely partisan government.”

Regardless of the differing views of many, College Republicans said they will support President-elect Obama.

“We must work through this administration by compromising,” Agnello said. “Working together for a common goal and compromising on differences will be instrumental in creating a better future.”

Victoria DeCarmine reports for the Washington Square News, a student publication at New York University. The Washington Square News is partnering with Campus Politico for the 2008 elections.

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