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Campus Democrats split into several rival factions Seven newly-formed groups all claim legitimacy by Kathryn Edwards, Associate Editor
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 | "You are dead to me," said Jill as she walked
out the door. The baby began to cry. |
CAMPUS — A long-standing feud between two rominent members of the Campus Democrats sparked a slew of club secessions that has resulted in the formation of seven new Democrat clubs, says CDems spokesperson Jonathan Reese.
The schisms began last May, when then-member Mike Murphy left the group to start his own after losing to Jennifer Davies in the club's presidential elections. With the support of a few equally jaded friends, Murphy founded the College Democrats.
But the factioning did not end there. Mally Slieve, of Students Supporting Kerry, explains:
"Once Mike left, the rest of us realized we didn't have to listen to Jen. When she said that Kerry 'might' be weak in 'certain areas,' Billy and I left her and her pessimism to start Students Supporting Kerry."
Even after this, the infighting persisted.
Reese continues: "It suddenly became a trend to start a new club — like it's not election year or anything. The College Democrats couldn't decide on a T-shirt color, so half the group left to form the Non-Republicans. Then Mike broke up with his girlfriend, so she left in a huff and started Women for Kerry."
 At this point, it is not known why even more disgruntled members left to form Texans Who Vote Democrat and the last of the breakaway groups, Students for a Democratic Democracy. Fighting for the title of the "legitimate Democrat group on campus" has lead to frequent encounters on the West Mall, where the groups table side-by-side.
Most of the student body, however, remains unaware than any of this factioning has taken place.
"Wait — there's more than one group?" asked junior Terry Hitch. "I thought they just had more tables and all those new banners because they wanted to get people's attention while they were tabling. It's not like anyone actually reads them."
Hitch's confusion reflects the general sentiment of the student body: ignorance and ambivalence. There are some, however, who are more upset by the issue. Government senior and long-time Democrat Patrick Mueller explains:
"So some guy lost an election, who cares? I don't see what can possibly be accomplished by breaking off into all those groups I don't even want to know the name of. We've got one group, and we should stick by them, not split up. These spin-off groups make Democrats look more childish than we already are. Isn't this what Conservative Texas Youths want?"
A CTY spokesperson was immediately available for comment, and confirmed the group's recent satisfaction. |
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