Republican Club Honored by State GOP Organization

In the midst of a membership drive that has already nearly quadrupled its size, the Harvard College Republican Club (HCRC) was honored as February's "Republican Club of the Month" by a statewide conservative group last week.

On Saturday, the Massachusetts Alliance of College Republicans (MACR)--the umbrella organization for conservative campus clubs--selected the club for the award, marking the first time the club has received the honor.

The MACR, which consists of 49 state chapters, is a member federation of the College Republican National Committee. Its purpose, as stated on its web page, involves "carrying on the Reagan revolution."

The honor comes at the same time that the club has launched a massive recruiting effort to increase its membership.

According to HCRC President Jason P. Brinton '01, the group enlisted 56 new members over the course of just two days last week through tabling outside the Science Center.

"We've nearly quadrupled our size," said HCRC Treasurer Erin L. Sheley '02. "We've gone from a little more than 20 paying members to almost 100."

The drive will continue through today and tomorrow, according to Brinton. The ultimate goal, he said, is to increase the club's size to 400 people.

"Thanks to the membership drive, we are now one of the three largest clubs in the state," HCRC Secretary Travis F. Batty '02 said.

According to Batty, the club's recent successes give it a good chance of winning the Reagan Cup--named for the nation's 40th president--which recognizes the most dynamic club in Massachusetts over the course of the past year.

The cup is awarded at the MACR annual convention, to be held at the Weston Hotel in Waltham on April 15.

"We already have 20 to 30 people signed up to go," Brinton said.

In the meantime, Brinton said that the club will officially become active in George W. Bush's presidential campaign now that the Texas governor has clinched the GOP nomination outright.

Previously, the HCRC had remained neutral between Bush and former Republican contender Sen. John S. McCain, who announced last week that he was putting his presidential bid on hold.

Batty said that the club will try to take advantage of its increased size to help Republicans running for local offices, as well.

Towards that aim, the HCRC is working to establish a centralized campus committee, composed of representatives from each of the upperclass Houses and first year dorms.

The goal of that committee, according to Batty, would be to coordinate student support for Republican candidates.

"We're keyed up for the upcoming

presidential and congressional

elections," Batty said.