In order to boost an expanding conservative presence on their campus, Harvard College Republicans have declared October to be Conservative Awareness Month.
Through Conservative Awareness Month, the Harvard Republicans hope to unify and enlarge Republican constituencies, promote discussion and raise excitement levels on campus for conservative issues.
Planning started this summer for what was initially intended to be a Conservative Awareness Week, according to Harvard Republican Club Vice President Lucien Smith. Conservative Awareness Month developed as plans to "overtake college newspapers and airwaves" grew to such an extent that a longer time frame was necessary.
The event is not acutely directed at College Republicans. Conservative Awareness Month, in addition to attracting new members to the HRC, Smith said, is an attempt to promulgate "intellectual ideas on conservatism that are overlooked by a traditionally liberal student body."
Republicans at Harvard are concerned that conservatism has been marginalized on campus due to what HRC President Rob Porter believes to be a liberal university administration, a liberal faculty and a liberal student body.
Despite the fact that much of the political activity at Harvard is dominated by what Porter calls "a large minority of students," the HRC has remained active and continues to grow.
In the last year, the Republican Club has quadrupled to its current size of over 500 members. At one point, Smith said, HRC membership exceeded that of Harvard Democrats.
Activities planned for this month include a flag-football game with College Democrats, Harvard faculty lectures and a speech by Major General Pat Brady of the Citizens Flag Alliance.
Controversial radio talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger and George Uribe from Fox New were scheduled guests that, due to current political developments, were forced to cancel.
Among the Harvard professors expected to speak in conjunction with Conservative Awareness Month are former Reagan economic advisor Martin Feldstein, former Bush administration domestic policy advisor Roger Porter, education reform expert Paul Peterson and political philosophy expert Harvey Mansfield.
Student reaction has been positive, Porter said, with no protests yet. Campus awareness of the event has been comprehensive with no significant contention from liberal groups -- in particular, Campus Democrats.
At Dartmouth, Campus Republicans are supportive of Harvard's Conservative Awareness Month but feel that such an event is not necessary in Hanover. Bob Gienko '01, a campus Republican who ran for the state legislature last year, said that Republican activity at Dartmouth is "alive and well" and has been so for a number of years.
Dartmouth Campus Republicans have no future plans hold a Conservative Awareness Month here. However, Gienko noted that Republicans at Harvard operate in an environment that is less conducive to conservatism than Dartmouth.
