Students help out on mayoral campaigns

When senior Rebecca Homkes gets out of her last class on any given afternoon, she puts her books aside and gets ready for work. Like students all over campus, Homkes works 10 or more hours a week at her part-time job. \nBut unlike the average college student's job, Homkes describes hers as a bit less "typical."\nHomkes is majoring in business and political science; she is also the political director for Bloomington's Republican mayoral candidate Fred Prall.\nHomkes is among a handful of IU students who are volunteering and working with local mayoral campaigns. \nBreaking the stereotype of the apathetic college student, these men and women are working feverishly to prepare campaigns for Prall and Democrat Mark Kruzan and the Nov. 4 election.\nAbout seven students are currently volunteering as interns for the Kruzan campaign. While some volunteers spend time out in the community placing yard signs and talking with voters, most work at campaign headquarters on North Walnut making phone calls and stuffing envelopes for mailings. \n"The students actually get to learn about the parties in the city. It gives students who are anxious to learn about politics actual experience in the field," said Leah Heslin, assistant to the campaign manager and coordinator of interns.\nHomkes said she has been interested in politics for as long as she can remember. \nAfter spending the summer of 2002 interning in Washington, D.C., for Sen. Richard Lugar, she returned to Bloomington in the fall with an increased passion for politics. Throughout her sophomore year, Homkes interned for the Republican Party in Monroe County. \nShe now deals exclusively with Prall's campus campaign. Her responsibilities range from contacting voters and planning events, to working on student issues and preparing Prall for his next event.\nSenior Stacey Schwenker said she was interning for Stage Marketing Communications when she was asked to help on the Kruzan campaign. Schwenker now volunteers about five hours a week. \nShe said the experience has been a positive one, opening her eyes to the world of politics behind closed doors. \n"I realize it's a lot of work. It makes me truly value those who are political candidates," she said. \nSchwenker said in the future she probably will not volunteer with another campaign unless she feels strongly about the candidate, but she does plan to continue being politically active. She said this is something she feels is lacking in the general student population. \nJust 32 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds nationwide voted in the November 2000 election, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. \nHomkes said the statistics do not lie.\n"I think it's generally true that students don't understand politics, especially local politics," she said. "But I think that's partly because they haven't been targeted by the right candidates. In my experience, there has been an overwhelmingly positive response when students are sought out." \nBoth Schwenker and Homkes urge IU students to take part in local politics.\n"There are 36,000 students and 50,000 Bloomington residents. If students wanted to truly get involved, they could take over this community," Homkes said. \nIn the meantime, these politically-minded students will be working to make the student voice heard in local politics.\n-- Contact staff writer Jennifer Gunnels at jgunnels@indiana.edu.