Election Boosts Political Membership

The politics passion unleashed by the presidential election has given a shot in the arm to campus political groups, who report substantially higher memberships than in previous years.

"There's been a tremendous surge in political activity," said Chris J. Riley '86, the chairman of the Harvard-Radcliffe Democratic Club. "It's what everybody is talking about. It's the 'in' thing to do.

Weekly meetings that used to attract only about 10 people have been drawing 30 to 60 students this year, Riley said.

Republicans report similar gains; membership in the Republican Club has jumped from 50 last year to 120, according to Marie J. Lucca '85, the group's spokesman. Lucca predicts 20 more members by the end of the election.

The left-of-center Committee on Central America, which opposes United State involvement in Nicaragua and El Salvador, has also seen its membership increase to 50 from just 15 last year, said spokesman Eva Harris '86.

Debates Aroused Interest

John J. Moore '86, chairman of the Student Advisory Committee of the Kennedy School of Government's Institute of Politics, said he thinks the October 7 debate between President Reagan and Walter F. Mondale and last Thursday's vice presidential candidate debate have helped arouse political activism on campus. Morre said the debates made Mondale supporters more confident and also put GOP followers on the defensive.

"People feel as if there's a race now," Moore said. "It's reactivated interest. Maybe now people are more confident about the things they believe."

However, campus political leaders said they are unsure of how permanent this surge of activism will prove to be.

Riley believes the acid test of this activism will be the number of people who attend meetings after the election. "What I'm worried about is if Reagan wins, students might get discouraged," Riley said.

Moore, a registered Democrat, agreed that "if Reagan did win, it might be a bit of a letdown."

But Damon A. Silver '86, chairman of the Harvard branch of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), said that "a significant number of people are going to be angry and bitter and active" if Reagan gets reelected. At the same time, a victory for Mondale--whom DSA supports--could make "people say, 'Great. Now I can go back to playing football'" and turn away from activism.

Moore said he believes students' politics are definitely heading rightward: "There is no getting around it." Undergraduates' biggest concern is economic progress, Moore said, and they are more concerned about their standard of living than about foreign policy questions.