The past few weeks have been particularly active politically on the Dickinson College campus, with a debate watch party in ATS and the first meetings of the College Democrats and Republicans.
Matthew Craig ’25, president of Dickinson College Republicans, was excited by the high engagement he saw at his club’s first meeting. He says students were able to discuss tough topics such as the attempted assassination of former President Trump respectfully. While he says there has been a degredation of political culture over the years, he was happy to see multiple political perspectives present at the meeting.
Ryan Bergh Theis ’25, president of Dickinson College Democrats, was also very excited about his club’s first meeting. He said a huge priority for the organization is to get people involved in politics, whether for the national or local ticket. He said their involvement with the Carlisle School Board had helped influence the result in 2023, where Democratic candidates won every seat. Despite heading competing political clubs, Craig and Bergh Theis are roommates and good friends.
Both Craig and Bergh Theis brought up the history of civic involvement at Dickinson and its importance for democracy. Bergh Theis said, “If there is such a thing as an average Dickinsonian, they are very intellectually informed and willing to discuss it.” Craig said, “This is the best [time] to be politically engaged.” They hope for a campus culture in which people can get passionate about civic affairs while respecting those who may disagree with them.
They do not want their clubs to be a source of division or echo chambers. Rather, they want to bring different perspectives to the table within their organizations. Craig said Dickinson’s proximity to Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, makes it the perfect area to be involved.
Bergh Theis says even if you aren’t interested in going into politics, the College Democrats will help you get involved in your community. Both recall stories about some of the people they were able to meet through their respective organizations, such as Representatives Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Hakeem Jefferies (D-N.Y.).
While the clubs are not opposed to endorsing candidates, there is no current plan to do so. However, they want to support candidates by educating people on campus and within the Carlisle community about who is running for their local offices. One of their main focuses is to educate about the down ballot races, not just the national ticket.
The College Republicans went out to Philadelphia to knock on doors to canvass for Joe Picozzi, running for Pennsylvania state senator, and the College Democrats invited Rick Christie, running for state representative for Carlisle, to come speak.
“I’d like to express my appreciation and thankfulness to the Dickinson staff and students for being receptive not only of myself but of our organization,” said Craig. He has been very happy with the culture and community at Dickinson and hopes for it to continue and for people not to make assumptions about their peers based on their political beliefs.
Bergh Theis said “Institutions of power are great, but it comes down to people.” He hopes to see a future where people are civil with each other and can have deeper discussions without hatred of the other side. Both are open to all political persuasions and hope the Dickinson community will come out to their organizations for the 2024-2025 academic year.
