Fellow College Republicans,

With the 2006 election less than a year away, the Minnesota College Republicans must improve the way that we coordinate our efforts in all corners of the state. With so many of Minnesota’s colleges concentrated in the Metro, the State Board must make an extra effort to help clubs in outstate Minnesota grow and be active in their local communities. As Executive Director, I have had the privilege of visiting clubs across the state, from Morris to Winona. As chairman of the Minnesota College Republicans, I will not forget that the true strength of our organization is our members in clubs across the state. I will improve the lines of communication between the state board and the individual clubs.

MCR Road Trip 2006

During the 2006 election, the entire state legislature, all of the constitutional offices, and a US Senate Seat are up for election. As a statewide organization, we cannot forget the importance of local races. One of the key elements of my plan is to organize a weekend bus trip in the fall that will make stops at several schools in competitive areas of outstate Minnesota. MCRs will hold on-campus rallies for local candidates, encouraging students to vote Republican in 2006!

· The bus trip will help raise enthusiasm for local candidates on campus, as well as statewide elected officials.
· Rallies held at each school will boost chapters by helping them hold and organize a rally.
· As a part of the trip, we will be registering voters on campus as well as distributing absentee ballot request forms.
· Between schools, CRs who will be riding the bus will make voter ID telephone calls.
· The bus trip will help forge better relations between metro CRs and outstate chapters.

Regional Conference Calls

One of the most important improvements that must be made as we prepare for the 2006 election is the way that we communicate as an organization, as well as how we coordinate our efforts between the state board and individual chapters. I plan to hold conference calls for each region so that we can work together to maximize our effectiveness as an organization. For example, in southern Minnesota, it is important that chapters in Marshall, Mankato, and Winona are working together to win victory in the first congressional district. By holding regular conference calls, communications between chapters and the state board will be improved immensely.

· Conference calls will be held on a monthly basis at a regularly scheduled time with an increased frequency as we approach Election Day.

· Conference calls will be held for each congressional district. This will allow us to focus on the needs in each district as we work to expand our congressional delegation and make gains in the state legislature.

· The State Chair as well as the regional vice chairs will participate in conference calls.

· The calls will enable chapters to give reports from their chapters as well as learn about events at nearby campuses.

· Conference calls will help to increase the communications between the state board and the individual chapters.

· Conference calls will enable us to better formulate and modify our strategy on a regional level.


Community & Technical College Outreach

Our organization is capable of a great deal of growth at community and technical colleges across Minnesota. In the 2004 election cycle, a great deal of time and resources were spent on recruitment at two year schools. The challenge that many community colleges face is the high student turnover rate at these schools, making it more difficult to build a lasting chapter. If elected chair, I will immediately work to strengthen and grow community and technical college chapters in several ways:

· Work with existing chapters to identify new leaders who will be present on campus in the fall.

· Identify Teenage Republicans who are enrolled through PSEO at community colleges and are willing to start CR chapters.

· Foster better relationships between chapters and local county organizations for better coordination, support, and opportunities to get involved at the local level.

· Provide better online resources such as chapter manuals, strategic plans, event calendars, and voter registration cards, absentee ballot request forms, and membership forms to give clubs the tools that they need to be successful.

· Implement a massive recruitment drive in the late summer and fall of 2006 to register voters, recruit new members, and build stronger chapters.



Recruitment

Recruiting new members will be key to our success in 2006. The Minnesota College Republicans will launch a massive recruitment campaign that will visit every campus in the state, registering voters, identifying Republicans, and recruiting new CRs. Regional Vice Chairs will work with chapters to coordinate recruitment efforts, assisting with the campus canvass, membership tabling, and activities fairs.

· Every member of the state board will assist with recruitment across the state.

· To encourage growth and recruiting, MCR will sponsor a recruiting competition between chapters.

· MCRs will hold its annual fall retreat in August with improved training and activities to kick off the election cycle.