Through activities like bringing democratic leaders like Richard Gephardt and Michael Dukakis to campus and passing out "educational" flyers on Texas Governor George W. Bush door-to-door in the Yard, the club is attempting to reach out to the students on campus, organizers say.

"We look at ourselves as an umbrella organization for the progressive voice on campus," Stad said. "You could say we are a hodge-podge type of club, providing for all different groups."

A major component of achieving this goal is to coordinate efforts with other campus groups whose members may espouse the progressive cause.

The club has a campus outreach coordinator, who attends the meetings of other major progressive clubs, such as the Black Students Association and the Environmental Action Committee, informing their members of Democratic events and activities.

As the only progressive political club on campus, the College Democrats says it aims to appeal to a range of students by welcoming differences of opinion within the Democratic Party.

"We don't come down on one side of an issue if it's divided within the Democratic Party," said Jessica Richman '01, the club's vice president.

"We let our members know what's going on," Stad says. "But that doesn't mean we have to all go out and hold signs."

The club also attempts to reach beyond Harvard's campus, networking with other colleges in the Boston area to share notices about upcoming Democratic events and coordinating campaign efforts.

"We can only do so much," Stad says. "We're just a smaller piece in the puzzle, so we have to work together."

On the Campaign Trail

Though it may embrace a plurality of viewpoints and means of becoming involved, one thing that unites the club's members is a campaign effort.

The group made several trips to New Hampshire last semester in order to attend debates and rallies and to canvass the neighborhoods of the state.

Club members made a special trip to New Hampshire over intercession to participate in Get out the Vote Week, a six-day period in which students and volunteers from all over the country flooded the state before the decisive election day.

With plans for voter registration drives for local residents, as well as for students to vote by absentee ballot, the club will continue to work for the 2000 general campaign effort.

Campaigns director John F. Bingaman '02, says these segments of the campaign effort serve to involve students in more than just one election.

"I want to inspire young people at Harvard," he says. "I want to inspire a commitment to public service by exposing them to how democracy works."