Aaron Benedetti 

In the run-up to Nov. 4, 2008, the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno, was abuzz with political activity, so much so that The Nevada Sagebrush, UNR’s student-run campus newspaper, published an article titled “Activists Invade Campus.”

On Nov. 5, those activists disappeared, says Barry Belmont, president of the UNR Students for Liberty, a club that advances libertarian political philosophy. 

“As soon as the elections were over, the day after, the local political clubs just all stopped immediately what they were doing,” Belmont, a 21-year-old biology and mechanical engineering dual major, said. “SFBO (Students for Barack Obama) had a meeting about a week after, and that was the end of them. Same with the Young Dems, and the Young Republicans too.” 

Belmont says the 2010 midterm elections may be just as important to Nevada, the Reno-Sparks community and UNR students as the 2008 elections, particularly following a state budget crisis and gubernatorial efforts to cut over one-third from UNR’s general operating budget. However, activists may find it difficult—perhaps impossible—to reawaken student interest. 

Jesse Mitchem, a 20-year-old biology student at UNR and registered Republican, said he was actively engaged during the 2008 election season, though he was not a member of any student political organization. He said the level of interest he observed was “more than (he) had ever seen for any election.” 

Mitchem said even as the 2008 election increased his interest in politics, he expects to be just as interested in the 2010 campaigns as he was in the 2006 midterms. 

“I don’t want the campaigns to last too long,” Mitchem said. “We all knew Obama was going to win a long time before it was over.” 

Obama’s charisma contributed to the level of interest students had in the 2008 election, Mitchem said, and because “there’s no one who’s cool or different now,” it may be difficult to interest students in the upcoming midterms. 

Belmont said that supporters of Barack Obama were quite active on-campus during the 2008 election season and managed to evoke a good deal of attention. He believes this was because “UNR could catalyze all the things that the (Obama) campaign stood for.” 

State- and local-level politics, Belmont and Mitchem said, just might not be as exciting as the big-leagues for most UNR students. 

Nonetheless, political activism on the UNR campus in the post-election era is not nonexistent. Among the university’s many recognized political clubs and organizations, the UNR Students for Liberty remains active and engaged. Belmont said he and his club plan to present a film called “How to Survive a Police Encounter” shortly after the fall 2009 semester begins. He said the film examines the potential conflicts between civil rights and maintaining public safety. 

Juliette Sweigart, a 20-year-old psychology major and president-elect of the UNR Young Democrats Club, said her organization also has plans for on-campus activity during the upcoming year, though she has noticed that the level of student interest in politics has dropped since the 2008 elections. 

“The Young Dems as a club will definitely stay excited, but we want to keep issues important to students,” Sweigart said. “We have even encountered a lot of people who aren’t aware of the elections.” 

Sweigart noted that the Young Democrats plan to bring Nevada Sen. Harry Reid to the UNR campus during the first week of the fall 2009 semester to help rouse student interest and involvement in politics. 

Sweigart and Belmont agree, however, in their predictions that the 2010 midterm elections will not pique student interest to the level seen prior to the 2008 elections. 

“There should be more interest than there will be, because it will be an important election,” Belmont said. “I doubt (our efforts) will be anywhere near as effective as they were in 2008.” 

Sweigart based her predictions on her experience during the 2006 midterm elections. She said student interest in politics is bound to drop between presidential elections, but she believes the 2010 midterms may be different. 

“I think there will be more interest (in 2010) with issues like the budget cuts and education,” Sweigart said. “At least, I’m hoping there will be more interest.” 

Belmont compared student interest and the election cycle to the NBA. 

“Why do people stop caring about going to see basketball games when the NBA season is over?” Belmont asked. “It’s much easier to care about Michael Jordan rather than the Chicago Bulls when the season is off, when there are only a few die-hard fans of the Bulls. That’s how I think of it.”