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Oh mama.
North Texas College Republicans History[edit]
Note: This section is for compiling a definitive history of the College Republicans chapter at the University of North Texas. Please feel free to add or edit any information to help complete the fractured story of UNT's official GOP presence.
According to NT Daily archives, a split in the Denton County Young Republicans resulted in the formation of a College Republican chapter at UNT during the Reagan years. The chapter appears to have been consistently organized since the early '80s, with some lean years here and there.
The group was affiliated with the Texas Federation of College Republicans (TFCR) at least as early as the mid-90s. The group became an independent chapter, affiliated only with the Denton County Republican Party, in 2001, following turmoil in the state organizations and a brief split. The group re-affiliated with TFCR after 2004, which is now called the Texas College Republicans.
The following years are listed by Chairman:
1996-1997: John McEachern
1997-1998: Kim Marsh
The 1997-98 academic year was an active one for the NTCRs on a state level, with former Chairman John McEachern elected as TFCR Chairman. NTCR Chairman Kim Marsh organized several opportunities for CRs to volunteer at campaign fund raisers. Marsh's chairmanship was noted for its focus on campaigning for state- and federal-level candidates with a de-emphasis on party platform issues. The club shared several social events with College Democrats. Meetings were for the most part short planning sessions for upcoming events with the occasional, local guest speaker, and were held on Level 4 of the University Union.
1998-1999: Jessica Burton
With dwindling attendance at CR meetings, Chairman Jessica Burton put an emphasis on communication and recruitment in hopes to boost attendance. During this time, the club's first Web site was produced, a newsletter was published monthly and guest speakers were brought in on a regular basis. The club continued its presence at TFCR meetings and in area and local political campaigns and fund raisers. Party platform issues began to take center-stage and the group began to take on a decidedly more conservative tone. Meetings were held in Wooten Hall on Thursday evenings.
1999?: Rhonda Snively
1999-2000: Susan Ganzer
Following a low-point in membership, Chairman Susan Ganzer made recruitment a priority and instituted several very successful social events. A sense of camaraderie began to develop in this academic year, and the club began to embrace a wide variety of conservative persuasions. Meetings were held early on Thursday afternoons, and students took advantage of the time following the meetings to have dinner together at various local restaurants. A small rival group, Conservative Student Alliance, which held that previous CR chapter were not advocating conservative moral and economic issues enough, disbanded quickly after gaining a handful of members. Meetings returned to the Level 4 of the University Union.
Officers:
Spring 1999 Election:
Special Election:
2000-2001: Jeff Jendel
Following a rise in membership, Chairman Jeff Jendel, an evangelical Catholic and fiscal conservative, was concerned primarily with educating a loyal group of College Republicans and bringing in guest speakers to teach conservative principles. Several debates were held throughout the Fall during the presidential campaign. Socializing between members continued strongly, and then-Gov. George W. Bush's successful run for U.S. President brought in scores of new members via the club's "Bush Push" on campus. The group cooperated with the anti-abortion campus group Eagles for Life on a few events. Meetings continued in the University Union Thursdays at 5:30 p.m.
Officers:
Spring 2000 Election:
2001-2002: Chris Langford
The new academic year was met with the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the questions of what would happen in an America where terrorism was the main international concern.Patriotism took center-stage in Chris Landford's term as Chairman, and students rallied strongly in support for the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, including a "Free Iraq" rally and march thorough campus. Chairman Langford's evangelical values and strong support for the free market and military strength sparked many outdoor publicity events in the university's free speech areas. The club significantly improved its presence in campus media in Spring 2002.
Officers:
Spring 2001 Election:
2002-2003: Clint Petersen
In between presidential election years, a drop in membership occurred and left a void in leadership to fill, with several of the long-time members planning to graduate soon. Chairman Clint Petersen, a self-described moderate, stepped up to the plate with no opposition, and oversaw a moderate increase in membership and publicity for CR events held on campus. Chairman Petersen continued a tradition of social involvement, campus activism and campaigning for area GOP candidates.
Officers:
Spring 2002 Election:
2003-2004: Clint Petersen
A sharp divide over whether or not to use what some considered to be "shock tactics" in reaching students for conservative causes led to a small rift in the UNT CRs, as a chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas formed. CRs developed more of an emphasis on campaigns and providing for a "big tent," while UNT YCT drew several members (and former members) of the CRs into often-notorious campus events, such as the "Catch and Illegal Immigrant" game, or the "Affirmative Action Carnival." CRs increased its availablity to campaigns and fund raisers, and to the Denton County Republican Party.
Officers:
Spring 2003 Election:
2004-2005: John Riewe
Officers:
Spring 2004 Election:
Special Election:
2005-2006: Casey Hoffman/Gabby Embree/Clint Petersen
The 2005-2006 school year was a tumultuous time for the NTCRs, which included a record five executive board resignations, three different Chairmen, and a sharp decrease in membership. While losing his initial bid for Chairman, Clint Petersen was elected Vice Chairman after Chairman Casey Hoffman’s resignation, later succeeding the chairmanship for a third term when Chairman Gabby Embree also resigned. While striving to continue CRs' history of campus and local activism, growing frustration between the more conservative and moderate factions within the group came to a head, bringing with it open hostilities between CRs and YCT. CRs began once more to take an active role in the TFCR, with two officers (Chairman Petersen and Secretary Bryant Surley) elected to the TFCR Executive Board in the Spring.
Officers:
Spring 2005 Election:
Special Elections:
2006-2007: Shana Gooch
Chairman Shana Gooch’s election helped solidify CRs as a more moderate group than it had been in previous years. This struggle was epitomized by Historian Andrew Rozell, whose unyielding conservative agenda and dereliction of duties brought forth a unanimous, albeit still painful, impeachment. Gooch’s chairmanship brought a more lighthearted and eccentric tone to the club, and campus events were particularly creative; events this year included a campus-wide poll pitting Condolezza Rice against Hillary Clinton for President (with Sec. Rice winning handedly) and “An Inconsistent Truth,” where CRs invited students to release CO2 on a cold day to help encourage global warming.
Officers:
Spring 2006 Election:
Special Election:
2007-2008: Kyle Schroder
Having only been a member for one semester, Kyle Schroder was elected Chairman to an ailing CRs. While at first seen as a breath of fresh air, the former army soldier and one time Chairman of a community college CRs’ inflexible leadership style contributed to a continued sense of malaise within the group. Further disagreements over the ideological direction of the group led a stark divide between moderate and conservative members; as a staunch conservative, Chairman Schroder would often clash with more moderate leaders in the group. Lacking consensus, group activism continued to decline, and membership began to level off, with few new members joining the club.
Officers:
Spring 2007 Election:
Special Elections:
2008-2009: Bryant Surley
The election of Bryant Surley as Chairman was an exceptionally controversial move for CRs, making him the first openly-gay Chairman in NTCR history. CRs started the year with an entirely new membership, as all former members not serving on the executive board left the group in protest. A handful of former members, including former-Vice Chairman Tory Sumrall, started a competing group, the “Eagle Conservatives,” with the endorsement of the Denton County Republican Chairwoman Dianne Edmondson. Though many in Denton County hoped the Eagle Conservatives would eventually overtake CRs, they eventually disbanded, with some members rejoining CRs. Surley’s chairmanship brought about both a substantial increase in members and a renewed spirit within the club. With a penchant for the incendiary, Surley revived the NTCRs’ activist past with lively campus events such as the “Obama Shantytown,” the “UNTea Party,” and an anti-pork table that featured a butchered pig’s head. Chairman Surley also drafted a new constitution for the NTCRs, which, among other things, abolished the position of Historian, and replaced it with the newly-created position of Events Coordinator. Meetings were held on Tuesdays at 5pm in the Union.
Officers:
Spring 2008 Election:
Special Elections:
2009-2010: Trayton Oakes
Elected as a freshman, Chairman Trayton Oakes has continued with the model set by his predecessor, while brining his own unique leadership style to the club. With a background in economics, Oakes has brought a more tempered, analytical tone to CRs, with much focus being drawn to policy discussions and friendly debate. During this year the NTCRs started a bi-weekly (every other week) conservative book club, and set new fundraising records to help send members to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. Oakes’ chairmanship also saw a rise in more libertarian-minded members; Oakes himself is a self-described libertarian-Republican.
Officers:
Spring 2009 Election:
Special Elections:
2010-2011: Tyler Young/Theresa Blake
Officers:
Spring 2010 Election:
Special Elections:
2011-2012 Amanda Adamez
This year was the the most active for the club. The group were the exclusive volunteers for a VIP event with Senator Marco Rubio when the Senator was a featured speaker at the Hispanic Voter Network in Dallas. The group also had recruiting tables with themes such as "Obama's Wheel of Misfortune" and maintained an active presence during campus wide events. The organization also was grateful for the close working relationship with the Denton County Republican Party. This relationship was instrumental in allowing a record number of College Republicans to attend CPAC in Washington DC with little or no cost to the students.
During TCR's Special Election in January at the State College Republican Executive Committee meeting in San Antonio, Chaiman Adamez was elected State Secretary of the Texas College Republicans. On March 24, 2012 at the TCR State Convention, Chairman Adamez was elected as the new Chair of the Texas College Republicans. Since the Texas College Republicans were federated in 2008, Chairman Adamez will serve as the first State Chair from the University of North Texas and the first Latina State Chair, not only in Texas, but on the College Republican National Committee as well.
Notable campus events
Other conservative movements