Gavin Vondercrone & Kyle Cave

Editor-in-Chief & Staff Writer

East Stroudsburg University’s College Republicans were reinstated by the Student Government Association (SGA) during the student senate meeting held on Thursday, Feb. 26. The entire deliberation process between SGA members lasted around 15 minutes. The organization’s second attempt at reinstatement was met with approval following an initial denial on Feb. 12.

An ESU police officer was seen patrolling outside of the senate chambers throughout the duration of the meeting.

This is the first time the College Republicans have been an active organization since 2021. Christopher Brooks, professor of History at ESU and faculty advisor of the College Republicans, is excited about the opportunities for discussion the club presents.

“I am happy for both the ESU community and the club members and look forward to fruitful, respectful discussions about topics that impact us all,” said Brooks.

The Courier reached out to Amaya Cox, President of SGA, for a statement on the overall process. She opted not to respond.

According to the Student Activities Association (SAA), in order for an organization to be recognized by SGA, they need to first do the following:

• Make sure not to share the same name, mission or purpose of another organization.
• Have three different students serve as officers for the organization. These officer positions include a President, treasurer and one other.
• Have an identified advisor.
• Plan to have at least one meeting a month.
• Have a constitution developed and approved by SGA.

After fulfilling these requirements, the organization must then give a presentation of their mission statement to SGA. Student senators then vote on whether or not to recognize the organization.

The club’s first attempt at reinstatement was met with denial during the Feb. 12 student senate meeting. According to Daniel Rossi, vice president of the College Republicans, the club’s initial rejection was due to an unclear presentation of their goals and purpose.

“We were basically told that our presentation was unclear and that we needed to outline our mission statement better,” said Rossi. He also acknowledged that SAA cooperated with the club in order to “fix up” their presentation.

The deliberation process at the Feb. 12 meeting reportedly lasted over 35 minutes, nearly three times the length of the Feb. 26 meeting. 

“The air was definitely not in our favor,” said Rossi in regard to the club’s first attempt. “I was told that it [the deliberation] was the longest amount of time ever taken to approve or deny an organization.”

The College Republicans contact and officer information can be found on their WarriorLink page. The group’s first meeting took place in the University Senate chambers on Monday, March 2.