College Republicans

The next CR meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday, April 18, 7:30 PM, in the University Center.  Look on the event monitor for the room assignment.

Guests will be Jared Wright, Republican nominee for House District 54 and Tatianna Gruen, Field Representative from Americans for Prosperity.

All are welcome to stop by and talk with Jared and Tatianna in a relaxed meet-n-greet format.

Since this is one of the last CR meetings for this academic year, there will be a brief planning discussion for the fall semester.

Bring a Republican friend.

See you there!

College Republicans will be hosting a Commissioner Candidate Form on Wednesday, March 7, 6:00 – 9:00 PM, in the Ballroom of the University Center.

Republican candidates running for two open Mesa County Commissioner seats will share their thoughts and comments in a question and answer setting.  After a few questions posed by College Republicans, the questioning will be open to the audience.

Participating County Commissioner Candiates are as follows:

District 1

• Wes D’Aponti
• Christi Flynn
• Ken Henry
• John Justman
• Ed Stephens

District 3

• Paul Nelson
• Rose Pugliese
• Woody Walcher

This promised to be an interesting and informative event.

Admission is free, bring a Republican friend.

All College Republicans are welcome to participate with the Mesa County Republican Party in the Parade of Lights.

The Mesa County Republican Party has entered a float in the parade and is looking for volunteers to ride, walk, carry signs, hold banners and distribute cards to the crowd.

Staging for the parade begins at 3:00 PM, Saturday, December 3 near the corner of 8th and White, downtown Grand Junction.  The parade starts at 5:00 PM.

The theme is “A Wild West Christmas”, so be sure to wear warm western clothes, a red bandana and comfortable shoes.  Click here for details.

See you there!

The next College Republican meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 16, 7:30 PM, in the University Center.

State Board of Education Member Marcia Neal will be the special guest speaker.  In what is guaranteed to be an interesting discussion, Board Member Neal will share her keen insight into the K-12 system in Colorado and discuss issues facing public education in general.  Board Member Neal’s presentations are always fascinating and informative.

Admission is free, bring a Republican friend.

About Board Member Marcia Neal: Marcia Neal was elected to the Colorado State Board of Education for the third congressional district commencing January 13, 2009. Neal grew up on a ranch in Gunnison, Colo.  She attended Gunnison schools and earned a B.A. and M.A. from Western State College.  She has been a business owner of a bookstore, had a 21-year career in teaching, finishing at Grand Junction High School, where she taught U.S. history and world geography.

She was elected to the board of education for Mesa County School District #51 in 1997 and served eight years. In that capacity she also served on the Colorado Association of School Boards Resolution Legislative Committee and was a consistent voice for educational reform.

She also served on the BOCES Board at the Bishop Campus of Western Colo. Community College (formerly known as UTEC) and was committed to its Career and Technical Focus. In 2005 she was chosen as an All-State Board member, one of five members state-wide.

She serves on the Chamber of Commerce Business/Education Partnership Committee and is an active member of the Chamber’s Governmental Affairs Committee.

Neal is a widow with three adult children and seven grandchildren, five of whom attended Colorado public schools, and two grandchildren who reside in Georgia who are home schooled.

The next College Republican meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 2, 7:30 PM, in the University Center.

This will be a short planning meeting for upcoming events.  No guest speaker is scheduled.

The next College Republican meeting is schedule for Wednesday, October 19, 7:30 PM, in the University Center.

Our special guest will be U.S. Congressman Scott McInnis, former U.S. Representative for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.  Congressman McInnis served for six terms from January 1993 to January 2005.

Congressman McInnis will be speaking on national issues and the need for political involvement by College Republicans.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to visit with Congressman McInnis in an informal setting — he is looking forward to discussing your thoughts and concerns.

Be sure to bring a Republican friend!  Admission is free.

Background information on Congressman McInnis:  Born in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, McInnis graduated from Glenwood Springs High School and attended Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado. He earned a B.A. from Fort Lewis College in 1975 and a J.D. from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, in 1980. He served as a police officer in Glenwood Springs, worked as a hospital director, and started a law practice in Colorado.

From 1983 to 1993, McInnis served in the state house of representatives, where he was elected House Majority Leader and served as Chairman of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Congress

In 1992, McInnis was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives representing Colorado’s 3rd district and served six terms, from January 1993 to January 2005. While in Congress, McInnis held a position on the powerful Committee on Ways and Means.

Along with former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, McInnis sponsored legislation to redesignate Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument as a national park in 1999. In 2000, McInnis and former Senators Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Wayne Allard authored the Great Sand Dunes National Park Act, and four years later the Great Sand Dunes became the country’s 58th national park.

While in office, McInnis received numerous awards. He was named “Person of the Decade” by The Glenwood Post in 1999 and “Best Local Government Official” by The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel from 1999-2003. Other awards Scott has received include the Colorado Association of Homebuilders’ Award for Government Service, the Legislator of the Year Award from the Colorado Wildlife Federation, the Golden Bulldog Award from Watchdogs of the Treasury, the National Security Leadership Award from the American Security Council, the Sound Dollar Award from the Free Congress Foundation, the Spirit of Free Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Hero of the Taxpayer Award from The Americans for Tax Reform, the Taxfighter Award from the National Tax Limitation Committee and the Friend of Farm Bureau award from the American Farm Bureau Federation.

On the 40th anniversary of a declared War On Drugs, it is time to pause and ask some important questions:  Did we win?  Was it worth it?  What’s next?

These questions and others will be debated at the War On Drugs debate hosted by College Republicans at Colorado Mesa University.  Don’t miss this informative event scheduled for Wednesday, October 12, 7:30 PM, University Center Ballroom.  Whichever side of the issue you’re on, this lively debate is guaranteed to entertain and provide new insight into this important national issue.

Admission is free and the public is welcome.

For more information, please contact Colton Vaughan at 719-821-6829.

The next College Republican meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 5, 7:30 PM, University Center room 221.

Steve Acquafresca, Mesa County Commissioner, will be speaking on the role of county government, duties of a County Commissioner and the need for political involvement by College Republicans.

Commissioner Acquafresca is looking forward to a lively discussion, so College Republicans planning to attend should be prepared to ask plenty of questions.

Admission is free, bring a Republican friend.

Steve has lived and worked on Colorado’s west slope for 40 years and is a graduate of Mesa College and Colorado State University. He has been an advocate for the agricultural community while being actively engaged in farming, conservation, business, community affairs, and public policy-making.

As a former Colorado state legislator, Steve represented six west slope counties in Colorado’s General Assembly and focused on farming and ranching issues, business and economic development, water law, conservation, local government, transportation and public education funding and policies. Steve is an outdoor enthusiast and an avid fisherman.

In addition to serving as a commissioner, Steve currently represents the Board of County Commissioners on the following boards and committees:

• Colorado Counties, Inc.—Legislative Committee
• Colorado Riverfront Commission
• Colorado River Water Conservation District
• Colorado State University Extension Advisory Council
• Criminal Justice Leadership Group (Alternate)
• Grand Junction Chamber Of Commerce—Governmental Affairs Committee
• Grand Mesa Scenic & Historic Byway Association
• Grand Valley Regional Transportation Committee
• Mesa County Community Corrections Board (Alternate)
• Museum of the West
• Purchase Development Rights Committee
• Riverview Technology Corp.
• Western Colorado Business Development Corporation/Incubator

See you there!

The College Republicans want to thank State Senator Steve King for speaking at the last meeting.  His thoughtful insight on real-world problems was appreciated and thought-provoking.  He covered a wide range of issues and fielded questions from the group.  There was a lot of back-and-forth discussion.  Not often you have an hour to discuss issues with a State Senator!  We hope to have Senator King back for another visit very soon.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 21, 7:30 PM, University Center Room 221.

Special guest speaker will be Colorado State Senator Steve King.

This is a unique opportunity to interact with a Colorado State Senator in an informal small-group environment.

Be sure to check back soon for upcoming events.