Two years can make all the difference. When I graduated from Furman in 2010, the College Democrats organization had its share of leadership, but was without a strategic plan for thoughtful and engaging political advocacy. In Charlotte at the Democratic Convention, I was privileged to witness the Furman organization win National College Democrats Chapter of the Year. Two years have brought dynamic change.
It was not that long ago that the vision for this organization was still undefined. I remember lengthy conversations with then-freshman Ben Saul and sophomore Chris Pagliaro about options for growth—a progressive organization without the party label? Giving up altogether and reuniting with various campaigns? In an internship with the Greenville County Democratic Party, I learned of the great need for college involvement in political efforts in the upstate.
Saul’s leadership as president widened the scope of the chapter. By reaching out to both the Greenville County Democratic Party and the South Carolina Democratic Party, Saul built a network of supporters and made the Furman organization known throughout the state and beyond. Alongside the efforts of other Furman students, he helped make a state convention for College Democrats happen for the first time in several years.
The story of Furman Democrats is a story for our entire community. The vitality and reach of their efforts speak to an approach characteristic of Furman that is easier to see once removed from the day to day on Poinsett Highway. Our colleges and universities are most effective when they guide students and faculty in finding an authentic way of being in the world where purpose and contribution is melded with discovery and action—a place, as educational theorist Parker Palmer has said, where compassion and care are infused with insight and knowledge.
On display in Charlotte was a group of students that spoke volumes to the intentionality behind Furman’s philosophy of engaged learning. By investing into a story of possibility, Furman Democrats were soon able to tell a story of action.
The organization’s success reminds us of an essential point: we must move beyond the fear of creativity that often keeps our universities embedded in practices out of pace with the dynamics of knowing and speaking in the world. The Democratic Party is better for Furman’s contribution. Our Furman community is stronger for encouraging them along the way.
