Young Democrats were recognized as University of the Ozarks' Organization of the Year during the annual student leadership ceremony on Monday in Raymond Munger Memorial Chapel.
Organization of the Year is annually awarded by the university’s student activities committee to the student group on campus that exemplifies the Ozarks mission by providing social, academic, convocational, or spiritual events to the student body.
Morgan O’Neil, president of Student Government Association and member of the student activities committee, praised the Young Democrats for earning this dinstinction.
"Young Democrats exemplified what we were looking for in Organization of the Year, because they were able to take an organization that had not been active and turn it into a thriving organization this year. They took advantage of a time when the political spirit was running rampant across campus because of the Presidential Election, were able to reach students on campus through political debates, engaged people in dialogue and politics through radio, and gave back to the community by helping the Salvation Army and Interfaith Help Network," she explained.
Cameron Coker, president of Young Democrats, accepts the Organization of the Year award from University President Dr. Rick Niece.
For the past few years, Young Democrats, which at one time had been a very active on campus, was a dormant organization not offering much in the way of programming or membership.
This year, Cameron Coker, senior history major from Russellville, Ark. and president of Young Democrats, along with some dedicated co-members brought Young Democrats back to full strength on campus. More than a political organization, however, Young Democrats worked to support and serve the campus and the community through charitable drives and service activities.
"The award was very special to receive, because it served as a validation to all the work we put into getting the group off the ground. We are very passionate about our party’s ideals, and we have put so much work into this. I’m glad that we were recognized for our passion and our work ethic," Coker said.
Topics: Student Organizations