0 0 9 .a 0 8B Wednesday, November 7 2012 // The Statement A red champion in a sea of blue By Zach Bergson Name: Rachael Jankowski, Chair of College Republicans Hometown: Shelby Township, Mich. School and Year: LSA senior Concentration: Political Science and History What has College Republicans been doing leading up to the election? We've been getting out the vote for Romney. Going door to i>or in Washtenaw County and making tons of phone calls - we just made over 10,000 calls. We've been having speak- ers come to campus who are running in the local and state races. We had Eric Cantor come in and tailgate with us, and Ann Romney was in the state recently so we sent some people there. How did you get involved in College Republicans? Have you always been passionate about conservative politics? I was Republican-leaning all of my life. I guess I was raised that way, but coming here made me more Republican, shock- ingly. I think it's because I wanted to figure out my own path Mnd educate myself on issues, rather than being fed it. I felt like my professors weren't giving unbiased positions on things, so I started researching and looking things up and goingto conferences in D.C. Then I got involved in Col- lege Republicans right away fresh- man year, but I wasn't too involved until last year. Last year I wanted to work with other groups, so I became the coalitions chair and that was basi- -eilly working on outreach with other like-minded Republican groups. And then I was elected chair of College Republicans last year. When you wake up Wednesday morning and you turn on the TV, who won the election and why did they win, in your opin- ion? Mitt Romney is going to win, Refina cause Americans realize that we can't afford four more years of what we've had. I think when peo- ple become educated about it and they realize what the president has done over the past four years to help the economic catastrophe teat he inherited, they're going to realize that he hasn't really owned up to it and hasn't turned it around. I think they'll realize that the unemployment rate is too high and it's higher now than it was when he was elected. He hasn't done enough. Conversely, you wake up Wednesday morning and Presi- dent Obama won. What does that mean for the Republi- can party, specifically, College Republicans? I think it would be a time for Republicans in Congress and everyone to reevaluate what they've done over the past four years, and realize that its time to work together to actually solve the problem, rather than punting the football down the road. Are you saying the House Republicans should work with Obama? Yeah. Not to compromise your beliefs at all, but I think Presi- dent Obama needs to sit down with the Republicans in Con- gress and say that we do need to work together to solve this, because this is bigger than any political party. We need to work together to solve the debt problem and the employment problem. We need to pass a budget - that's probably the big- gest thing - because not having a budget passed is a scary thing. I also think its time that we really sit down and focus on what needs to be changed, and what we can do to change it. It's going to be a time, I think, of renewal and new beginnings. No one should compromise their beliefs at all, but there needs to be more cohesiveness and working together. It sounds like you guys have really thought about what's next if he loses. Doyou expecthimto lose? I don't think we've really thought about it. We think he has a really good chance of winning. But, you know, in the end it's about the United States of America, it's not about any political party or who wins. This is a very liberal campus. What's your advice to incoming freshmen who have conservative views? Believe that there are Republicans on this campus. People seem to think that they're the only one but they're not. There are hundreds of College Republicans on this campus and you just have to come find us. We are here and we can be their outlet in what can sometimes be a hostile environment for Republicans.