Corie Whalen is in her junior year at Simmons College and is majoring in political science with a minor in history. She first volunteered on a Republican campaign her freshman year when she attended Wagner College in New York City. While at Wagner, Corie worked for Pat Russo, who was running for Brooklyn City Council, and was active in the College Republicans club on campus.

 

Upon returning home to Boston, Corie became involved in local efforts that supported the spread of strict constitutional principles and small government ideals. She took the lead in organizing a speaking event held at Faneuil Hall on the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, which promoted limited government ideology and public figures who espoused this view. The event included such speakers as Rand Paul, son of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, Carla Howell, the woman spearheading the ballot initiative that seeks to end the income tax in Massachusetts, and Air Force Veteran Jim Forsythe (R-NH) of Strafford, who is currently seeking a House seat. As a vehicle created to support the aforementioned event, Corie was involved in the creation of the Liberty League Political Action Committee, a non-connected federal PAC, which she currently chairs.

 

As a student, Corie's grassroots involvements in the Republican Party inevitably led her to the Massachusetts Alliance of College Republicans, and she quickly became very dedicated to the group. She simultaneously co-founded a College Republicans club at Simmons and became their President and was elected Director of the MACR's Conservative Women's Caucus; a position that Corie takes quite seriously given the fact that she attends a Women's College and is conscious of the lack of voice conservative women are given in such environments. Since taking on the position of CWC Director, Corie has aided the MACR by designing newsletters and participating in executive board discussions and decisions, and plans to hold a CWC meeting and lunch at the upcoming Spring Convention at Boston College.

Having grown up in Massachusetts, I know firsthand how alienated Republicans can feel when they choose to express their conservative viewpoints in this state. As a student, I have found that this condition worsens on college campuses, and through working with local Republicans I have met others who share this concern.

Therefore, I will utilize my position as Secretary to help further unite conservatives in Massachusetts through open communication networks, the creation of informative newsletters, and outreach efforts that help to facilitate the creation of new campus clubs. In my opinion, the first goal of the MACR should be asserting our existence and opening ourselves up to new members, which I believe we've done quite well under the leadership of Brian Gwozdz.

Being the current President of the new CR club at Simmons has proven to me that many conservatives come out of the shadows when they are given a chance to unite with others who share their views. Without a campus group to offer Republican students support, individuals are often hesitant to express their views in exceedingly liberal environments. I find this level of political pressure in the classroom to be unreasonable. I also believe that it is counterproductive when the goal of diversity among the student body is an end that so many universities seek to achieve. Accordingly, I will work to empower Republicans utilizing a bottom to top strategy, because without the local clubs to empower students at the lowest levels, the MACR as a whole is nothing!

I believe that Brian Gwozdz and his motivated team have done an incredible job at making their presence known and welcoming new clubs (including my own at Simmons) and for that reason, I am thrilled to join his slate and contribute further to our outreach efforts. There is no reason that conservative students should ever feel uncomfortable expressing themselves, and the fact that so many harbor that hesitation is what I seek to change.

E-mail: corie.whalen@simmons.edu