By BRIAN TYNES

Staff Writer

About 200 students signed up to join Tech's chapter of the College Republicans during a membership drive held Sept. 27 through 29 in the Student Center, Main Floor.

Caleb Troxclair, a College Republican National Committee field representative who helped conduct the drive, said the volume of interested students supports theories that the upcoming presidential election has attracted the attention of college students.

"I think we're seeing a growing trend toward conservative values as people grow toward voting age," Troxclair said. "Population-wise [18 to 24-year-olds] are the second-largest voting demographic, and we have been overlooked in previous elections."

According to the College Republican National Committee Web site, the support President George W. Bush is receiving from 18 to 30-year-olds from Aug. 1 to Sept. 28. has increased nearly 20 percent.

That same graph shows a slightly larger than 20 percent decrease in the support of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, resulting in his loss of majority support to Bush.

In addition to boosting participation in College Republicans, Troxclair's visit was also to organize volunteers to work on campaigns and help conduct a voter registration drive.

He said the CRNC sends representatives around the country during elections to raise voter awareness.

"[We come out] before election time to create campus activism and let people know we're there and get people more involved," Troxclair said.

He said all volunteers perform necessary tasks, but many volunteers are in older age groups and cannot compete with the youth and vitality of their younger counterparts.

"College students have the most energy and don't mind going door to door and doing things others wouldn't want to do," Troxclair said.

The number of students who registered to vote through College Republicans is yet to be confirmed, but Troxclair said he hoped the number would be around "a couple hundred."

According to a statement on Tech's College Republicans' home

page http://www.latech.edu/tech/orgs/collegerepublicans/ by Holly Talley, president of College Republicans and a sophomore family and child studies major, voting is an important part of planning for the future.

"It scares me to think of all of the apathetic college students that are not willing to be a part of the shaping of our future nation," Talley said. "If tomorrow's leaders do not rise to the challenge and make our voices heard, then what will tomorrow have in store for our generation and the generations to come?"

Dr. Gary Stokley, an associate professor of social sciences, said the region and timing played important roles in generating such a large number of new members.

"This is a fairly conservative campus politically and this is a presidential [election] year," Stokley said. "The largest segment of students on campus is freshmen and most are looking to get involved on campus."

Stokley also said the party of the incumbent candidate helps generate interest.

"[President Bush being a Republican] helps encourage others that agree with him to join organizations on college campuses."