Proud to be red

The sun is shining, the temperature is up above 60 degrees, and right on cue with the rest of spring in Buffalo, Conservative Week is here at UB.

With bake sales, movies, protests and demonstrations, the College Republicans will be celebrating their party across campus throughout this week and, as they did last year, stirring up some controversy.

The week kicks off with a Bake Sale to Save Social Security Monday in the Student Union from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., along with a bake sale for arms at the same time in front of the Center for the Arts. Organizers hope the bake sale will help educate people about what they call a shortfall in Social Security.

On Tuesday, the week continues with Conservative "Coming Out" Day in the Student Union. There will also be a screening of "Celsius 41.11," and"FahrenHype 9/11," both are conservative answers to Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," with "Celsius," screening on Wednesday at 8 p.m. and "FahrenHype 9/11" on Thursday at 8 p.m., both in 330 Student Union.

Tom Gueli and Sean Weppner, College Republican members and co-coordinators for the week, said they hope to make up for lost time in getting the Republican message out.

"It's been especially hard to make our voice heard on campus due to our work on the presidential election," Weppner said, referring to how focused on the election the College Republicans were last semester.

Gueli, sophomore biology major, said the week of events has been in the works for two months, building off old ideas while adding new ones.

The week rounds off with Support Your Troops Day on Thursday in the Student Union, and a Canadian citizenship drive and Animal Rights Barbeque outside on Friday.

Some students have objected to the lack of sensitivity in the events, but club members said they do not see a problem with their lineup.

"We're not here to make concessions," Weppner said. "We believe what we believe."

Last year, Conservative Coming Out Day caused an uproar in the Student Union lobby as gay rights supporters and members of LGBTA protested the event's use of the phrase "coming out."

According to Weppner, the objective of Conservative Week is not necessarily to educate or persuade people, but to express their group's opinions and have their voice heard.

"This is showing the opposite end of the spectrum," Weppner said. "It's not meant to insult anybody. It's done to make you think."

"It's just our way of stirring things up," Gueli said. "It's all being done in good humor."

Club members said they hope the week also helps fight student apathy. If anything else, Conservative Week is intended to get students interested, even if that means making them angry, Weppner said.

"I think the most dangerous concern in the country is apathy," he said.

Although the College Democrats have yet to organize a "Liberal Week," Weppner and Gueli said they were open to the idea, though they jokingly said it feels like every week is Liberal Week.

"I wouldn't be opposed to it, nor would I denounce them for doing it," Weppner said. "More power to them if they were to do it."

Some students said they have mixed feelings about the events during Conservative Week, but the College Republicans have the right to say what they think.

"It sounds like a hotbed of hypocrisy and shameless image polishing," said Steve Niezgoda, a junior political science major. "But I will agree that being in a liberal sector like college, being Republican can be difficult."

Dan Kotlewski, sophomore aeronautics major, said he's taking a lighter view of the events.

"The 'Pie-a-Republican' event sounds like it'll be a lot of fun," Kotlewski said. "There's a lot of other clubs that should let us dunk their members too."