The bulk of the records of the Oberlin College Democrats primarily focus on the activities of the group between the fall 2001 semester and spring 2004. They document the organizations’ commitment to bring Democratic politics to the student body as well as to encourage participation in the political system. The premise is that this is the best way to advance progressive ideals in society. The collection is divided into eight series: I. Constitution, II. Financial Records, III. Correspondence, IV. Minutes, V. Historical Files, VI. Membership, VII. Community Activities, and VIII. Printed Matter. Although the collection consists of records that date to 1982, the documentation is scare for the period 1982-2000. It is likely that one could trace earlier activities of students, especially during presidential campaigns, in the Oberlin Review.

Series I. Constitution, 1982, 1984-1986, 1997

This series contains copies of the Oberlin College Democrats’ Constitution from the years 1982, 1984-1986, and 1997. Included are amendments submitted in 1986, as well as the application used to join the Ohio College Democrats.

Series II. Financial Records, Fall 2002–Fall 2004

Included here are budgets submitted for fall 2002–spring 2004 school years. Additionally, this series contains the anticipated costs for staging the Mock Convention held in February 2004.

Series III. Correspondence, November 2003–March 2004

Correspondence between the College Democrats and outside groups and individuals is contained in this file. The user should note that most correspondence was done via email and telephone. Consequently, there are few items available for inclusion in the series.

Series IV. Minutes, September 2003–May 2004

This file includes minutes from the weekly meetings of the College Democrats from September 2003 to May 2004.

Series V. Historical Files, Spring 2002, May 2004

This series contains photos of events attended and held by the College Democrats during spring 2002. It also holds a detailed history of the organization written by the officers in spring 2004.

Series VI. Membership, Fall 2001–Spring 2004

In folder one, users will find the officers list from fall 2001–spring 2004. Folder two contains the email membership list from spring 2004, as well as lists of active members from the time of fall 2001–spring 2004.

Series VII. Community Activities, Fall 2001–Spring 2004

The series contains brochures and descriptions of various community activities that the College Democrats participated in. These materials include descriptions of Camp Wellstone (October 2003 and March 2004), information used to lobby U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (April 2002) and U.S. Representative Sherrod Brown (fall 2001), and the moderator’s notes, the voting rules, and the voting results from the Mock Convention (February 28, 2004).

Series VIII. Printed Matter, Fall 2002–Spring 2004

Contained within this series is printed material collected by the College Democrats, such as campaign literature from campaigns the group participated in, articles published in the Oberlin Review and the Grape about the Mock Convention, staged on February 28, 2004, and the voter information guides published by the College Democrats for the November 2003 City Council election and for the March 2004 primary. Also in this series are posters advertising various College Democrats’ events, including guest speakers, voter registration reminders, and campaign signs.