College senior Renata Strause is the co-chair of the Oberlin College Democrats. She is a politics major.

The Oberlin College Democrats took some time off after the disappointing outcome of the presidential election. Now that it is making its return this semester, what’s next?
The most important thing is that we’re moving forward. We took our time sharing war stories and crying into our beers, but by December, we knew that it was time to pick up and keep working. A lot of students are confused about what we’ll be doing now because we’re known as an organization focused on elections, and while that’s a big aspect of what we can work on, it is not the only aspect. This semester, we’ll be focusing mostly on issue advocacy, such as gay rights, which is particularly pertinent after the passing of Issue 1 last November. We’ll also be paying attention to Supreme Court nominees who uphold progressive values.

Also, the Democratic Party is doing a lot of soul searching, which we very much want to be a part of, so we’ll continue to fight for the issues within the party that matter the most to students.

How are the Dems’ goals now different from how they were before the election season began?
The work we do has to continue past elections. We need to make the connections between votes people cast and the issues that affect daily lives. In that sense, our goals are always the same. What changes are the issues we fight for, who we talk to and our short-term strategies.

How are you planning on maintaining the high level of student participation you had first semester?
First of all, the kind of work that we’ll be doing is very different. It obviously won’t be the same highly-charged atmosphere. There won’t be so much standing on street corners in the freezing rain or waking up at the crack of dawn to go canvassing. That’s a rare thing that really does come around every four years. Instead, I think the Dems will be catering to students who are interested in helping to enact progressive changes across the board. Yes, this was an extremely important election, but it’s not the only one. Historically, the Republican Party has been much better at thinking in the long term, so short of running an Obie for Democratic National Committee chair, we can think long-term in our own little corner of the world to ultimately make the changes we want to see.

Do you think it will be possible to maintain the same level of enthusiasm that there was first semester now that people are more pessimistic than ever about the state of our political climate?
I woke up the morning of Nov. 3 incredibly confused. I walked across the campus and saw Kerry signs thrown all over the ground and a “Take It Back – Vote” sign crumpled up and burnt. Despite the fact that I knew we had lost not only the presidency but also senate seats across the country, seeing that burnt sign was what finally made me break down. That was the hardest thing for me to take because the day before we were the picture I wish progressive politics could be elsewhere. Even with the long lines, it was so amazing how everyone waited it out and came together to keep each other fed, happy and entertained. No matter to what capacity, everyone did their part to participate in Get Out the Vote activities.

I understand whatever pessimism is out there, and it hurts to lose, but there are a lot more people who will be hurting worse than we were, or are, over the next four years. Because of this, we need to remember what Oberlin was like on Election Day. This isn’t the time to keep crying. We didn’t do anything wrong—they just won. It’s going to take people committed to progressive politics to take back the house.

How do you want to leave the Dems when you graduate at the end of the semester?
I want to see the same committed group of people during my time here. As we continue to work this semester, I have absolute confidence that this organization will be stronger under the leadership of underclass people who have really stepped up to the plate in the last year. I was just tickled pink with the level of commitment last semester, and as long as people are willing to put up with me and work hard for a few more months, I have no doubt that after I’m gone we’ll continue to step up to the plate and keep the OC Dems going strong.