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by Celeste Flint
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David Groom Brings Political Experience to Stugo
Many people applied for the position, but the dean of men, Bob Bailey, specifically wanted Mr. Groom to fill the opening. "Dave has been an R.A. for me." he said. "I knew his work ethic, gifts and interests. He understands the position. He understands the needs of Stugo and the needs of the students."
This is the second year Stugo has had an adviser position. Dean Bailey said they were still working out the details for the position when he chose Mr. Groom.
"I advise, by very definition," he said. "I ask questions of the student government and make sure they stay in the norms of a student government." Before becoming the adviser, he worked with Stugo as an activities coordinator and in public relations.
Mr. Groom was a precinct leader in the 1996 and 2000 presidential elections. Much of this work involved campaigning door-to-door for Republican candidates. Still, he does not emphasize work with the Republican Party as much as he claims to push the conservative agenda. "The partisan line is often drawn on social issues, and my faith lands me on the more conservative side of that line," he said. "I agree with Republicans on social issues to the tee."
After hearing about the Witherspoon Fellowship, a political internship and historical studies program, he decided to apply. The application was arduous and included three recommendation letters and four essays, but this effort proved to be fruitful when Mr. Groom was selected to join the program. He spent his 2003 spring semester studying politics in Washington, D.C., with 13 other students from around the country.
"The workload was tremendous," Mr. Groom said. Each week, the students read an average of 400 pages and wrote two papers for their classes. On top of this, Mr. Groom's internship with policy writing gave him an additional 250 pages of weekly reading. He took classes on national law from the Family Research Council. "I got credit," he said, "but not enough for the workload."
He described the program as prestigious. The students not only were given complete scholarships and apartments to live in but also were paid to be part of the program.
The program allowed him to take classes on American politics, the formation of government and historical studies. He traveled to places such as Philadelphia and West Virginia.
His internship focused on marriage and family policy writing, specifically, the role of the father in the family. Today, Mr. Groom's focus is still on social issues, and he insists that "it's not so much politics as it is social service."
As far as his future, he said, "I would like to be the governor of California," and he is serious. He has no direct set of plans to accomplish this goal, but does plan on continuing his involvement in the political world. However, his involvement with politics in this year's election is limited by his work with Stugo.
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