The Roosevelt Society — a debating society focused on liberal perspectives of current issues and events — recently applied for CIO status at the University.
Its website, the Roosevelt Review, publishes its ideas in a way that is accessible to the University community, Editor-in-Chief Olivier Weiss said.
“[The website] acts as the mouthpiece of the Roosevelt Society by expressing the positions that we take about liberal policy and demonstrating the spirit and personality of the society,” the second-year College student said.
Weiss said the society is more important than ever in light of difficult events which occurred over the 2014-2015 school year.
“We want to stress these issues and provide for a forum on-Grounds to discuss them frankly and enhance political and public discourse,” Weiss said.
Weiss said the focus on liberal debate set the society apart from similar organizations.
“We base ourselves on the center left of the political spectrum,” Weiss said. “There should be a liberal voice on Grounds not only advancing the liberal cause but also questioning it.”
Weiss also said the non-exclusionary nature of the society sets it apart from other organizations by providing a forum in which all are encouraged to share their ideas.
“We want real genuine enthusiasm and would prefer to have a solid base of really committed members,” Weiss said.
The group must submit a business plan, a constitution and have at least ten members before the application can be considered for CIO status. Groups approved as CIOs gain access to resources that many on-Grounds groups do not have otherwise, according to third-year Leadership student Emily Lodge, Student Council vice president for organizations.
“In a perfect world we would be able to approve of them all, but unfortunately we have limited space and limited funding,” Lodge said
The Roosevelt Society hopes to use the status as a CIO to give back to the University community, Weiss said.
“We hope to really serve U.Va. in a way that its founding and principles demand and that trains the leaders of tomorrow,” Weiss said.
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