Barack Obama has enjoyed unmatched popularity among college students during the primary election cycle this year, with record turnouts of young voters helping swing a number of states in the Illinois senator's favor. On UT's campus, you have probably seen the campaign teamed by students getting the word out about Obama. The campaign has been busy this semester.

Students who frequent the pedestrian walkway have probably seen various organizations promoting themselves – Obama’s campaign has had several tables on the walkway this semester and in the University Center; they distribute flyers and stickers and, importantly, register voters.

At the International House, they sponsored a “Barock the Vote” event, energizing students and heightening awareness about his campaign.

Students pumped about Obama have been on many volunteer trips to surrounding states like South Carolina and Ohio to show their support. In addition, volunteers have been phone banking to critical states.

Gloria Johnson, a Volunteer Field Representative for Knoxville, as well as a 2nd district convention delegate, emphasized how much the campaign was organized around volunteers. Students in particular, she said, are a great asset to the campaign because they have so much energy. “The entire group is volunteer,” Johnson added. “The only time we had paid staff was one person for two weeks up to Super Tuesday.”

After our initial organizational meeting, the students really took off with the project and created their own network to work in conjunction with ours

I asked Gloria what she found was most effective for raising support among students, and was surprised to learn that student volunteers are organizing themselves. “After our initial organizational meeting, the students really took off with the project and created their own network to work in conjunction with ours,” Johnson said. “They are tireless workers and a huge asset to the campaign.”

Johnson also said that students have turned out to support every event, and even created their own events.

The internet has been a boon to local grassroots efforts. Networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace have been great tools for recruiting volunteers and upporters. With networking web sites, campaigns can organize events and get important messages out to thousands of people quickly and easily.

For those interested in volunteering for the Obama campaign, there will be a “Vote for Change” rally on May 10 in Krutch Park. After the rally, volunteers will be trained in voter registration and sent out into the city to register voters.