Hello again SSDP rock stars!

Here is your October installment of our monthly Chapter Leaders Newsletter. It’s packed with information and updates from all over the SSDP network. Please make sure to forward these newsletters along to your chapter members. We want to make sure every SSDP student is in the know and that they get the resources they need!

#SSDP2014

We’ve also uploaded various resources, notes, and materials from the presentations for you, which can be found here. If you couldn’t make it this year, don’t worry! We’ll have regional conferences much closer to you in spring 2015. Contact your Outreach Coordinator for more details or if you’re interested in hosting a regional conference at your chapter.

Campaigns

The push to pass Amendment 2 for medical marijuana in Florida, one of the most populous states in the country, is critical to the future of marijuana reform in the South. Heading into this campaign, Florida was already host to the most SSDP chapters of any state on the country. Over the course of the past few months, SSDP has leveraged promotion of the campaign to expand its reach to four new campuses in Florida, bringing the total number of chapters there to 17. In addition to that, the existing SSDP network in Florida is thriving and as strong as ever. From every corner of the state, SSDPers have registered new voters, hosted speakers, organized rallies, and sponsored debates aimed at driving the conversation about medical marijuana toward one of compassion and sensibility.

DC: Bringing Initiative 71 to the forefront of SSDP DC chapters has changed the dynamic of the chapters themselves. Chapter leaders are witnessing both an unprecedented number of students looking to get involved (in the hundreds) and increasingly passionate and hard working chapter members (especially that of freshman). Previous to the campaign, there was not a single active chapter. Within the span of two months we have three very active chapters, with dozens of members and hundreds of contacts, as well as two more chapters in the process of starting up.

Phonebank

That’s a lot of calls but we still need your help: not only will you be playing a vital role in making sure these initiatives pass, you’ll also be eligible for rewards! The winning chapters (who make the most calls) will be calculated each month. Totals will be sent out bi-weekly so you can know where your chapter stands.

Get started phonebanking, check out our current leaderboard, or read our phonebanking FAQs.

If you have any questions about getting started, please contact Drew Stromberg.

SSDP’s Board of Directors

Sarah Merrigan, University of Nebraska Omaha Vilmarie Narloch, Roosevelt University Lauren Mendelsohn, University of California Irvine Law School Stephanie Raquel Izquieta, SUNY Binghamton Jeremy Sharp, University of North Georgia Rafael Gonzalez, Northwest Vista College Reid Murdoch, University of Michigan Law School

New Executive Committee members:

Chair: Amanda Muller Vice Chair: Lauren Mendelsohn Secretary: Jurriaan van den Hurk