As the year kicks off, so do the NIU College Democrats.

During their first meeting of the school year, held Tuesday night at Pizza Pro’s, 1205 W. Lincoln Highway, the College Democrats prepared to start the semester.

“Our goal for the kick-off party is to get some new faces out there and to rebuild momentum,” said College Democrats President Julie Steichen.

In the United States there are two major parties: the Republican and the Democratic parties. Both these parties are represented at NIU with the College Republicans and the College Democrats.

“We are made up of all college students that are interested in the democratic Party,” said College Democrats adviser Mark Pietrowski.

Pietrowski said the group’s biggest goal is to promote democratic policies, programs and candidates to college students and make them aware of what the party is about.

During each meeting the group will talk about local, federal and state issues.

“This year we are going to be focusing on marriage equality and getting that passed in Illinois,” said Pietrowski.

The group will discuss other issues, like immigration reform and the DREAM Act. They will also discuss issues on campus that they want to address, like student loans.

“This year we want to focus on getting the group off the ground,” said Steichen. “It’s tough to do stuff in off-election years because I feel there is a drop in interest.”

It may be an off-election year, but the group has recruited not only freshmen but also transfer students.

“I learned about College Democrats when I went to the involvement fair,” said Tyler Rodriguez, junior engineering major and transfer student. “I’m really looking forward to getting involved and meeting more politicians.”

Freshman psychology major Jeremy Bieser said he joined the College Democrats because he is a big supporter of marriage equality.

“I want to be able to tell my children and grandchildren that I made a difference,” he said.