The first College Democrats meeting of the fall began with a “surprise” as president Kevin Chambliss announced his candidacy in the next DeKalb County Board election.

The announcement followed a speech by state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, who called upon students to get involved as much as possible.

“The best way to learn about politics is to get into politics,” she said. “If you don’t realize who’s around you doing policy for you, it could be a detriment.”

Chambliss’ announcement touched upon the same theme. He said afterward that he decided to get involved after finding a lack of community response to a hate crime on July 26, where three white adults were accused of assaulting a black 16-year-old boy outside of the Amber Manor Apartments on Ridge Drive.

“There was a need for student representation on the local level,” Chambliss said.

He said he was “disheartened” by the lack of community response from student organizations and administrators, saying that he fears these groups have become “naive about racists.”

The meeting also featured attendance from College Republicans president Meagan Szydlowski, as well as two candidates for the next U.S. Congress election, Jotham Stein and Bill Foster, who will speak at upcoming College Democrats meetings.

Additionally, Chapa LaVia discussed upcoming Illinois senate bills 326, 327 and 729, which deal directly with student issues on textbooks and freedom of the student press.

She also asked students to wear red on Fridays to show support for the troops, regardless of one’s stance on the war.

“We are all red American blood,” she said.

The College Democrats will meet every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Stevenson South Fishbowl Room.