Miami University has been called a lot of things. Liberal is not typically one of them.

Situated in a red district in conservative southwest Ohio, students perceive the Miami's political leaning to be slightly conservative-nearly 60 percent of students in a poll conducted by The Miami Student said they thought the student body was conservative or slightly conservative.*

Yet Miami might not fit neatly into its political stereotype, especially not in recent elections. The Oct. 30 poll showed Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as the favored choice for president among students over Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Approximately 50 percent of polled students said they plan to vote for Obama while fewer than 37 percent said they plan to vote for McCain.

Additionally, the Butler County Board of Elections precinct results from the 2004 election show Oxford voters favored Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) over incumbent George W. Bush.

So with votes leaning toward Democratic candidates, why do Miami students, professors and outsiders view Miami as a conservative campus?

Perhaps the answer lies in the size of Miami's chapter of College Republicans-the largest in Ohio and among the top 10 largest in the country.

The chapter has a history of outreach within Butler County, frequently working hand-in-hand with the national Republican Party as well as in Oxford and the surrounding area.

Chairman Chris Berry said College Republicans' success can be attributed to continued action beyond election years.

"One of the great things about (College Republicans) is that we don't just exist for election years," Berry said. "We're just as strong in organizational capacity and leadership in off years as we are in election years."

While College Republicans may have enjoyed a long run of success, Miami's College Democrats chapter is experiencing increased enthusiasm, organization and campaign involvement on campus.

However Miami's chapter of College Democrats is still considered to be "average" in size, according to the organization's leadership.

"The College Democrats definitely felt like underdogs on campus in 2004," said Michelle Smith, 2005-06 president of Miami's College Democrats. "We had a historically smaller presence on campus than the College Republicans. But we worked as hard as we could with what we had."

Former president Thad Driscoll agreed, saying Miami was perceived to be more conservative during his tenure in 2004-05.

Driscoll said the Kerry campaign had only a barely visible presence in Oxford in 2004.

"It was pretty much (a) one person kind of organizing and volunteering, which I think consisted mostly of phone banking," Driscoll said.

Driscoll added that although he is no longer involved in campus politics, he said he believes Obama is running a superior campaign to that of Kerry-an advantage that plays into the College Democrats' ability to step up its efforts.

Darner also said internal discord among collegiate Democratic chapters prior to the 2004 race was a factor that contributed to deteriorating channels of communication between the party and the College Democrats.

"I remember attending an Ohio College Democrats event in Cleveland in the winter of 2002 and thinking, 'Are these really the people who are going to help elect the next president?'" Darner said. "Instead of building party unity, they were too busy fighting over who would be the second-deputy-assistant to the treasurer of an organization that had been wholly ineffective at mobilizing college students in recent years."

Nathan Colvin, former president of College Republicans said that it's areas outside of Oxford that give Republican tickets the edge in Butler County.

"Sometimes the College Democrats make the mistake that the end-all be-all is Oxford," Colvin said.

But despite a rocky past, students and faculty report that the Democratic Party, or at least Obama, has received strong support this year among students.

David Marshall, professor of finance, who has been at Miami for 22 years, said an increase in enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket may be a result of the unpopular policies of the Bush administration.

"We have traditionally been conservative-business tends to be more Republican, so the students that I have traditionally have been heavily Republican, but it's looking different this time," Marshall said. "Obama has captured the energy of the youth."

Monica Schneider, professor of political science who specializes in political campaigning and elections, said she is not surprised to see Miami students leaning toward the Democratic candidate.

"Obama's been better organized and people have been more enthusiastic about his candidacy in general," Schneider said.

Many have chalked up the conservative image of Miami's campus to the popularity of the Farmer School of Business and the fact that Republican policies tend to focus on business.

Yet junior Jason Sweet, said he thinks Republican policies do not necessarily appeal to the college-age demographic because most students have yet to deal with serious financial issues.

"It kind of goes with our whole generation thing," Sweet said. "It doesn't make sense for us to be Republican in a lot of ways. The views that make our parents Republican, money and taxes, don't really affect us right now."

Since 1992, Oxford has consistently voted for the Democratic candidate. But Butler County has stayed a Republican stronghold, favoring the GOP ticket by nearly twice the popular vote than the Democratic candidate.

Despite the hype, Schneider said she warns against putting too much weight on the youth vote. Schneider said the 18- to 23-year-old demographic is typically a mobile group, meaning it can be difficult to register and stay up-to-date on issues.

"The youth vote is very tricky and it's not always reliable," Schneider said. "College-aged students or people in that demographic haven't developed the habit of voting, if they haven't done it before, its complicated, they're often moving around. It's hard for students."

*The poll was conducted Thursday, Oct. 30. There were 161 respondents.