79R14741 MAM-D By: Herrero H.R. No. 1489R E S O L U T I O N WHEREAS, The Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi Islander Democrats have received the Student Affairs' Organization of the Year Award in 2005 for their exceptional work in raising political awareness on campus; and WHEREAS, Officially organized in 2003, the Islander Democrats spent their first year learning the university's rules and requirements, and by the fall of 2004, they had launched an organized campaign to help elect Democrats to local, state, and national offices and to assist students in making informed decisions; and WHEREAS, The organization's members volunteered at the Nueces County Democratic Unity Headquarters during the months preceding the fall elections and registered more than 500 first-time voters on campus; they also staffed a phone bank, distributed campaign materials, served on the ballot board, worked as election judges, operated an information table at the university center, and served as hosts for a fund-raiser for Congressman Solomon Ortiz; during the spring of 2005, they expanded their reach by participating in the local city council election, marching in the A&M Martin Luther King, Jr., Day parade, and sponsoring two movie screenings; and WHEREAS, Since their inception, the Islander Democrats have become an important part of the political life of the students of Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi, and it is appropriate to take this opportunity to join in honoring the members of the group for their accomplishments; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas Legislature hereby congratulate the Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi Islander Democrats on receiving the school's Student Affairs' Organization of the Year Award in 2005 and extend to them sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the organization as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.