On February 23 and 24, Ohio Wesleyan hosted Mock Convention, an event that occurs on campus every four years.
Mock Convention is an Ohio Wesleyan tradition that can be traced back 140 years. This year’s convention simulated a Republican national convention, as the event represents whichever party is not in office at the time. As a nod to the symbol of the Republican party, this year's theme was The Elephant in The Room.
The event had hundreds of attendees, even some guests who were not students and faculty of the university, making for a great turnout. The event is set up to be an educational simulation that emulates how a Republican presidential nominating convention would happen.
Students had the opportunity to participate by signing up under a state of their choosing and selecting to be a delegate or state chair, who was the one who would cast any full state vote during the experience.
The event takes place over two days. Friday night was about explaining the rules, had some republican politicians speak, and ended with a proposal of amendments to the party platform to be shared and voted on by all the states and their delegates. Saturday was spent determining who the school wanted to nominate as their Republican President and Vice President candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
Frequently, participants go for a mix of silly and serious when choosing who to nominate. It might be disappointing to some to hear that Beyonce almost won the presidential nomination but was beaten out by Mitt Romney. The vice president candidate was none other than our very own, OWU President Matt vandenBerg.
Students were encouraged to dress up for this event and get into character to represent their states. There was a lot of red, white, and blue in the audience.
Some students even took on personas throughout the weekend to represent their state. Ohio Wesleyan student Sisi Fish was the chair of Alabama. Sisi portrayed herself as a woman named Cheryl who had a thick southern accent and strong feelings about the things she spoke about.
Sisi stated that she wanted to participate in Mock Convention “because it seemed like a fun way to be involved on campus, and because it only happens once every four years.”
Sisi also shared that her favorite part about the event was “creating amendments and walking around, trying to get 25 signatures for each amendment and having to explain what they are. Some of the amendments were very funny, for example, one was to have an air fryer and Diet Coke in every classroom.”
The next Mock Convention will be held in four years and will represent whichever party does not take control of the White House in the 2024 election.
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