We get the question a lot: “Is Mock Convention just another excuse for W&L students to party?” I can’t say that it’s a question we look forward to answering, much like, “Will there be elephants?” or, “Do you ever have the time to go to class?” (That’s another blog post entirely), but it is, nevertheless, a Mock Convention myth that we are eager to dispel and a question that warrants a sincere and thoughtful response. Typically, the question comes not from alumni or current students, but from those who are less familiar with our organization, which means that our explanation requires an inside look into the intensive and ample work that goes into the making of Mock Convention.

As it stands now, before this year’s student participation rate has been announced officially, I can say that we currently have well over 1600 students involved in Mock Convention, whether they are members of a state delegation or members of the Steering Committee. The participation rate is of note, particularly, as it speaks to the wide-ranging appeal inclusiveness of our organization. Greek membership here is roughly 80%, give or take, while we typically boast a 95-99% participation rate. This year is no different.

Mock Convention began with only three students, equipped only with a 150-page how-to manual (read: the Mock Convention Bible), big dreams, and a profound commitment to the preservation and betterment of this awe-inspiring tradition. In three years, a count of three students has grown to upwards of 1600 students—almost the entire student body. If that is what critics will call a mere party, that’s a party I want an invitation to every day of the week. And if you think we are going to stop before we pick up the final fifty or so students (most of whom, we must note, did not sign up because they will be exploring the inner workings of other countries by studying abroad, which we fully support), you should take a closer look at the second tenet of our mission statement, which can be found here: http://mockconvention.com/2012

Executive and Steering Committee members have taken on a challenge unlike any college students across the nation. Most of us put in the hours required by full-time jobs, all while maintaining our academic work. Sure, we have several students under the highly organized and inventive leadership of our Social Chairs, Victoria Mercer and Jordan Shelby, who run their committee like a small-scale but far-reaching event planning firm. They are incredibly enterprising, just like the rest of our Steering Committee members, regardless of whether they’re working on blueprints for an elegant VIP room or for district-by-district state prediction models.

We here at Mock Convention do not think that there is anything inherently wrong with being social. Politics is social, after all. One of my fondest memories from our Spring Kickoff was ushering our keynote speaker onto the porch of a campus fraternity house so that he could chat and take pictures with students who had hung onto the words of his speech just moments before. After three and a half years of intense preparation, we will conclude the proceedings of the Convention with parties and receptions. But then again, so does the GOP after they have nominated their presidential candidate for the general election. Plus, celebration does not inhibit the earnestness of our operation. Rather, we think it enhances it.

Let’s face it: If Mock Convention were just another excuse to party, we would not wait around for four years to see it happen. There are opportunities across campus every weekend and Wednesday to dress up—in costume or cocktail attire—to “go out” and be social, and we think that’s great. But Mock Convention is different.

As freshmen, we come to campus with a vague idea of the traditions that make our University so unique: the honor system, spring term, close interaction with alumni, and, of course Mock Convention. These traditions, though, cannot be realized or understood until the W&L student throws him- or herself into the culture here. Mock Convention is no different; we all have some hazy conception of this big political thing that comes around every four years, but it is not until we throw ourselves into the immense work that it requires that we understand the gravity of what we are doing. The Convention itself honors our country's electoral system, about which most young people are indifferent or jaded, if not apathetic.

It is true that Washington and Lee students are as socially adept as we are academically driven. It is true that we are as sociable as we are focused. It is true that we are as ambitious as we are bookish. But none of these gifts by any means precludes a sincere approach to what began as—and continues to be—an academic exercise. Rather, this dynamic combination of qualities innate in W&L students furthers our dedicated and noble commitment to the simultaneous preservation and improvement of this wonderful tradition.

As I wrote in my letter to the student body for Spring Kickoff:

“This organization is the foremost testament to the exceptional community of leadership that we foster at Washington and Lee; only here would students spend all of their extracurricular and free time venerating, celebrating, and preserving the American electoral system.”

I believe that more and more everyday, and I cannot wait for this conviction to take root in the hearts of all W&L students as they file onto the Convention floor in February.

And, let’s face it, not only is Mock Convention not just a party, but the students working most intensely on Mock Convention just really don’t have the time to party.