College Republicans at UC Irvine (CRUCI) meets weekly on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. in SSL 206. According to their website, the club is “dedicated to promoting the principles that underlie both our great nation and our party, both on campus and in our community.”
Club meetings are structured around open forum discussions about the current week’s political events and news. A meeting on April 15 began with recent domestic news — including the presidency, tariff changes and the stock market’s fluctuation. The conversation then moved on to global news, which included Hamas’ recent rejection of a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
“So we’ll typically talk about national news, local news and international news. From there, we talk about different issues that are kind of relevant to the students in the club, essentially,” CRUCI president Claire Moylan told New University. “I try to cater the meetings as much as possible to interests.”
A meeting on April 29 followed the Ultimate Abortion Debate hosted by the club Anteaters for Life and was used as a time for members to reconnect and relax. CRUCI member and civil engineering graduate student James started attending the meetings after completing his undergraduate degree at Cal Poly Pomona, where he was also the president of the school’s Republican club. James believes that the club is in good hands with the current leadership and uses it as a way to destress after a long day.
“As an engineer, I’m always packed in terms of my schedule. I’m here from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. from Monday through Friday,” James told New University. “So, having some social events to kind of look forward to makes my week a little bit better,”
Cal State University Fullerton student Jairo-Nhel is another member and also attends the meetings.
“Recently our chapter has fizzled out due to unexplainable reasons,” Jairo-Nhel told New University. “But, well, ever since attending meetings here, it’s been rather like a wonderful experience to know how this one [club] in particular is being run.” Jairo-Nhel told New University.
The club also invites guest speakers to lecture on specific topics. The meeting on April 15 featured UCI German professor and 2024 candidate for California’s 46th Congressional District David Pan. Pan is also the editor of Telos, an independent political journal. In Pan’s speech to the club, he spoke about his plans to begin running for Congress in the 2026 election and encouraged club members to volunteer with his campaign.
CRUCI’s published constitution is an 18-page document that details the do’s and don’ts pertaining to the club, its officers and its members. The constitution also lists the club’s goals, which include contributing to the “growth and influence of the Republican Party on university and college campuses in California” and serving as a “liaison between Republican college students and Republican campaigns and other Republican organizations.”
“Based off of years prior where perhaps there were some issues, we tried our best to implement or write our constitution in a way that kind of protects the integrity of the club without ostracizing people,” Moylan said in an interview with New University.
CRUCI is not a stand-alone club; they participate in the annual College Republicans Convention, where the national charter assembles to discuss the year ahead.
“We have one major convention every year, which every school gathers and we talk official business,” Moylan told New University. “So official business is just elections, any sort of bylaws and so we all gather in Vegas for our commission and we vote on those laws. And that it’s also a good way to network and bond with other college Republicans in the state.”
The 2024 convention — advertised with a CCR promotional video featuring an image of President Donald Trump dressed as an Egyptian pharaoh — ran from June 21-23 at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Activities included a pool party, a church service, a social and a banquet with keynote speaker Marty O’Donnell — a former candidate for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District and current video game music composer.
CRUCI has approximately 15-20 members in attendance every week and 1,455 followers on their Instagram page. Moylan encouraged anyone interested to join, regardless of political party affiliation.
“For students who want to join, you don’t have to be Republican,” Moylan said in an interview with New University. “You don’t have to be a conservative. So if you’re curious about right-wing viewpoints or even if you have your own questions or perhaps you’re independent, or even if you’re liberal and you’re just kind of curious about what we talk about, everyone is welcome to come to our meetings.”
Membership fees vary for the club. According to Moylan, there is no fee to join — instead, there are fees based on club events.
Students for Socialism at UCI were unavailable for comment.
Students can read about the College Democrats at UCI here.
Renée Deramerian is a Features Intern for the spring 2025 quarter. She can be reached at rderamer@uci.edu.