Fiery passion and strong dedication are two traits that could convey Simpson College students in a nutshell.

When these qualities get applied to a certain topic or activity, a group is born. Different groups have different goals and ways of achieving them, but they each have one main purpose: to express what they feel needs to be known to the Simpson community.

Simpson College Current Issue Debaters (SCCID) allows students to express themselves through spoken word. This group gives individuals a safe place to debate issues without worrying about being critiqued by professors.

“The group is the brainchild of Steven Ramsey and I,” junior Chris Richert said. “We both debated in high school and felt that Simpson needed a group that could rival that intellectual stimulation. There are many students around campus who have strong beliefs, but there was no real safe place to voice them, and now there is.”

SCCID is not just a group for conservative-minded students, nor is it a group for just liberal-minded students.

“We take in anyone who has an opinion on the issue,” Richert said.

Similarly, the Simpson College Republicans, while more conservative-minded, want to promote equality when presenting facts to students and faculty.

“We felt a need to start the organization because so much of what is presented and heard around campus is one-sided,” senior Ames Cross said. “We felt it was important people were informed of both sides of the issue because only after one is truly knowledgeable on both sides can they make an accurate decision.”

In addition to working to educate students about political issues, the College Republicans also volunteers in the Indianola community.

“Each year, we hold a troop drive where we raise money throughout campus and the community,” Cross said. “We have also recently adopted a section of highway.”

Simpson’s Pro-Life Club is one that is dedicated to spreading a very concrete message to the campus.

“(We are a) campus-oriented pro-life group that explores the issues of life and abortion,” junior Aaron Sewell said. “It is our goal to be a source of voice for the unborn and hopefully help share the message that there are other options than abortion.”

This group was founded in 2008 and has been working steadily to increase awareness of this issue.

“I am…excited because we got some materials for free to hang up around campus that are informative and hopefully thought-provoking to students,” Sewell said.

Sewell said the pro-life group is one that sincerely values its members’ input and suggestions for ways to get their message out to the campus.

“I feel like we may have a lot of motivated people joining the group this year,” Sewell said. “In our first meeting, the group had come up with some really cool ideas to help raise awareness that we hope to use in the near future.”