Two weeks after the election circus, with the balloons deflated and the champagne bubbles settled, students may expect to find a dearth of political activity from student groups on campus.

Not so, most Washington University organizations said.

One exception to this, as may be expected, regards the University chapter of Students for Barack Obama (SFBO). Although it was never officially sanctioned by Student Union, the group will cease to exist now that the election is over.

Far from transitioning to presidential groupies, however, SFBO hopes that members will continue to be politically engaged through like-minded groups on campus such as the College Democrats.

Though senior Sophie Cohen, the SFBO chapter representative, anticipates that Obama will run for reelection in four years, she did not see the need for a specific group devoted to the cause at this point.

“I imagine in the future, Students for [Barack] Obama will not be in existence but will instead be present under the umbrella of College Democrats due to the absence of the importance of the primaries,” Cohen said.

The College Democrats are embracing this desired collaboration, along with the shared past experience of campaigning for Barack Obama with SFBO. The Democrats are hoping to build upon the grassroots action they employed in the campaign and to act as examples of Obama’s emphasis on public service.

“I think we underestimated the potential of Wash. U. students to vote in Missouri and change local politics,” junior Becky Hufstader, vice president of College Democrats, said. “Hopefully we’ll remember to focus on the student base in future elections.”

College Democrats will also seek to collaborate with like-minded groups, such as Green Action, PRIDE Alliance and Students for Choice. They are also searching for a “currently active political figure, such as an ex-presidential candidate” to bring to campus as a guest speaker, according to Hufstader.

This semester, the College Democrats and the College Republicans will also go head-to-head in Campus Crossfire, a biannual debate held with representatives from political and issue-related groups across campus. The focus this time is expected to be on the failing economy and steps the government is taking to mitigate the financial crisis.

In the coming semester, College Republicans will organize a “troops drive” to encourage monetary donations to troops, as well as some of their own item requests. They may also plan a film screening as an organization activity.

According to Senior Charis Fischer, president of the College Republicans, the organization will try and get another speaker, but it will depend on what kind of money and resources are available.

One organization that felt little impact from the election, however, was the College Libertarians.

“During the primary when Ron Paul was running, there was definitely a heightened interest,” sophomore Jeff Dreifus, co-president of the College Libertarians, said.

Once the former Texas representative dropped out of the running, however, the consensus on a mainstream political candidate was lost. Although some members passed out Ron Paul literature and distributed flyers explaining the candidate’s economic policies, the focus of the College Libertarians remained more discussion-based, rather than focused on action.

“We would be more action-based,” Dreifus said. “But most people dismiss libertarians as kooks anyway.”