Four years ago, “hope and change” swept college campuses across the nation, including the University of Iowa. For the first time in years, students were engaged and excited about the election. Many college students looked to then-Sen. Barack Obama to provide the real change our country desperately needed.

But four years later, we have been left with nothing but unemployment and student debt. The magic is certainly goneand it is now past time for a new direction.

Four years ago, I watched as my college friends rallied and volunteered for Obama. Today, half of all recent college graduates cannot find cannot find full-time, well-paying jobs. Record numbers of people in their 20s are living with their parents. In fact, in 2011, only 18 percent of college seniors had a full-time job offer by graduation.

That means eight of out every 10 graduating college seniors likely had to hang those expensive diplomas on the wall at their parents’ houses after moving back home jobless rather than begin an exciting new career. Ask any recent grad, and he or she will tell you how difficult finding a job is after graduation. In fact, just getting an interview these days is an achievement.

I have friends who had to work at coffee shops and restaurants in order to make ends meet. Now, there is nothing wrong with working at a coffee shop, but that is certainly not why they went to college. Many of my friends are still living with their parents even two years after graduating. This is inexcusable.

It was easy to get swept up in the magic of the 2008 election, but the truth is President Obama has broken promise after promise. He promised to reduce the deficit, and then he exploded the deficit. He promised unemployment wouldn’t go over 8 percent, and unemployment has been more than 8 percent for more than 40 straight months. 

These broken promises affect our generation the most. We are the ones graduating college with jobs. We are the ones that will have to pay back all the money that president has borrowed on our behalf. We are the ones who will be left to deal with this mess when our parents and grandparents are long gone. Even though we are young, this is the most important election in our lifetime and it is vital that we make our voices heard.

It is not always easy to be a conservative on a college campus, but trust me, you are not alone. While at times it may seem like everyone around you is liberal, there are many who don’t believe that government is the answer to all of our problems. There are many who believe in limited government and individual liberty and want the government to stop intruding in our lives. 

It’s OK to make a change. Our generation helped elect President Obama in 2008, but that doesn’t have to be the case this time around. We can make a difference. Join us, and help take back our future. The Republican Party of Iowa’s Victory office is located at 89 Second St. Unit 8, Coralville, 52241. 

Jeff Shipley