A few weeks ago, Valparaiso University rejected a student’s request to re-establish a Turning Point USA chapter. Indiana University’s chapter president is concerned by this development.
The club previously existed at Valparaiso but needed re-chartering for logistical reasons. The most recent application was denied by the student senate, with student leaders claiming it was too partisan; that would violate university policy which requires student organizations to be non-partisan.
The organization identifies as non-partisan but advocates conservative principles of limited government and a free market. Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last September while speaking at Utah Valley University, founded TPUSA in 2012.
This comes at a time when Indiana Republican leaders are working on a partnership with Turning Point USA to expand its presence and create new chapters in every high school and college in the state.
Jared Stonecipher, IU’s Turning Point USA Chapter president, said he feels disheartened by what happened. He thinks this organization can help students learn about politics.
“I don't see it as anything other than beneficial, because a college is supposed to be a marketplace of ideas,” he said. “It's not supposed to be one entity that decides how people are going to think and what people are going to talk about. It should be a free-flowing marketplace of ideas where people can come together and discuss things.”
Stonecipher said having an organized chapter is needed because it’s harder to reserve space to meet and hold events without that recognition.
“We do speaker events, where sometimes you need security and you need to work alongside the university,” he said, “and not being able to be an established chapter at the college or at the high school. It just makes it really hard for students to organize that kind of stuff.”
A U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation study found that over 70 percent of Americans fail a basic civic literacy quiz on topics such as the three branches of government and the number of Supreme Court justices. Two-thirds said they studied civics in high school, but only 25 percent said they are “very confident” they could explain how the system of government works. Stonecipher thinks having TPUSA chapters can help address this and give kids another opportunity to learn more about government.
There are already over 800 college chapters and over 1,000 high school chapters in the country.
“One day, those high school students will be presidents and congressmen and governors, and they will lead this country,” he said. “So why wouldn't we want them to start learning about it and being exposed to it now, and even if you're not going to be a public official, you're still going to vote. So, I feel like you should have an understanding of how the government works and have a good idea of what you agree with or what you don't agree with when you head to the polls once you turn 18.”
Valparaiso did not respond to a request for interview. The IndyStar reported that the application will be considered at a future student senate meeting.
