BUZZ
Barry University initially denied the chapter, stating ‘political advocacy and confrontation … is inconsistent with the University’s educational philosophy’
Law students at Barry University just received permission to start a Turning Point USA chapter on campus after the institution’s initial denial prompted Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to intervene.
A private Catholic institution, the university’s School of Law reversed its decision Wednesday in a letter to the students, Florida’s Voice reports.
“Great to see Barry Law School come around and provide its students with an opportunity to engage with and exchange diverse ideas,” Uthmeier wrote Wednesday on X.
In a letter earlier this month, the attorney general questioned Dean Leticia Diaz about the school’s decision, citing inconsistencies in the implementation of campus policies.
The school had rejected the students’ request, stating that TPUSA’s “political advocacy and confrontation … is inconsistent with the University’s educational philosophy,” according to the letter.
One of the students, Christina Malsky said in a statement on TPUSA’s website that the denial letter came from the Office of the Dean in November.
“The letter asserted that the ‘stated mission, national affiliation, and programmatic focus’ of Turning Point USA are not aligned with Barry University’s Catholic and Adrian Dominican heritage,” Malsky said.
“It further claimed that TPUSA’s public materials, including its activism kits and campaign-style engagement initiatives, emphasize a model of political advocacy and confrontation inconsistent with the University’s educational philosophy of reflective dialogue and respect for human dignity,” she said.
Malsky said she thinks the real reason for the denial was “the TPUSA name and perceived political identity.”
Uthmeier, in his letter earlier this month, accused the university of double standards and viewpoint discrimination.
“While Barry Law denied official recognition for TPUSA, a student organization that promotes traditional religious values, it recognizes OUTLaw, an LGBTQ student organization that promotes transgenderism for children through the sort of ideological confrontation and activism for which Barry Law condemns TPUSA,” Uthmeier wrote.
The attorney general accused “the law school of ‘blatant viewpoint discrimination’ that could violate its own student handbook guarantees of free expression and association, as well as Florida consumer protection laws,” according to Florida’s Voice, a conservative news outlet.
Barry University previously had a TPUSA chapter, but it disbanded in 2022, according to the organization.
Since the assassination of Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk last fall, the organization has reported a massive surge in new TPUSA chapters.
However, much like the students at Barry University, some have had to fight administrators and student governments for recognition. These include at Elmhurst University, St. John’s University, and Saint Mary’s College, among others.
MORE: Bills to honor Charlie Kirk on college campuses up for debate in several states
