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Conservative students report vandalism, protests at first meeting earlier this month
Students erupted in cheers after the Fort Lewis College senate voted this week to reject a request to recognize a new Turning Point USA chapter as an official student organization, according to a video of the meeting.
“Disappointing day for our college. They value ‘diversity’, but not diversity of thought. This will not stand,” the Fort Lewis TPUSA chapter wrote Thursday on X.
Senate President Asa Worthington announced the vote during the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College’s weekly meeting, describing it as a “difficult decision,” according to a video of the meeting, posted by Libs of TikTok. Fort Lewis is a public college in Colorado.
“In light of the opinions and concerns shared with us today on both sides of the discussion, … we have decided to deny Turning Point USA’s request to become an RSO1 at this time,” Worthington said.
The announcement resulted in cheers from a number of students in attendance.
However, Worthington said the student government “may reconsider” its decision in the future.
He also mentioned that, as a public institution, the student government is required to consider “viewpoint neutrality” in such matters, setting “aside our own viewpoints” and basing “decisions on outlined policy, values, and feedback of the student body of that of which we serve.”
The TPUSA chapter has the option to appeal the student government’s decision, the college said in a statement Thursday on X.
“An appeal process is available, and students are encouraged to use this process if they wish to continue seeking recognition,” the college stated. “As a public institution, Fort Lewis College upholds the principles of free speech and free expression for students, faculty, and staff, consistent with college policies and state and federal law.”
During the student government’s Oct. 22 meeting, two students voiced opposition to the TPUSA becoming a recognized campus organization.
According to the meeting minutes, one student described the college as an “inclusive” and “equitable place for queer students,” and a TPUSA chapter could jeopardize that. The student said TPUSA has attacked “gender neutral bathrooms” and organized protests against “trans remembrance day.”
Several “members of the Fort Lewis College community” also began a petition to oppose the chapter, stating that Turning Point USA has hosted “transphobic” speakers and “engaged in actions that directly harm our community.”
“Turning point USA spreads hateful rhetoric that harms students and makes them feel unwelcome and unsafe at a minority serving institution,” the petition states. It has nearly 400 signatures.
Meanwhile, the Fort Lewis TPUSA posted examples on X of the protests and vandalism that it has been facing since its first meeting Oct. 16.
Across the country, Turning Point USA has reported a surge of interest in the wake of its founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination on a Utah campus earlier this fall.
One TPUSA student leader at the University of Mary Washington recently told The College Fix that the chapters offer “courage” and “community” to conservative students.
Editor’s note: The article was updated to include a statement from the college.
MORE: Students find hope in new TPUSA chapters after Kirk assassination
