Too many political groups, university says
Catholic University of America continues to deny official recognition to a campus Turning Point USA group.
For the third time in the past several years, students have been unsuccessful in getting approved, according to the national conservative group. It noted a student tried in 2021, without success, to revive the conservative group.
Current president James Ong told The College Fix email he hopes future students continue the fight, as he is graduating.
Ong said via email the group is “actively working to secure support from Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk or other prominent public figures to speak out on our behalf” in order to put pressure on the school to change their decision in the future.
The group has posted an article on its national website so far.
The university justified its decision by saying there are “five right-leaning and five-left leaning clubs,” according to Ong. Anna Borges, a student activities official, said “the university was not looking to introduce any additional political organizations on campus,” according to Ong’s paraphrase.
“Despite this stance, the university later approved a Pro-Israel club, justifying the decision by categorizing it as a cultural organization,” Ong said. “However, given the current political climate, many view the club’s approval as inherently political.”
The Fix reached out to the national TPUSA group via its designated media contact form but did not hear back in the past several weeks. The Fix also emailed a spokesman on Tuesday but did not receive a response about further efforts by the group and for which years the club has been denied at CUA.
Catholic University of America reiterated its stance via email to The Fix.
“We review all new student organization requests with careful consideration of their potential impact on existing groups—particularly in terms of membership, programming, funding, and overall campus climate,” the media team told The Fix.
“[T]he University decided not to approve additional political organizations that are substantially similar in mission or focus to existing groups,” the university stated.
The Fix asked for further context on the decision, what resources the school gives each club, and if there was an alternative way to support the group without burdening the university, such as allowing them to reserve rooms for meetings.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression criticized the university’s reasoning.
“No two campus groups are exactly the same,” Program Officer Aaron Corpora said via email. “Having multiple groups with similar or even the same views gives students more opportunities to connect with like-minded students, expanding their opportunities to hash out ideas and have meaningful conversations.”
“The more opportunity for expression, the better,” Corpora said.
He said “resource scarcity can be a legitimate reason for denying recognition of a student group,” but it must be done on a “content-neutral basis.”
The university’s approval of a pro-Israel group undermines this reason, Corpora said.
Turning Point USA groups have faced similar approval issues at campuses across the country, including the State University of New York-Cortland, Wichita State University, and Drake University.
Still, the group has “presence on over 3,500 campuses covering all 50 states,” according to its website.
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IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: The Catholic University of America sign; Catholic University of America/YouTube
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