Loyola University New Orleans students run Tuning Point USA off campus

New Orleans, LA – On October 15, nearly 100 students at Loyola University New Orleans packed a student senate meeting to protest the chartering of a Turning Point USA chapter. Turning Point USA (TPUSA), co-founded by Charlie Kirk, is known for spreading racism, misogyny and transphobia on college campuses.

Students who were founding the TPUSA chapter gave a brief presentation explaining why TPUSA should be chartered stating, “We want to have discussion about our differences” and “bring about what we admired in Charlie Kirk.”

One Loyola student senator asked, “You said that you want to have this club so people don’t feel like they have to hide, and they can be true to themselves. Historically, Turning Point has said a variety of controversial things – so much so that they had to be removed due to violence and hate speech. Loyola’s majority [population] is minority. How do you know your chartering isn’t going to make people on this campus feel unsafe?”

TPUSA members responded, “We have no intention of going out of our way to make people feel marginalized,” and “I would love to say that other people with conservative values share that sentiment. I can’t say that because they’re their own person.”

Another senator provided a quote from the Association of American University Professors that described the professor watchlist that TPUSA chapters use to monitor and report faculty who disagree with their conservative ideas. The senator asked, “How can we expect you to not repeat this behavior?”

Members of the fledgling TPUSA group dodged the question by saying, “We’ve never had a Turning Point at Loyola.”

After student senators asked their questions, the floor was open to comments from the nearly 100 student constituents in attendance. Erin Gillen, an environmental studies major at Loyola, stated, “Loyola’s reputation is a school where students of all identities, genders, races, or religions can find themselves. It would be distasteful to invite open hate speech and divisive rhetoric onto our campus.”

“Loyola University New Orleans, and our whole Jesuit Community, have prided themselves on the core values of Saint Ignatius, and the Society of Jesus at large. As it stands, Turning Point USA, its leaders, and many of the individuals whom they support are in direct opposition of these values,” stated Rosalina Framboise, a freshman at Loyola and member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

Framboise went on to say that two of the most important Jesuit values are care for the whole person and special care for the poor and oppressed. She then quoted Charlie Kirk, saying “queer people are trying to corrupt your children” and “transgenderism and gender fluidity are lies that hurt people and abuse kids.”

Framboise continued, “It is my understanding that care for the whole person includes care for their identities that we might not necessarily understand or agree with. It is furthermore my opinion that these statements from Turning Point’s founder and CEO created a hostile educational environment for queer students”.

Another student said, “I did not do an intensive deep dive into TPUSA’s history. What I do know is that I am a Latino student. I am Mexican, and I do know that one of the biggest things Loyola’s campus has been working for lately is becoming an HSI, Hispanic Serving Institution. And I know that the founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, called my people part of a conspiracy for a ‘great replacement in white America.’ If we want to become a Hispanic serving institution, how are we also going to charter an organization that explicitly promotes hate towards Hispanics?”

Students celebrated when the student senate announced they had voted and the TPUSA chapter was rejected. Liberate and Unite Students for a Democratic Society (LUNO SDS) made a statement the same night, saying, “We thank all who came out tonight to stand against TPUSA and stand with students. TPUSA at Loyola New Orleans was denied today because the students stood together and the students united will never be defeated!”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #TPUSA #SDS