A Turning Point USA chapter at Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law is facing administrative pushback from becoming recognized on campus, with students being told not to continue their efforts and find another approved organization to join.
Barry Law Student, Christina Malsky, spoke with TPUSA HQ, representing her fellow students seeking to start a chapter.
“In November, we received a denial letter from the Office of the Dean stating that, after a comprehensive review under the 2025–2026 Student Organization Handbook, our proposal for official recognition of Turning Point USA was denied,” Malsky, told TPUSA HQ. Along with the background of the situation, she shared the university’s denial letter with TPUSA.
“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. 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.”
In Barry University’s recent rejection of a TPUSA chapter – which formerly existed on campus, but disbanded some time after 2022 – Associate Dean Davey Jay made the following statement to justify the college’s reason for not recognizing the chapter.
“Barry University has a moral and institutional responsibility to ensure that all officially recognized student organizations embody its faith-based mission and contribute to the formation of a just and compassionate academic community. Recognition of an organization requires not only administrative approval but also confidence that its activities will advance the University’s commitment to truth, justice, and service in the spirit of the Adrian Dominican Sisters,” he wrote in an email to the students.
“The perspectives and methods associated with Turning Point USA do not support [Barry University’s] mission,” Jay concluded.
However, students are confused with Jay’s rationale due to the presence of groups on campus that promote things contrary to the school’s values. For instance, the university has recognized the LGBTQ organization OUTLaw, an organization promoting transgenderism.
The students, in their rebuttal of the university’s decision, provided instances in which this organization conducted events and posted messages that could possibly go against Barry University’s values. (See images below).
College Democrats along with Students Supporting Israel exist on the campus as well despite their political missions, which was of concern to Malsky and her associates considering their presentation of TPUSA as a non-partisan organization devoted to civic dialogue.
“This was deeply concerning to us, particularly because our proposed chapter programming was explicitly civil, academic, and grounded in dialogue,” she continued, explaining certain events planned around this programming. “Our first planned event was a screening of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, followed by a discussion on integrity in public service. We also proposed a nonpartisan voter registration drive and a structured legal debate on the Dobbs decision focused solely on constitutional interpretation and methodology. We selected the nonpartisan ‘Go Vote’ civic engagement kit. We did not propose protests, demonstrations, or partisan campaigning.”
“We believe this denial is not about programming, conduct, or policy compliance. It is about the TPUSA name and perceived political identity,” Malsky concluded.
