Saint Mary’s College, a Catholic all-women’s institution in Notre Dame, Indiana, is allowing, for the 2026 spring semester, a Turning Point USA chapter to operate on campus after a four-year-hiatus from official student organization status.
According to The Irish Rover, this approval of the chapter was granted last December.
Efforts were first made in 2021 to establish a TPUSA chapter, which were met with dismissal by the administration because they deemed some views of the organization to be “hateful” and “bigoted.”
The College Fix previously reported on the chapter’s status, relating administrative efforts to justify why TPUSA did not belong on campus due to its clash with the college’s ostensible mission.
“Dean of Students Gloria Jenkins and Vice President of Enrollment Lori Johnson referenced an archive of stories where TPUSA reported on LGBTQ+ issues, such as men competing in women’s sports. Jenkins and Johnson also pointed to shirts sold by the national conservative group that they considered ‘anti-trans’ because it states that ‘Real Men Aren’t Women,’” the Fix noted.
Specifically, Dean Jenkins found the chapter’s “messaging around LGBTQ+ issues [to] not align with the mission and values of Saint Mary’s.”
Other universities, such as St. Johns (NYC), and Fort Lewis College, have refused to recognize TPUSA chapters due to student governments allegedly finding the presence of the organization on campus detrimental to student safety, among other reasons.
