A Turning Point USA chapter at Valparaiso University was prevented from becoming a student organization in early February.
According to the Indy Star, the chapter used to be on campus, but went defunct “for logistical reasons” and was in need of rechartering.
“Freshman and co-organizer Noah Meister applied to restart a TPUSA chapter at his small private college in Northwest Indiana last October, saying he wanted to create a protected space to talk about conservative values and other issues,” the outlet reported.
As with the status of several other prospective TPUSA chapters throughout the US, the Valparaiso chapter was denied by the university’s student senate after a meeting earlier in the month.
According to an email sent to the IndyStar, the student senate said that “TPUSA is too strongly connected to a political party.” This, they claim, violates a university policy requiring student organizations to lack political partisanship. The student government recommends the students form a different organization that is unaffiliated with TPUSA.
“Although your organization aims to be a place to foster discussion and discourse around political topics, which is a function that would largely benefit campus and the education of its students, the national organization, TPUSA, is heavily affiliated with a specific political party,” the email to the students stated.
Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith criticized the university’s decision, which he finds hypocritical considering the presence of similar-missioned organizations at Valparaiso.
Noah Meister and other students will continue efforts to form a chapter at Valparaiso.
“We can be a model of what it takes to really stand for this freedom of expression, First Amendment rights,” he told the Indy Star.
