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| Subject: Cornell students reject group with 'alt-right' reputation Sun Mar 04, 2018 2:10 am | |
| Advocates for Turning Point USA chapter say purpose is to balance liberal groups
Several Cornell College students are accusing student senators of having a liberal bias after the campus leaders rejected a request to start a Cornell chapter of Turning Point USA — a national organization criticized for trending toward the alt-right.
Turning Point USA was founded in 2012 by conservative activist Charlie Kirk with a stated mission “to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government.”
Critics of the group — including the Southern Poverty Law Center — say it promotes racist and sexist ideology through speakers and a “professor watch list” that calls out faculty members who “advance leftist propaganda.”
Turning Point has representation on more than 1,200 high school and college campuses, including chapters at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and Kirkwood Community College. But some Iowa colleges have rejected official chapters, including Drake University and Wartburg College.
Cornell College in Mount Vernon last week added its name to that list after student senators voted 14-5 — with three abstentions — to deny it chapter status.
“The concerns regarding this potential student organization outweighed the group’s potential contributions to campus,” according to the Cornell student senate’s official rationale. “These concerns were highlighted by the conflict between the values and policies of Cornell College and the actions of Turning Point USA leaders, members, sponsored speakers, or programs that included: hateful, sexist, racist, or otherwise demeaning or discriminatory messages; and, slandering college employees and attempting to restrict free speech through the Professor Watchlist.”
The senate was careful to say its decision was based on principles “and not political viewpoints.” But Cornell sophomore Adam Tvedt, one of those behind the request, said he’s not so sure.
http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/cornell-students-reject-conservative-group-with-alt-right-reputation-20180227 |
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