Turning Point USA (TPUSA) at Taylor made it through the Student Senate by a vote of 7-5-1 (yes-no-abstention), Annabeth Eggebeen, chair of the Student Senate, said.
The next step for TPUSA at Taylor is for the club to get approval from the Student Life Committee (SLC), Lucas Moseley, a senior finance major and the treasurer for TPUSA at Taylor, said. The SLC was supposed to vote on TPUSA at Taylor in early November but chose to delay until December for further discussion.
The Student Senate interviewed the TPUSA officers in person, Moseley said. While not unprecedented, it is somewhat unusual as the Senate typically communicates with club officers via email. Because TPUSA at Taylor is tied to an external organization and is politically oriented, the Student Senate wanted a deeper level of deliberation before they voted, Eggebeen said.
Those who voted to allow TPUSA at Taylor noted in the majority opinion that the club would provide an opportunity for students to practice civil discourse and engage biblically with politics, something that has lacked a structured avenue on campus.
“TPUSA will create an open environment where students are able to hear updates on current events, gain knowledge on pertinent political topics, ask questions, and become connected to the wider, U.S. political conversation,” they wrote. “It is our desire that students are able to participate in political dialogue within the framework of Taylor’s Christian community before launching into future communities beyond our campus.”
Because TPUSA allows their college chapters considerable autonomy, the majority opinion said they believed the TPUSA chapter at Taylor would accord with the LTC and represent Taylor culture.
Those who voted against TPUSA at Taylor wrote in the minority opinion that, though they appreciated the officers’ Biblical orientation, focus on political engagement and commitment to LTC principles, they were opposed to the club because of its tie to TPUSA.
“We felt that a formal association with the national TPUSA organization would not advance or fully align with Taylor University’s ethos and campus culture,” their statement read. “Concerns included elements such as the professor watchlist, aggressive rhetoric of some of the TPUSA-endorsed speakers and the organization’s reaction to the previous chapter denial in 2021.”
Though agreeing more political and global awareness is needed on campus, concern that the club’s format wouldn’t allow for various perspectives or critical engagement, was another, smaller reason the minority voted no.
TPUSA at Taylor meetings will start with a time of education where they talk about news and a speaker presents on the topic of the evening. Then, there will be an open mic so people can come ask questions or make comments, John Crouch, a sophomore politics, philosophy and economics major who serves as vice president of TPUSA at Taylor, said.
Giving people the ability to choose the topics discussed and hosting an open forum will promote good conversation, he said.
TPUSA at Taylor is connected to Turning Point USA, not Turning Point Action, Andrew Roth, sophomore accounting and finance major and president of TPUSA at Taylor, said. Turning Point Action is a grassroots organization, whereas TPUSA is a nonprofit. Because of this, TPUSA at Taylor cannot endorse political candidates.
Roth, Moseley, Crouch and Colin Hunt, a junior politics, philosophy and economics major and the treasurer of TPUSA at Taylor, wanted to start a TPUSA club rather than a general conservative club to avoid an echo chamber, Roth said. Having a TPUSA club will also connect them with events and other clubs in the area, the officers said.
Everyone comes into politics with a different worldview, and they want to make sure their worldview as Christians aligns with Scripture, Crouch said.
“One thing that we really emphasize is hearing out the other side, making a space where everyone has the ability to talk freely, to express their opinions, and to do so charitably," Crouch said. “We don't want to make anyone feel like they're not welcome, make anyone feel like their opinion’s not valid … But at the same time, we really believe that everyone has a particular worldview they come into politics with. We want to make sure that ours as Christians is aligned with the Word.”
