Conservative students at Principia reinstated the campus Turning Point chapter earlier this semester. In the week leading up to the first meeting, there was palpable tension on campus as students had varied reactions to the group’s revival.

Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a nonprofit organization founded by right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk in 2012. According to the organization’s website, some of its goals are to “organize young activists in chapters across the country” and to “restore traditional American values.” Principia had a Turning Point chapter for about four years until 2022, but it disbanded when its student leaders graduated. Now, juniors Samantha Goodrich and Megan Lupton have restarted the Principia chapter as president and vice president.

Charlie Kirk’s death in September inspired the pair to revive it, according to Lupton. 

“Prior to that I feel like I’ve never been outspoken about my political beliefs and what I actually believe, but once that [happened] I feel like me and Sam were both like, ‘Ok, we don’t want to hide anymore,’” she said. “I think that was…our turning point.”

On Monday, Nov. 3, the chapter’s social media chair Sophie Wegrzyn posted to the Principia College Turning Point Instagram page to advertise its first meeting. The last time the account was active was in May 2022. Some students wasted no time voicing their concerns about the club on Prin App. 

Senior Ariana Williams, a member of the women’s basketball team, started the conversation off with a post on PrinApp’s student feed on Nov. 4 at 10:31 a.m. She pointed out inconsistencies between Principia’s values of universal love and diversity and some of Kirk’s public statements, such as when called the Civil Rights Movement a “mistake,” and saying that BLM, the acronym for the Black Lives Matter movement, instead stood for “Burn, Loot, and Murder.” Her post has 75 likes, and began a thread of 24 replies.

“Principia preaches diversity, but then allows there to be a conservative group that was founded by a known racist…when y’all preach love at the school you shouldn’t allow for something that stands against that onto campus,” she wrote.

Commenters who disagreed with Williams argued that the context of those quotes mattered.

Like Williams, some students take issue with the presence of Turning Point USA on campus because of its connection to Charlie Kirk, who they deem as intolerant of some minority groups. They are concerned with whether the student leaders will be able to keep Kirk’s controversial political stances out of their club.

“I don’t think it’s possible [to separate the Principia chapter from Charlie Kirk]. Specifically because he is the founder and they said their core values are from TPUSA,” Abe Pogue, a senior basketball player, said. 

In response to these concerns, Goodrich said that their chapter is distinct from the views of Kirk. She acknowledged that Kirk is the founder, but emphasized that the club’s intent is to provide a space for open communication between people with different views.

“I really want a community that’s open for discussions and peaceful conversations,” she said. “I want something where we can agree to disagree, but we understand why we’re disagreeing. I think if you understand the disagreement it’s easier to build on it and be friends after that.”

Some students are skeptical about her vision for the club.

“I think the campus community is gonna become heavily divided. People are gonna start looking at each other differently…there’s gonna be a division and then there’s gonna be people more angry and enraged,” Pogue said. 

Other students wonder why Goodrich and Lupton did not start a conservative group without the title of Turning Point, suggesting that this would be a way to distance themselves from some of the rhetoric Williams pointed out in her post.

“I don’t have a problem with someone being like, ‘we want to have a conservative group at Principia College,’ as long as it’s not affiliated with a group that’s known to be divisive,” junior Cindy Obi-Njoku said. She said Turning Point has a bad track record for its treatment of minority groups. “The fact that they are affiliated with [Turning Point USA] puts you at odds with minority groups on campus,” Njoku continued. “It’s just questionable. It is not the biggest community builder.”

Lupton said she and Goodrich  “wanted to honor” Kirk in their own way after his death, which is why they wanted to be connected to Turning Point. 

The faculty adviser of the group is Jonathan Langton, visiting professor in the math department, who was also the adviser to the last Principia chapter in 2018. He also supported the club’s connection to Turning Point, rather than having its own name. 

“The fact that there’s so much pushback against Turning Point suggests that maybe it’s salutary to have Turning Point as the conservative group on campus rather than something that has its own name,” Langton said. “It’s uncomfortable but helpful.”

Langton said that it is important for people to be intellectually challenged in college, so he thinks that the discourse Turning Point is causing on campus is helpful for sharpening students’ minds. He also believes that the level of controversy surrounding Turning Point is “disproportionate to what Turning Point actually represents,” which to him is a space for conservatives to share their viewpoints among people who agree with them. He says this is rare on many college campuses.

“I…think mainstream conservatism – individual rights, free markets, limited government… those are important and useful ideas to be a part of the campus conversation,” Langton said. 

He hopes that instead of heated debates, people will choose to have helpful discussions about things they disagree on.

“It shouldn’t be a battle, it should be a coming together to learn,” he said.

His hope that people will use conversations around Turning Point to come together is echoed by Jennifer Stollman, Principia’s director of belonging and community, who hopes that the club prioritizes  fostering peaceful communication among students. 

“I understand the concerns, and…I hope that TPUSA will uphold its values and fulfill its aspirations. I want to make sure that this is a dialogue focused campus,” she said. 

She also encouraged open dialogue among students so long as it does not become hateful toward others.
“You can attack an argument, you can attack an issue, but you cannot attack a person. That’s our limit,” Stollman continued. 

Despite the negative responses her club has received, Goodrich said she remains hopeful about the future of the chapter. She believes that the goodness of the Principia community will carry her forward.

“I feel like people here are good. That’s what it goes back to. Our campus is good, I’m not concerned about people being malicious or unkind,” she said. “We really don’t want to create a divide. We want our chapter to be about respect and respecting other’s beliefs.”