“We want their voices to be heard, even when we disagree with them, because that’s what America is about,” first-year Tristan Quezada said.
Update: On Dec. 5, The Echo confirmed that Robert Meadows, professor of criminology and criminal justice, is listed as the faculty adviser on the club’s application, according to ASCLU Senate Director Jose Hernandez. Luke Taylor, the club’s would-be vice president, said the club did not have a faculty adviser after the ASCLU Senate Meeting on Dec. 1.
In a 2-11-1 secret-ballot vote, Associated Students of California Lutheran University Senate failed to approve the reestablishment of a Turning Point USA chapter on Monday, Dec. 1. The meeting, attended by over 50 Cal Lutheran students, was standing room only.
“I wasn’t personally surprised by the outcome,” said Carlos Daniel Zaragosa, ASCLU Commuter senator. “At the end of the day, we do try to be fair, impartial and we want to see all clubs succeed. But we will notice when a club is trying to push a certain rhetoric, and the last thing we need is controversy here on this campus.”
Sophomore Luke Taylor, the club’s would-be vice president, said he, along with students from nearby institutions, were recently approached by a TPUSA representative following the shooting death of its founder and CEO Charlie Kirk, fielding interest in forming local chapters.
“Turning Point USA is an organization that is focused on public serving and civil dialogue,” said first-year Tristan Quezada, the prospective club’s president. “I think it’s important to have a safe space for students who have similar ways of thinking like us … we don’t have a safe place for other fellow conservatives.”
Cal Lutheran’s first iteration of TPUSA disbanded in October 2021 following a tabling event that caused students to feel “distraught,” according to previous Echo coverage. The chapter rebranded, instead affiliating itself with the city of Thousand Oaks following the event, although its Instagram account has not been active since December 2023.
“I think in a school like ours, the overwhelming majority is, like, the opposite of our ideology,” Sophomore Luke Taylor said. (Liam Flenniken)
Taylor said the prospective chapter exceeded the five member requirement necessary for Senate consideration with seven “confirmed members,” although the TPUSA representative told him over 20 students from Cal Lutheran applied. The club does not currently have an academic adviser.
The prospective TPUSA members had their club constitution approved by Student Life before appearing at the meeting. While the club’s ideology is conservative, the organization aims to spark nonpartisan debate on campus, as the organization “cannot legally support any party or any candidate,” according to Quezada.
“We don’t affiliate with any political party. It’s mainly about the word of God and the way we should use it to look through our politics and our government,” Taylor said.
Quezada began the club’s proposal by citing TPUSA’s alliance with the university’s mission statement, which is “to educate leaders for a global society who are strong in character and judgment, competent in identity and vocation, and committed to service and justice.”
Junior Senator Mathias Schmidt began the discussion by asking the two officers how they planned to specifically incorporate “diversity, equity and inclusion” into the club, in accordance with the university’s commitment to DEIJB.
“In our club, everyone’s welcome. Not everyone has to come, but anyone who walks in is welcome [and] will be treated with respect. And if they disagree with our ideas, then we’re going to simply debate them, and hopefully you change your mind or we change yours,” Quezada said.
Julia M’kai Sayyid, a junior, delivers a statement to ASCLU Senate. (Liam Flenniken)
Junior Senator Nadege Adibonou pressed the prospective officers about how the club would ensure the safety of underrepresented groups and make her feel her beliefs are “welcome” and “validated.” Taylor responded that Adibonou would be “invited to the mic” in hopes of finding a compromise or agreement.
“These club members are trying to say that they welcome everybody, but they could not tell me as a Black female senator here on campus how I can feel safe in their environment. They could not answer that question. How do I then feel comfortable enough to vote for this type of club if you can’t tell me how me and my friends could feel safe?” Adibonou said. “I do not think that this club deserves to have our funding.”
Students in attendance were invited to make public comments to the Senate to share thoughts about the club and its implementation.
Julia M’kai Sayyid, a junior, said she was “appalled” when she learned about the club’s approval efforts. Sayyid said TPUSA is “rooted in racism,” and that it goes against “everything this university claims to uphold.”
“To see that you are petitioning for such a hateful organization like Turning Point USA to be recognized here; that is absolutely deplorable. It is dangerous. It promotes hate. No matter how its supporters try to dress it up or disguise it, it is disgusting,” Sayyid said. “Supporting this goes against everything this university claims to uphold. Approving this wouldn’t just be a moral failure, it would be an act of self-hate and a blatant sign of disregard for students and community members of color.”
Senators questioned the need for a new club, citing existing organizations that already share religious and political themes and aim to hold similar events like group Bible studies. According to Cal Lutheran’s directory of clubs and organizations, however, no clubs with both a political and religious influence currently exist.
“Turning Point represents my beliefs and our beliefs pretty exactly with the Christian and conservative outlook on it,” Taylor said. “I don’t believe there’s any other club [on campus] that is specifically on that—whether it’s a different denomination of Christianity or a different version of conservatism.”
Over 50 students attend the ASCLU Senate meeting in Ullman 100/101 on Monday evening. (Liam Flenniken)
A leak of the Senate’s planned hearing of TPUSA was shared on Fizz—an anonymous campus-specific social media platform—about 24 hours prior to the meeting, sparking over 700 FizzUps and dozens of responses condemning the club.
Laylanie Valenzuela, senior ASCLU senator, said the leak sparked “a much greater turnout” than she had ever seen at a meeting during her four years as a senator.
While the prospective club members said TPUSA is an organization “looking for disagreements,” multiple senators expressed concern for the pair’s safety amid the current political climate, both nationally and on Cal Lutheran’s campus.
“For us senators, we need to think about the safety of all our students. I’d be concerned that you guys would be attacked; and the mental challenge of that, on you, makes me hesitant,” Valenzuela said. “I can feel the tension, already, in the room, and I’m wondering how this feeling for me right now in this small space is going to correlate to our campus.”
With safety in mind, Taylor said the chapter would plan to host debates in classrooms with the goal of eventually moving them to the spine.
TPUSA’s Professor Watchlist was also referenced by Schmidt. The list invites students to “expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom,” according to its website.
Taylor said if the chapter were to be approved, it would not target faculty.
“Our main point is not to criticize, to bring down professors or to ruin their careers,” Taylor said. “So we would not encourage [the professor watchlist]. I personally don’t really agree with it.”
The initial 10-minute open discussion period was extended twice, after which Senate Director Jose Hernandez read the results of a secret-ballot vote, giving senators anonymity with their decision. The meeting concluded at 7:12 p.m., at which point Hernandez announced the Senate had formally failed to approve TPUSA’s chapter—two voted to approve, 11 voted to reject and one abstained.
While Taylor said “rebranding” the club changing its name could help their chances at seeking Senate approval, he said he hopes it will not be necessary if they seek additional support from faculty. He said TPUSA will return “as many times as we need.”
“No matter what your belief is, I think you should be able to speak it. That’s why we live in this country. And to hear all those people saying that we’re shutting them down when our organization gives people a microphone?” Taylor said. “It doesn’t matter that we were shut down today. God is still God. God is king. We believe in him. His purpose is great and we’ll continue fighting.”
