Conservative groups gain members

The idea of American college campuses being bastions of liberal thought may be disappearing. A recent Harvard study showed Republican President George W. Bush with a 61 percent approval rating among college students, while the most recent Gallop poll showed only a 54 percent approval rating for the whole population.

Is conservatism gaining strength among college aged students? The answer depends on who you ask.

President of the Tufts Republicans Philipp Tsipman said "yes" without hesitation. "Our club has experienced a literal explosion in interest in our group and new members this year," he said.

Today, there are twenty members he considers "very active" within the Tufts Republicans, and an additional 150 students who are signed up on the group's mailing and e-mail list.

In comparison, the Tufts Democrats have over 300 people on their email list and at least 60 active members who attend meetings and events, according to senior Justin Krypel, treasurer of the Tufts Democrats.

According to statistics from the Office of Student Activities, today's membership is quite different than it has been in the past.. These statistics reveal that in the 1980s the Tufts Republicans enjoyed the largest support on campus, with around 180 students showing some form of interest in the group.

"I'm happy to say that we're back in that ballpark today," Tsipman said. He recalled when, as a freshman, the only highly active members of the Tufts Republicans were the two co-chairs and himself.

"There's certainly been a building-up process over the last three or four years," Tsipman said.

Spokespersons for both the Harvard Republicans and the MIT Republicans claim they also have been experiencing increasing popularity.

According to Tsipman, the essential reason "is a feeling of support for the President, who displays a positive sense of the economy and very strong leadership, as opposed to the muddling Democrats." Recent electoral victories including those of Arnold Schwarzenegger in California and Mitt Romney in Massachusetts have also played a role in the students' changing attitudes, Tsipman said.

Krypel, however, does not believe that the President is winning the hearts of college students. "The Tufts Democrats is a large organization that has grown ever more popular as George W. Bush has tried to push his ultra-conservative radical agenda on this country," he said.

There is widespread opposition to Bush's policies on campus. A recent Daily poll showed 67 percent of students disagreed with the way Bush was reconstructing Iraq. The Tufts Coalition to Oppose the War in Iraq (TCOWI) held rallies with over a hundred participants in the spring. Daily polls taken at the time showed the campus was opposed to military action in Iraq.

Tsipman agreed that conservatives are still marginalized on campus. He noted the indifference the Tufts administration seems to hold when Republican students report bias incidents on campus. One student, for example, had her door defaced last year when she placed a sticker on it for a Republican candidate, and received little support from the administration, Tsipman said.

"Bias incidents are just something we have to deal with. Conservatives are more willing to let things like this go than other groups, like the TTLGBC. We have things to do, and won't let bias incidents get in the way of them," Tsipman said.

More recently, the Tufts Republicans have worked with the Tufts Right to Arms club (TRA), which was officially approved by the Tufts Community Union Judiciary board (TCUJ) Thursday night. "We're very excited about that," Tsipman said.

The addition of the TRA, however, leaves some on campus incensed. "At a University where Democrats are not allowed to gain recognition for budget-free clubs focused around individual presidential candidates, the TCUJ has allowed the most powerful special interest group in the country, the NRA, to move in on our campus," Krypel said.

Tsipman noted the Tufts Republicans are actively seeking big name speakers to come to campus in the near future, and that in the end of January a group of 15 students will be sent to Washington, D.C. to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference (CEPAC).

"Last year Vice President Cheney spoke at CEPAC. This is going to be a major boon for the Tufts Republicans," Tsipman said.

The Tufts Republicans see the increase in their membership and activity as an indication that sentiments on campus are turning to the right. The much larger Tufts Democrats perceive no such change, and note that the size of their own group has grown this year, as well.