Where Is SLU Conservatives?

As a conservative here at St. Lawrence University, I was quite excited last semester when I heard that a certain club was being revived: SLU Conservatives. Before this, SLU only had clubs and organizations that skew more conservative, like the Hunting Club and Greek Life. Now that SLU was getting a club explicitly for conservatives, my hopes were high.

Especially with the 2024 Presidential Election happening in the fall, it seemed like a perfect time to create a space for conservatives to organize and make our voices heard on a campus where we are otherwise drowned out.

But Fall is here, and the election is just 24 days away as of publishing, and what has SLU Conservatives done? Absolutely nothing. I can easily say that SLU Conservatives has been the biggest disappointment in my entire time here at SLU, and I am writing this — and risking my reputation — to let them know that. But as an unapologetic conservative, I feel let down by a group of people who said they would stand up for people like me on campus. While I could not be more against the Democratic Party, I have to give some praise to SLU Democrats, because at least they are hosting actual events that seek to engage campus in this historic election while subtly supporting their preferred candidate, which is unquestionably respectable. And despite the obvious and easy opportunities for collaboration, SLU Conservatives has been all quiet on the western front, with no sign of even attempting to host an event or reach out for collaboration. It really makes you wonder; what is the point of coming back if you’re only going to disappear again?

It is extremely frustrating to believe that, finally, your political beliefs (and those of half the country) will be represented on campus only to, at the most critical political moment of our lives so far, be let down. I simply wish SLU Conservatives had the same passion in their beliefs as SLU Democrats. I wish they actually brought those beliefs into the wider campus conversation surrounding the election, a conversation that today is more like a pro-Harris feedback loop.

If you will oblige me, I am going to say it as it is, conservative views are not welcome here on campus. As you’ve probably noticed, there is a lot of talk (mainly from liberals) about voting. And you’ll hear these same sentiments a lot, how, ‘everyone should vote!’ And ‘we don’t care who your ballot is cast for just that you vote!’

And yet, this rhetoric veils the real message these people want to say, which is that you need to vote for Kamala Harris. Why do I say this? Because if you were to go to any pro-democracy advocate on campus and say you are voting for Trump, they would be visibly stunned and internally disgusted.

And why wouldn’t they be? If you viewed Trump as the greatest threat to democracy and the country in general, would your stomach not tighten when you heard someone tell you directly their vote is going to him? That they actually want Trump to win?

But the reality is that I, probably 40% of this campus, and tens of millions of other Americans want Donald Trump to win in November. And no, we’re not all far-right or misinformed or need to educate ourselves. But without a club on campus representing, legitimizing and validating our views, conservative beliefs will continue to be stigmatized at SLU. This only furthers the pro-Harris echo chamber that surrounds the 2024 election and leaves us entirely out of the conversation.

But until organizations like SLU Conservatives stand up, conservatives and Trump supporters on campus will continue to only feel safe vocalizing their vote amidst the deafening noise of Saturday night shitty house music and in the presence of thoroughly vetted company.