Reports that a group of Saint Louis University students has begun an initiative to start a Turning Point USA chapter have spread across campus, as evidenced by the launch of a SLU TPUSA chapter Instagram account.
A source from SLU’s Student Government Association’s student Senate confirmed these accounts and gave insight into the approval process.
“From what I know, there is a group of students on campus who are taking the beginning steps of starting a Turning Point USA chapter at SLU through SGA,” the Senate member said.
TPUSA is a nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative positions in high schools and on college campuses. Founded by Charlie Kirk and Bill Montgomery in 2012, TPUSA has been influential in the rise of conservatism among younger voters.
While SLU already has a College Republicans organization, the club does not host many events, only recently having a guest speaker event and a vigil for Charlie Kirk after nearly two-years of stagnation. The addition of TPUSA would give conservative SLU students the chance to participate in a much more active organization.
Following Kirk’s assassination during a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University, TPUSA’s membership base has increased greatly. The organization has held several notable events around the country, including an alternative to the NFL’s halftime show, titled the “All-American Halftime Show.” Along with mass-appeal events, recruitment has been on the rise for the organization, including on SLU’s campus.
Turning Point chapters often host events on their campuses meant to incite candid debates between students and popular conservative media figures. Critics have argued that these events have been used to unfairly bolster the image of such media figures.
Some SLU students said a club like this may offer a newfound community for conservative students, including junior political science major Faith Townsell. Townsell said she does not endorse a TPUSA chapter on campus but understands why some conservative students might want one.
“I feel like it is still taboo to be a conservative on campus,” Townsell said. ”This is just an outlet for people who aren’t having their voices heard, necessarily.”
Nathan Carrington, an assistant professor in the political science department, echoed this sentiment and said that the organization may promote more open discourse.
“There will now be an opportunity to have a free exchange of ideas on campus,” Carrington said. “Which is where these should be taking place on various issues.”
Carrington said that SLU, and specifically the Office of Mission and Identity, has approached these current events through a Jesuit lens.
“I think SLU is particularly well positioned to facilitate these dialogues and discussions, given our Jesuit background, given our mission and that we recognize the dignity of all people that will let us have these conversations, even if they are difficult,” Carrington said.
Carrington said he and other political science professors try to provide spaces for these discussions in their classrooms, as real arguments look nothing like what takes place online or in popular media.
“It’s not like on CNN or Fox News, where you get the talking heads around the table and they just yell at each other,” Carrington said. “Students come in with opinions that range the political gamut, and given that we are more stable, people are able to speak to each other with respect.”
Regardless of what upsides TPUSA may provide, Townsell said not all students will agree with their introduction on campus.
“I definitely anticipate people would be very outspoken against [the chapter] because a lot of Turning Point’s policies are controversial, to say the least. And I think that students have some level of say in the people that get to come to campus and utilize the resources that all of us pay tuition for,” Townsell said. “I do think that it’s probably going to spark some protests.”
SLU’s student body has frequently expressed its opposition to policies and organizations through protest. In 2024, the student-led coalition OccupySLU organized a student sit-in in both the Busch Student Center and Pius XII Memorial Library, protesting SLU’s College Republicans’ invitation of Republican public speaker Allen West to campus.
Other students have had more negative reactions to TPUSA’s arrival at SLU. Andrew Pilkin, a senior finance student, said that the organization and its events may make SLU’s campus less safe.
“Charlie Kirk was killed on a college campus,” Pilkin said. ”Does that not concern anyone?”
The owners of the Turning Point SLU Instagram account did not respond to requests for comment.
Students attempting to start a TPUSA chapter on campus will still have a few obstacles to overcome before it can be formally recognized as a chartered student organization.
All clubs that want to receive funding from SLU need to go through an application and approval process with SGA and its committee for student organizations. Clubs also have to meet with the SGA Senate and graduate to a Developing Student Organization, and then a Chartered Student Organization, all while proving they’re an organization that has a reason to be on campus.
“Personally, I do not support this, and I hope that SGA doesn’t either; but I do know they can’t vote based on their personal beliefs, but due to the guidelines they’re provided,” the anonymous Senate member said.
This story will be updated as more information is available.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify that Faith Townsell does not endorse a TPUSA chapter on campus.
