Two representatives from Student Council attended the College Republicans’ Monday night meeting to hear their concerns about conservative thought at the University. Victoria Kasonde, a fourth-year College student and Student Council’s Legislative Affairs Committee co-chair, was accompanied by third-year College student and representative Eddie Lin to attend the meeting and report back to Student Council.
“We wanted to make sure that we get a comprehensive view of all students’ beliefs,” Kasonde said. “I will try and relay your thoughts [to Student Council] as accurately as I can.”
The listening session was attended by about 10 College Republicans, who brought up a variety of concerns they wanted Student Council to address.
Several grievances dealt with the public comment section of a meeting Student Council held earlier this semester to address the Black Student Alliance’s list of demands for the administration. The session was attended by approximately 100 students, the majority of whom favored the demands, which were also endorsed by other student organizations.
Several students who spoke critically of the list received shouts in response from the crowd, and as the meeting became more heated, Student Council struggled to keep the audience from interrupting dissident speakers.
Bradley Katcher, a second-year College student and the College Republicans’ vice chairman of campaigns, voiced such concerns about that Student Council meeting.
“The fact that members of the crowd started shouting … that was upsetting to me,” he said. “People should have the right to have their voice heard.”
Fourth-year Engineering student Cameron Springer also took issue with the crowd response to his comments at the meeting.
“I knew probably half the people in the room, and they were glaring at me and sneering at me, because I had a different opinion,” Springer said.
He also said he feels as though conservatives on Grounds have been unfairly grouped together under labels that apply more accurately to extremist right-wing groups, like neo-Nazis or the Ku Klux Klan.
“To group us all in that group really shuts us out, and I feel like I can’t express an opinion,” he said. “I’ve kind of backed out of politics this semester.”
Second-year College student Milan Bharadwaj spoke at the meeting as well, and like Springer, took issue with the reception.
“If I’m going to have people shouting me down and calling me racist, why even speak up?” he asked.
One more attendee, who declined to share her name with The Cavalier Daily, took issue not just with the meeting on the BSA demands, but also with Student Council’s political affiliations more generally.
“No matter what the politics are on StudCo, I think it is the duty of the body to protect everyone’s views,” she said. “It is very obvious that as a group you are seeking out partnerships with groups that are liberal.”
Katcher also criticized Student Council’s outreach efforts, including the listening session itself — he claimed the absence of Executive Board members showed Student Council’s general lack of commitment to conservatives on Grounds.
“I ask, why isn’t [Student Council President] Sarah [Kenny] here, why isn’t [Vice President for Organizations] Ty [Zirkle] here?” he asked.
Kenny told The Cavalier Daily that she first tried to plan the event in September in response to conservative students’ concerns, but later delegated the task to Kasonde and Lin due to scheduling conflicts.
“My door is always open to talk,” Kenny said in a text Monday evening. “I created the legislative advisory board in March so that I could regularly hear conservative concerns and communicate with their leadership.”
Kenny said she and Kimelman have a positive working relationship and offered to attend the next College Republicans meeting, schedule permitting.
Teddy Verona, a Batten student, commented at the meeting on what he saw as a larger issue than students’ attitudes toward conservatives — teachers’ treatment of political issues in classes.
“My biggest concern is not really the student body, it’s more faculty,” he said. “There’s an obvious disparity between people who subscribe to center left thought and people who subscribe to conservative thought.”
He urged Lin and Kasonde to do what they could to influence administration to hire more conservative professors, saying a diversity of thought is crucial.
“Every day I go to class and have to hear the things I hold dear literally dragged through the mud,” Verona said.
After approximately 20 minutes for comments from members, Lin and Kasonde asked for their proposed solutions.
“Do you have any concrete suggestions for initiatives Student Council could put in place?” Lin asked.
Katcher proposed a sergeant at arms for Student Council, to maintain order in large meetings if the crowd gets out of hand. Others in the audience recommended partnering with conservative organizations to demonstrate support for all viewpoints and using more surveys to get a gauge of student opinion without the risk of more unruly meetings.
Kasonde closed the session by promising to report back to Student Council with the College Republicans’ thoughts.
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