The Turning Point USA elected board formed its own chapter not affiliated with Point Loma Nazarene University, following its rejection as a campus club by the Associated Student Body (ASB). The leaders said that while the board is comprised of PLNU students, it’s open to the local community. While some students said that it’s a step toward effective political conversation, others are unhappy with how TPUSA approached it.
@PointLomaTPUSA on Instagram made their first post on Nov. 11, officially introducing the board of the “new chapter in Point Loma.” There are 10 leaders, including a spiritual advisor, a fundraising activist and a policy alignment officer. Ginger Friess, a first-year biology-chemistry major, is the president of the chapter.
“We are an officially recognized Turning Point USA chapter serving the Point Loma area, distinct and separate from Point Loma Nazarene University,” Friess said. “We are grateful for the model set by Young Life, which effectively ministers to many students at PLNU and throughout the broader community while remaining fully independent from the university.”
Young Life is a non-PLNU-affiliated club that hosts its meetings off campus. Friess said that they’re hoping to host their meetings at churches and other community spaces in the Point Loma area, similar to how Young Life operates.
“We hope to bring in a variety of speakers, ranging from Turning Point-provided speakers and maybe pastors, to speak on current world events,” Friess said. “[We want to equip] students with knowledge about what Turning Point stands for and then defending those beliefs and values, as well as doing some teaching, like teaching students how to have conversations like Charlie [Kirk] with that composure and presence.”
Friess said that Point Loma TPUSA is for everyone in the Point Loma neighborhood.
“We are not exclusive to Point Loma students,” Friess said. “However, due to all of us [on the board] being Point Loma students, we hope to create a sense of belonging for students here at Point Loma.”
Ryan Yonkers, a second-year business administration major who supports the chapter’s establishment, said he believes being non-affiliated with PLNU will limit the chapter’s reach, since they can’t host on-campus events.
“I think [ASB’s decision is] an attack on free speech,” Yonkers said. “College is supposed to be [a place to] openly discuss politics with your peers, and I think Point Loma’s making it a place where it’s not able to happen.”
However, a student who requested anonymity due to safety concerns is more disappointed with TPUSA than with ASB.
“The organization was denied for clear violations of Point Loma [Nazarene] University policy,” the student said. “But also at the same time, them establishing themselves as a non-affiliated organization, run by students of Point Loma, also leads to them having zero accountability or report to anyone at the university.”
The student said they’re disappointed by TPUSA’s approach to make a statement. They said they believe TPUSA is coming from a mindset of victimization.
“Most student clubs that are started … [are] passion projects,” the student said. “[But] with this case, [I think] it’s coming out of a desire and a trend that you can see rising in evangelical American Christianity, out of a desire to be the victim, to be oppressed.”
The student said that the chapter should reflect on the TPUSA organization and analyze what is necessary to adjust to become a PLNU club.
“They need to take that as an opportunity to say, ‘OK, but what’s good about Turning Point?’” they said. “‘We know the reasons we’re rejected by the university, [and] we know the reasons why people are uncomfortable about us … But what are some things we could take from it and use so we can conduct activism in a way that people feel safe?’”
However, Yonkers said he thinks ASB policies need to be changed so that clubs like TPUSA can exist.
“[PLNU] should be a safe space to talk about politics and talk about stuff with your teachers and your peers,” Yonkers said.
Isa Darisay