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Young Conservatives Club created to facilitate exploration of conservative policy
Photo submitted by Weston Lombard
The first Young Conservatives Club experienced a substantial turnout. “We had a good attendance the first week,” Lombard said, “but now, we are looking at having consistent attendance [in order] for people to have a better understanding of the conservative viewpoints.”
October 8, 2015
Every Thursday, St. Paul Academy and Summit School student clubs meet for 45 minutes, a time in which students discuss, and take part in activities or topics which interest them. Freshmen were required to sign up for three student group meetings at the annual club fair, which they attended in the weeks to follow. This year, SPA welcomed the Young Conservatives Club, which has sparked curiosity among students.
“It is a club for exploration and for people to become more informed as far as the actual [conservative] policies and stuff that goes on,” junior Weston Lombard, a member of the YCC said.
The freshmen have already attended their required session in multiple groups, including the YCC.
“We had a good attendance the first week,” Lombard said, “but now, we are looking at having consistent attendance [in order] for people to have a better understanding of the conservative viewpoints.”
This desire for a better understanding of is the club’s motive, and is what makes them different from the Student Political Union, which is dedicated to furthering civil discourse over a broad spectrum of political issues.
“Everyone has their own opinion,” Lombard said, “but [YCC provides] a more educated opinion.”
Sophomore and co-president Rahul Dev also described the Young Conservatives Club as a place for conservative students to feel comfortable in voicing their opinions.
“My main goal is to give a safe space [for] students to give their opinion,” he said.
Additional reporting by Garrett Small.
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Jonah Mische • Oct 8, 2015 at 9:14 pm
Having four years of high school SPA experience, I think I can speak to the discrimination against the Conservative minority at SPA.
Being, more often than not, on the opposing side in political arguments from my Conservative friends, I can safely say that I always had a majority arguing with me. SPA is a liberal school in a liberal state, and often times people develop a skewed view of Conservatism. I would love to see a group giving some political information to high school students, especially those who would consider themselves opposed to those views. Being an educated person is essentially all about perspective.
I would also say that a safe space is needed. Without speaking to specific political views, I’d say that SPA is not accepting enough yet for students to oppose the majority views, and that’s just something the community will have to work through.
Anyways, just a comment from the class of ’15.
-Jonah