I can’t believe I’m being charged tuition for Indoctrination 101. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 11 AM, I sit in a stiff classroom on the outskirts of campus and wait for my professor, an au-natural hippie aged approximately one half-century, to arrive. She enters alongside her pet student, candidly engaged in a merciless bash session of our current U.S. government and throws out some violent fantasy about a bloody decapitation in the oval office (even though she grimaces whenever a novel discusses animal slaughter or non-human blood of any kind). I can deal with the idea that she has opinions, and I truly don’t mind that we disagree. It is when her politics interfere with my learning environment that we develop a problem.

Although I could conjecture as to my professor’s political stance after just a first glance (sometimes surface judgments are spot-on), I figured, “hey, we’re in British Literature. How often will US politics be relevant?” Well, the answer is never, but somehow it’s still shown up daily. It’s as though my teacher has set out on a mission to bend every student she encounters against conservatism. She makes an effort to connect the evils of the Republican Party to everything.

For example, when on the subject of King Henry VI, the professor commented on his young age and poor political judgment. “It’s like electing a baby George Bush and having a hundred Dick Cheneys running around,” she laughed. I decided not to point out that if Bush and Cheney are in fact the blood-thirsty, war-loving men she thinks they are, they may have actually done quite well for themselves in Medieval England. She went on to discuss how dreadful life was during this Henry’s reign, all the while making correlations to Bush’s incompetence. She then said, “really, would you elect a baby to be president of the United States?” I also decided not to point out that the biggest political baby we’ve ever seen up for high public election is Barack Obama, her Messiah. Later, when commenting on author Sir Thomas Malory, she poignantly stated, “one group of people might call him a criminal, and another group might call him a great guerilla fighter, a soldier.” I made a final decision not to point out the argument that Bush the Evil is in the same reputational limbo.

I made the decisions to bite my tongue for fear that my opinions could jeopardize my grade. I thought college was supposed to encourage free thought and provide a backboard off of which to bounce uncommon ideas. This professor quickly extinguished my hopeful, intellectual flame.

Higher education has become an institution for initiating government agendas and social change. No matter which party is pushing the agenda or what the intended changes are, this is wrong. The job of a teacher is to spark original and innovative thoughts. Students should be learning to develop their own logic, to become quality thinkers, not robots who regurgitate a professor’s policies on cue. The classroom should stimulate thoughts, not provide them.

Thankfully, my mother, a middle-school teacher well acquainted with such school-board intentions, raised me with immunity to these underhanded tactics. And I feel my thoughts have potential to be more organic because of this. All minds deserve a like opportunity. Education should not taint us. I have watched my mother forced to implement teachings that directly contradict her morality, such as bribery systems for mediocre deeds, over-testing her kids to meet standards (note that I do NOT agree with Bush’s NCLB legislation), and the elimination of failure.

Whether or not you agree with the current agendas being pushed, I think we can all see that pushing any agenda at all is detrimental to our nation’s future. If we want to continue to be a nation of bright inspirations and pioneering, we cannot allow our educational system to cut out an overlay of which thoughts are acceptable. Our generation is all about fighting against the mainstream, right? Let’s fight.

Purdue Students Demonstrate Cost of Extreme Environmentalism with Eco-BBQ

Conservative Purdue University students in West Lafayette, Indiana hosted an “eco-barbeque” during the university-sponsored “Green Week” in mid-September to expose the potential cost of extreme environmentalism to average Americans.

Purdue’s Conservative Coalition for American Values (CCAV), founded by student Brian Whittaker with help from the Arlington, Virginia-based Leadership Institute (LI), sold “regular” burgers for $1. “Eco-friendly” burgers were priced at $15, representing the estimated cost of “personal greenhouse gas emissions” created by eating a hamburger, according to a carbon calculator provided by Conservation International, an environmental activist group.

Whittaker, a junior political science major, attributed the significant price disparity between the burgers, which were identical in content, to price inflation added to “offset the cost of carbon emissions.”

The group sold 36 of the $1 burgers and zero eco-burgers.

Green Week was organized with the assistance of Purdue Climate Change Research Center, as well as the university’s College of Engineering and other tuition-funded departments, such as Centers for the Environment and Energy and the Office of the Provost.

Publications produced by the Purdue Climate Change Research Center rule out dissent regarding the origin and cause of global warming. They go so far as to claim that humans are primarily to blame. One document declares research has “confirmed that human activities are responsible for a large part of … observed climate change (e.g., global warming).” It goes on to urge “pursuit of carbon neutrality as an institutional goal….”

The university’s bias appears to have led them to ignore disagreement among scientists about global warming and about human involvement in it.

Naomi Whittaker, Brian’s wife and an active member of CCAV, said the student group wanted to present a viewpoint the Purdue administration ignored: “We were trying to show there is still a debate about global warming. Thirty thousand scientists agree global warming is not [primarily] caused by humans.”

“Excessive environmental regulation will bankrupt America,” she continued. “Citizens will have to sacrifice a lot financially to accommodate the outrageous demands of the environmental lobby, as demonstrated by the cost of the eco-burger.”

According to Conservation International’s website, the group “expresses greenhouse gas emissions figures in carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents, [such that] one metric ton of carbon equals 3.67 metric tons of carbon dioxide.” The organization then offers a suggested monetary donation to compensate for one’s personal impact on the environment.

The Green Week BBQ drew mixed reactions from Purdue students who witnessed the event. “Most students gave us angry glares, as if we were doing something wrong,” explained Brian Whittaker. “But we were able to draw some interest to our group by providing an alternative perspective to the typical liberal orthodoxy.”

Fred Cooper, a Leadership Institute field representative for Indiana, applauded CCAV’s efforts: “Clearly, the university had a liberal agenda it was trying to push on the student body, but fortunately the Conservative Coalition for American Values was there, and will be there in the future, to provide Purdue students with an honest and balanced perspective.”

The CCAV, an active, independent, student group started in March 2008, illustrated to their campus the price of radical environmentalism with techniques they learned from activism training at the Leadership Institute.

Craig Burgers, a Campus Services Coordinator at the Leadership Institute, called the group “a beacon of hope for conservatism in the midst of academia’s leftist regime.”

A full agenda of Purdue University’s Green Week events is located at: http://www.purdue.edu/sustainability/. The carbon calculator mentioned in this article can be found at: http://www.conservation.org/act/live_green/carboncalc/Pages/default.aspx.

The full text of this press release is available here: http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/News/?NR=872.

Missouri State University Students Vandalize Pro-Life Display

Student vandals at Missouri State University in Springfield wrecked a pro-life cross memorial on the school’s Blair-Shannon Lawn on Wednesday, October 1. Some students cheered from a nearby sidewalk as others deliberately stepped on the crosses.

Bears for Life (BFL), a student group that received assistance from the Leadership Institute (LI) in Arlington, Virginia, hosted the Graveyard of Innocents, a memorial of nearly 4,000 popsicle-stick crosses to represent the number of unborn babies killed by abortion each day.

One BFL volunteer who witnessed the incident captured some of the vandalism on video.

Phillip Gleeson, president of Bears for Life commented, “I was shocked by the immaturity and lack of respect displayed by some members of the pro-choice community at Missouri State University.”

When a BFL student leader confronted the vandals and asked them why they felt free to destroy a university-approved display, one replied, “It’s campus property; we can walk where we want.” The delinquents continued to trample the crosses as they left.

Another student, a member of the school’s bi-sexual, gay, and lesbian association, rode through the makeshift cemetery on his bike to further damage the memorial. He refused to comment on camera about his actions.

Jenny Newcomer, an active member of Bears for Life, said, “It’s just appalling how disrespectful people can be.”

Missouri State University initially opposed the Graveyard of Innocents event. School administrators claimed the popsicle sticks to be used in the memorial could damage the sprinkler irrigation system on the North Mall.

It took group members seven hours to dig holes in the parched ground of the lawn approved by the administration. The Leadership Institute provided the cooperating student organization with tools and popsicle sticks for their pro-life event.

Bears for Life is an independent, student group at Missouri State University which strives to educate students about the pro-life movement and the sanctity of life from birth to natural death. Several of the group’s members received activism, grassroots, and campaign training from LI.

Daniel Diaz, LI field representative for Missouri and Kansas, said, “The Leadership Institute provided Bears for Life with a box of materials for recruiting. Later this semester, LI will assist the group to bring a speaker to their campus through a donor-supported grant.”

The full text of this press release is available at: http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/News/?NR=859.

Point Park University, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has a new firearms club.  Don Ruggery, a sophomore criminal justice major will serve as the President, and plans to offer all students the chance to safely exercise their right to fire a weapon.  "Whether you are Democrat or Republican", he says, "I want you to have the opportunity to learn how to shoot." 

When Ruggery was asked why he started the group, he replied,” I was approached by a representative from The Leadership Institute, which is a conservative-based program looking for young conservatives like myself, and asked if I wanted to start a club."  Ruggery explains that "A lot of people are afraid of guns because they have no experience with them.  This new group is a great way to introduce people to firearms."

The group plans to host many events, including firearm safety classes with speakers from the police department and the National Rifle Association, as well as invite students to local firing ranges where they can shoot in a controlled environment.  

Ruggery said he has already experienced a backlash from his emerging group.  "Somehow, they caught wind of what I was doing pretty fast.  People I don't even know came up to me and asked why I was doing it, why I wanted to support violence, why I was a 'Nazi', as one student called me." 

Despite disapproval from some students, others are pleased by the new club.  Ryan Pennington, a technical theater and set design sophomore, plans on joining the Firearms Club after attending its first event.  "I enjoyed it" he said. "First they taught us the proper handling of the guns we were using, how to load it and make it safe for the next person."  

Congratulations to the students of Point Park University for their great start! 

Students of the Sunbird Conservative Club at Fresno Pacific University were met with fierce opposition by university administrators after they witnessed them handing out John McCain bumper stickers.  During an event to commemorate the victims of September, 11th, the University's Provost and Student Dean approached the Sunbird Conservative Club and informed them that McCain bumper stickers could not be distributed on campus.   

The Student Dean proceeded to explain that ”every time you have an event on campus, you must notify the school ahead of time so a liberal club can be invited to be there."  He reiterated numerous times that campus policy calls for "balance and limited political involvement."  If the group did not comply with these requests, the Student Dean threatened future action against Club events, including an upcoming speaker and movie night they had planned.  Sunbird Conservatives claim no other group had to follow these guidelines in the past.  

Preston Little, the Co-President of the Sunbird Conservative Club, passionately reminded the administrators that he has a right to free speech, to which the Provost responded "Shut up!, I'm the Provost."

This did not sit well with Mr. Little.  He immediately knew the school was attempting to censor his conservative activity and proceeded to submit a letter of grievance to professors, staff board members, alumni and The Leadership Institute to explain the situation. 

After many failed attempts to secure a formal apology from campus administrators, Mr. Little sought legal counsel on behalf of the Sunbird Conservative Club.  As a result, the President of Fresno Pacific University, Dr. D. Merrill Ewert,  submitted a letter of apology to the student body, alumni, Board of Trustees and of course Sunbird Conservative Club.

Letter of Apology From President Ewert to Sunbird Conservatives & Student Body

Dear Fresno Pacific Students,      Welcome! I hope that you are enjoying a great start to the new academic year.  As hard as it is to believe, the semester will be one-third over by the end of this week.  I hope that you are as glad to be here as we are to have you!       On September 11 the Sunbird Conservatives Club put up a beautiful flag display on the Campus Green to remind all of us of the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives on that tragic day seven years ago. It was very well done!  The Club also displayed some partisan political information on a nearby table, and questions were raised by some about the appropriateness of their doing so.  You may or may not have heard about this event, but I want to use this opportunity to clarify the university's policy regarding political activity by students on campus. One of the things that I love the most about working on a university campus is the opportunity to hear divergent voices and debate significant issues on which there are multiple points of view.  That's why we have a policy that provides space for organizations such as the Sunbird Conservatives and Democracy Matters.  Although it's not entirely clear what was all said (and by whom) at the display table on September 11, it's very clear that the Sunbird Conservatives operated within FPU's policies in displaying materials that promoted the candidacy of Senator McCain.         I wasn't there but have heard several interpretations of what was said and done.  If someone was asked to remove those materials, that request was inconsistent with FPU's existing policies on political engagement.  It was also a mistake and shouldn't have happened; I'm very sorry that it did.  Obviously, people sometimes interpret policies differently so this has become a learning moment for us all.  It has also sparked a review of our policies to make sure that they're as clear as they ought to be so that there will be no misunderstanding in the future.         As I think about political activity on a university campus, particularly during this hotly-contested election year, I would underscore several principles: ·            Open and civil discussion - We want to maintain a climate within which we can discuss any and all issues but we want to do so with openness, civility, and respect.  The purpose of political engagement on campus is both to promote learning about the issues and also to model civil discourse.  Unfortunately, when passions run high, civility is sometimes a casualty of this process.  The principle, nonetheless, remains true.   ·       Clubs and community organizations are foundational to civil society - We have other groups on campus with agendas; they range from Democracy Matters and the Green club (not sure of its exact name), to those promoting snowboarding, softball, and Bible study.  Clubs are funded through Student Exec and overseen by Student Life.  That's all good.  The United States has historically been known for its vibrant and diverse civil society (a perspective immortalized by the 19th Century French historian, de Tocqueville) so universities want to cultivate this spirit on campus as well.   ·       The campus should be a safe place for multiple voices to be heard - It's perfectly appropriate for a group like the Sunbird Conservatives to talk about and promote a Republican agenda through public fora and their own activities.  It would be equally appropriate for another group of students to form a Collegiate Young Democrats club on campus in response.  There is room for multiple voices to speak and be heard.  McCain supporters should not be expected to distribute Obama materials; nor would we require Obama's supporters to disseminate McCain's materials.    The issue is one of equal opportunity and open space.  We don't invite only candidates from one side of an issue; we invite them all even if some choose not to show up.  Sometimes, these public events bring people together concurrently; at other times, they don't.  Prior to the election of a new Superintendent of Schools in Fresno County, we hosted a debate between the two candidates; both were here at the same forum at which they spoke directly to each other.  In anticipation of the upcoming mayoral election in Fresno, we've invited both Perea and Swearengin to speak at separate, public fora.  The fundamental assumption is that these public conversations will be open, equitable, and civil.   ·       We don't use university resources for our personal political agendas - I don't think this needs any additional commentary.  It goes without saying that it would be inappropriate to print a partisan political flyer on a university printer or to distribute a political message through a university list serve.    ·       We don't abuse our professional roles and positions for partisan purposes - It would not be appropriate for a faculty member to tell a group of students, "You should vote for candidate X."  This is why we have a university policy about putting up political posters in our offices and classrooms.  Of course, our faculty and staff are free to hold positions, to talk about their personal views, and to display bumper stickers on their cars that promote their favorite candidates.  The problem emerges if they are perceived as using their positions to leverage others.  I am regularly asked to endorse political candidates and attend fund raisers---as a private citizen.  However, if I were to do so, I know that my Fresno Pacific affiliation would be noted (which is undoubtedly why they ask to use my name in the first place) so it would constitute a de facto university endorsement of a particular candidate.  I don't do so.   ·       Clarifying ambiguity - Our policies may not be as clear as they should be when it comes to where and how we display posters and materials on this campus.  We have a beautiful and well-kept campus; we want to keep it that way.  I have asked Dean Randy Worden and his colleagues in Student Life to review what we have by way of policies in this regard.  They will engage the faculty and Student Exec in this conversation as well to make sure that we're all on the same page.  Perhaps, what we have is sufficient for the moment but we will review what we have and see.  I welcome a club such as the Sunbird Conservatives to our campus.  Our policies and our ethos encourage students to engage with the political and social issues of the day.  I look forward to hearing more about the activities of the Sunbird Conservatives as they seek to engage students in the political process. Sincerely,   D. Merrill Ewert, Ph.D. President

On September 1, the University of Delaware (UD) unconstitutionally denied students the right to distribute their independent newspaper on campus. University administrators claimed the publication’s staff violated school policy by dispensing materials without approval.  

Only the threat of legal action forced the university to remove some restrictions and back down from its illegal prohibition on student rights of free expression.

Bill Rivers, senior editor of The Lamplighter, an independent newspaper at UD started with help from the Leadership Institute (LI) of Arlington, Virginia, said, “Our founding fathers fought to give us liberty; the least I can do is stand up for my principles to a college administrator. It is important to confront liberals who attempt to suppress these fundamental rights.”

Mason, associate director of the student center at the University of Delaware, “attempted to impede students’ right to free speech,” said Rivers, and misled the students about their legal rights.

“Mason told us we were blocking the entrance to the student center. We moved but were then told it was against a city ordinance to solicit for papers,” Rivers continued. “Although we were distributing them for free, not soliciting, we complied.” 

The administrator publicly accused the student newspaper staffers of violating the law as they stood outside the student center dispensing the paper on the university’s Freshman Activities Day. Because the student-run Lamplighter is not a university-recognized student organization, the school denied the publication a booth at the campus-wide event.  

Carl Rimi, a junior accounting and management information systems major at UD, said, “Mason tried to stop us [from distributing the paper], but he should have shown us the rules. He had a rude attitude that escalated when we tried to explain we were doing nothing illegal.”

The UD students immediately contacted the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help. FIRE’s mission is to “defend and sustain individual rights at America's colleges and universities.”

Rivers reported that, contrary to administration claims, “FIRE’s research revealed no city ordinance that forbids the distribution of free materials.”  

Tom Schrandt, a University of Delaware junior, also attempted to distribute this free paper to students. “[UD administrators] seem to think no one has constitutional rights on their property,” said Schrandt. “But this is a public university; this is public land; I am a taxpayer, and my money goes to pay for this university.”

The Lamplighter won this battle for freedom of the press. The staff continued to publish the paper and distribute it freely to students, following the firestorm.

Schrandt said, “Crushing student’s constitutional freedom ought to be fought at every turn.”

Former Leadership Institute Intern Ryan Silberstein founded The Lamplighter in 2006, under a different name. LI provided extensive student publications training for the staff of the publication and assisted the students with printing their first issue, through a donor-supported grant.

Full text of the press release available at: http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/News/index.cfm?NR=833.

 On Tuesday, September 22, Dr. Pipes delivered an insightful speech regarding America's future relationship with both moderate and extreme Muslims.  His speech, entitled "Vanquishing the Islamist Enemy and Helping the Moderate Muslim Ally", was sponsored by sixthirtyone and TU's Conservative Student Association.

Dr. Pipes was quick to point out that terrorism is not the true enemy in the global war on terror, but rather terrorism is a means to an end.  Instead, he argues that a hybrid form of Islam consisting of extreme, totalitarian members have hijacked Islam with a view of global hegemony, which he calls "Islamism". 

The event was a great success and The Leadership Institute congratulates sixthirtyone and TU's Conservative Student Association for hosting Dr. Pipes.

The groups Females for Firearms and Young Americans for Freedom at the University of North Dakota assembled late at night and conspired over food just how to tackle the UND campus.  After maps were drawn and teams deployed chalk figures began to appear across UND of what would seem to be chalked outlines of victims.

Each was numbered in order to 32 - the number of victims at Virginia Tech.  Each figure pointed to the location and time of the table which both groups created to disseminate information about the murders at Virginia Tech and UND school policies.  

The incredibly restrictive weapons policies at UND (cannot carry pepper spray) and the lack of self-defense on campus was the theme of the event.

Even the chief of police decided to introduce himself.  As 'Duane'.

The event was a success - close to 50 new members were gained and the second meeting had more than fifteen solid members.  Even better this demonstration dovetailed with a recent decision by the university system in North Dakota to impliment a half-hearted voluntary text message system, designed to warn those who pay about threats on campus.

Females for Firearms were interviewed by the local television news station WDAZ, AM 1100, the Grand Forks Herald, and was featured in the nationally known political blog SayAnythingBlog.com here.

Carnegie Mellon’s Activities Board (AB), funded in part by a college-wide student activities fee, screened a film on Thursday, September 11 which casts pro-life advocates as religious extremists. Student activists in the Carnegie Mellon Respect for Life Club staged a protest outside the school’s McConomy Auditorium, where the controversial documentary, Lake of Fire, aired.

Jessie Kaercher, president of Carnegie Mellon Respect for Life Club said, “I feel such a sense of liberation and pride proving to this university that there are people like me who disagree” with pro-abortion views.

The Tartan Online, an electronic version of Carnegie Mellon’s student newspaper, claimed the film was even-handed in its treatment of abortion. It billed Lake of Fire as a “graphic documentary that details both sides of the controversial debate over abortion… Lake of Fire is a moving and thoughtful piece of cinema.”

“Many of the pro-lifers interviewed [in the film] were ‘religious fundamentalists,’ which enforces the idea that this issue is only about religious differences,” said Kaercher. “The movie really inspired me to become the kind of pro-life supporter who is knowledgeable, rational, and approachable.”

Kaercher added, “I wasn’t protesting the showing of the film as much as taking advantage of the audience the film would draw. I suspected the people who would go to see such a film would have strong opinions on the abortion issue.” 

The protesters encountered mixed reactions from fellow students. Many film attendees paused to discover the reason for the picketing. Carnegie Mellon Respect for Life Club raised awareness on their campus for pro-life issues and recruited several new members as a result of their protest. 

Respect for Life is an independent, student group, started with assistance from the Leadership Institute. The club is not affiliated with any religious organization. 

“My goal with the Respect for Life Club is to make sure that other students, especially freshmen, don't feel pressured to blend into a liberal campus atmosphere,” said Kaercher. “I want to help create a strong pro-life community where students are proud to voice their conservative values on the Carnegie Mellon campus.”

Full text of the press release available at: http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/News/?NR=794.

Pennsylvania State University administration threatened to remove student organization Young Americans for Freedom (YAF)’s 9/11 memorial and fine the group for the clean-up. The university claimed the flag display, placed in honor of the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, violated campus regulations by occupying a “non-reservable” space without proper approval.

The YAF club members, who received support from the Leadership Institute, placed 2,997 flags on a vacant campus lawn in front of the Pattee and Paterno libraries at 5 a.m. on Thursday. YAF leadership planned to dismantle the memorial Thursday evening.

Curtis Corson, YAF’s treasurer, said he contacted administrators several times to reserve a location to exhibit the memorial, but was repeatedly told no spaces were available.  The group decided to continue with their memorial despite the university’s lack of cooperation.

Penn State spokeswoman Jill Shockey told Penn State’s student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, “Their expression had good intentions. It's unfortunate their actions weren't also as properly administered. All organizations are subject to the policy, no matter what the circumstances.”

Shockey added, “YAF applied to put the flags on the [Hetzel Union Building] lawn, but that space was already reserved.” The area in front of the libraries is not a “standard space,” therefore students must submit an application for an exemption to use such a location. 

Leaders of the group were frustrated by the university’s refusal to allow any space for the display despite repeated attempts to secure permission. YAF Chairman Joe Ramagli said, “As a group, we decided that a 9/11 display should not have to go through a three-ring circus.”

The LION 90.7FM (WKPS), Penn State’s radio station, featured the memorial controversy on its public affairs program, Radio Free Penn State.  Station President and General Manager Thomas A. Shakely said, “This does not bode well for free expression at Penn State. I thought we didn’t have ‘free speech zones’ at Penn State anymore, but apparently to have free speech you have to reserve it in advance and have it approved.”

The university administration ultimately did not remove the flags that made up the memorial. YAF members disassembled the memorial at 6 p.m., as planned.

Full text of the press release available at: http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/News/index.cfm?NR=781.

Conservatives Make Strides on College Campuses Nationwide

Conservative, student organizations are popping up on college campuses from Georgia to California. The Leadership Institute (LI) helps conservative students capitalize on increased interest in politics this election season. LI trains conservative students how to establish and grow groups such as book clubs, intellectual societies, gun rights organizations, and pro-life associations. 

Up from Liberalism, a University of Georgia (UGA) conservative book club, was the first new student group to become an affiliate of the Leadership Institute this semester. The organization is named for conservative icon William F. Buckley’s book by the same title.

Group founder Greg Wilson is a UGA political science and public administration major. “Our purpose is to explore the intellectual foundations of conservatism,” Wilson said. “We want to go beyond partisan politics and discover the underpinnings of the movement.

“Our goal is to help students understand why we believe what we do. We will read some of the great texts that have helped guide conservatism.”

LI helps cooperating student groups select and host conservative speakers. The Institute also provides resources such as books, training, and materials.

Wilson continued, “I’ve been working with LI since April. They helped us recruit new members and gave us valuable guidance.”

The first book the fledgling group tackled was Buckley’s seminal work God and Man at Yale.

Another student group now actively cooperating with the Leadership Institute is the gun rights organization, University of North Dakota Concealed Carry on Campus (UNDCCC).

The group aims to secure the right of certified Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) Permit holders to carry their weapons lawfully onto the UND campus.

UNDCCC also promotes firearms education and pro-firearms legislation for UND students, parents, and the community at large.

“[S]ince CCW permit holders are allowed to carry their concealed weapons to protect themselves virtually anywhere else in North Dakota, and specifically the city of Grand Forks, they should be allowed to do so on the UND campus as well, their personal safety not ending at the campus border,” declares the organization’s webpage.  

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student Derek Belcher is a member of the Committee for a Better Carolina. He sought assistance from the Leadership Institute to bring conservative speakers to his college campus during this fall 2008 semester.

Students for Liberty is an LI-affiliated conservative group at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. The group bills itself as a “paleo-conservative” organization.

LI-trained students started several pro-life student groups, including Live Action De Anza at DeAnza College in Cupertino, California; Live Action Evergreen at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose, California; and Live Action at Gutenberg on the campus of Gutenberg College in Eugene, Oregon.

These issue-organizations are affiliated with Live Action Films. They comprise “a youth-led human rights movement dedicated to the respect and protection of all human life, including the unborn. [They] use new media and educational presentations to share the truth about life and the threats to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness posed against the born and unborn.”

The Leadership Institute trained junior philosophy major Ignacio Reyes of Evergreen Valley College at a Student Activism Conference in Oregon this summer. As President of Live Action Evergreen, Reyes plans to host a “Hip Hop for Life” concert on his campus, followed by a “Walk for Life” fundraiser, later this academic year.

Reyes says the group promotes the sanctity of all human life. He first became involved in the pro-life movement through volunteering with his sister at a community crisis pregnancy center.

— Adrienne Morehead is the Communications Assistant at the Leadership Institute.

At the University of New Mexico (UNM) the Lobo Conservatives took part in the 9/11: Never Forget Project in junction with YAF.  Below is the reading  we used at the ceremony.  And pictures will be posted soon!

Good evening everyone and welcome to the 9/11: Never Forget Project.  I thank you all very much for coming tonight.

Today in America we face many challenges.  From the high costs of energy to the immigration issue, we have many things to talk about.  These issues all have a solution from the left and the right side of the political spectrum.  And to each of their respects are great points.

But tonight, we are not gathered as members of a certain party.  Tonight, we put aside our political differences and we come together as Americans.  We recognize that we are in extraordinary times and it’s in these that we face radical organizations that threaten the American way of life.

It was on this day September 11, in 2001, where some of these radicals attacked America.  But in these horrible events we as Americans got to see some of our bravest people do great things.  From the men and women that ran into the World Trade Centers in New York City to the passengers on Flight 93 which crashed in Pennsylvania, we saw what makes