FEATURED
Process ‘currently underway’ to approve the group, university says
Lawrence University’s president said she is generally supportive of a new Turning Point USA chapter on campus, despite pushback from some students.
Zach Currier is still awaiting approval for his TPUSA-affiliated group “Patriots of Faith.” He (pictured) has been working since last November to get his club approved, and is currently in the process of resubmitting materials. However, he has faced criticism from his peers at the 1,500 student college.
First, the entire student body was asked to vote on the club’s approval.
Not enough students participated, so the decision then moved to the campus student government, called the Lawrence University Community Council, Fox 11 reported.
The student government has not responded to multiple email media inquiries from The College Fix asking for updates on this issue in the past month.
However, the private liberal arts college in Appleton said the process is “underway” and that his club can reserve space on campus in the meantime.
Isaiah Wells, director of communications, told The Fix via email in March that “the organization recognition process is currently underway.” He did not respond to a request for an update on April 6.
He said that the decision process would “follow the regular cadence of LUCC meetings and the typical process of clarification and revisions that all groups participate in during the recognition review process.”
“Student groups, regardless of their recognition status, are still permitted to meet on campus and utilize campus facilities,” he told The Fix. “For example, all fraternities and sororities at Lawrence University operate outside of LUCC student organization recognition due to established policies, yet these groups have a vibrant fraternity and sorority community on our campus.”
“The Patriots of Faith student group is welcome to continue meeting on campus and enjoying fellowship with other members, as they have done since the group was formed last year,” he said.
In a late March interview, President Laurie Carter said she knows Currier and wants to see the club succeed as long as it follows the proper procedures.
“I know Zach. I know that he is passionate about this issue, and I support his right to be passionate about it and to bring this organization to campus, if it goes through the process in the way that it should,” she told Fox 11.
Universities should not make decisions due to potential pushback from students, a national free speech group told The Fix.
“Allowing factors such as protests or potential hostility from other students to influence the decision-making process risks turning the student government vote into a popularity contest and endangers free expression for all students on campus,” Charlotte Arneson told The Fix via email. She works on campus issues for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
She also said that the university must be aware of maintaining non-discriminatory standards when granting freedom of expression.
“Generally speaking, when a school has an obligation to free expression, whether under the First Amendment or through its own expression policy, its student government must—consistent with the school’s obligation—use viewpoint-neutral criteria when evaluating potential student organizations,” Arneson said.
This is not the only TPUSA group to face pushback, even in light of the brutal assassination of the national group’s founder and CEO Charlie Kirk on Sep. 10, 2025.
Students at Elmhurst University in the suburbs of Chicago are also fighting for recognition, The Fix reported in February.
Catholic St. John’s University in New York City also continues to deny approval for a TPUSA group and school officials refuse to intervene.
