Liz Mantush | staff writer

Duquesne University’s Student Government Association denied an on-campus chapter of Turning Point USA on Wednesday.

The club was rejected with a vote of 21-1 with one senator abstaining from the decision.

The decision comes nearly a month and a half after the club was first proposed at a meeting on Oct. 8. Following a premature announcement, the correct procedure was observed by SGA and the vote was put through.
 

Paige Gritzke, who proposed the Duquesne chapter of TPUSA, was not available for comment.

TPUSA’s mission, which was stated during its official proposition, is to serve God first and foremost, guided by Duquesne’s Catholic mission, and to hold discussions and events surrounding current events, according to their constitution.

Before the final decision, SGA President Nick Miller encouraged the senators to share their thoughts about TPUSA.

“I was happy to see that there was dialogue. We’re a student government association. Even though we’re not supposed to make decisions based on our own beliefs, people didn’t really do that and gave factual information on both sides,” he said.

Senators were given up to five minutes to voice their opinions, state their research and engage in civil discourse.

“They are founded and run by a specific party, and they only push out their views rather than trying to have debates and learn from other active parties,” Meadow DeLong said about the organization.

Greta Haley said Duquesne has no party affiliation and TPUSA is explicitly right-wing.

“I feel this would be shown in a negative light for Duquesne,” she said.

Jaye Connolly noted that chapters of TPUSA have had issues in the past, specifically inviting controversial figures onto college campuses.

“Those are not people that align with Duquesne’s values, and we do not want that bad publicity,” she said.

Ava Hickman, who formally petitioned to begin a chapter of TPUSA in 2024, said there is a need for face-to-face conversation between people on campus, which the organization would provide.

“I can understand people’s concerns over further violence, I don’t think that should come with the other risk of limiting discourse,” she said.

Jonathan Collins, president of College Republicans, said even though TPUSA was not approved, there is still a conservative voice on campus.

Riley Hunter, the president of an unaffiliated chapter of College Democrats made up of Duquesne students, said that although she disagrees with TPUSA’s mission, she wonders why SGA denied the organization.

“Obviously, a little part of me is relieved,” she said.

TPUSA can reapply, but they must go through the approval process again. The Government Operations Committee chaired by Mwango Kasuba is writing a bill that will change the timeline for the reapplication process if it is passed.

The senate voted on 34 clubs on Wednesday using an omnibus method to allow for quicker meetings.

There were 11 omnibus bills, each containing a number of clubs grouped by category. TPUSA was the only club in the political omnibus.

Liz Mantush can be reached at mantushe@duq.edu