Right-wing organization starts chapter at University

Lizandra Portal/Contributing writer

Turning Point USA’s job is to change the extremely liberal narrative present in high schools and college campuses and their mission continues at FIU, according to Driena Sixto, FIU alumna and Miami field director for the organization.

“Usually, students only get one side, one perspective, that’s why we have seen an increase in the romanticizing of ideas like socialism and communism,” she said. “Whereas there’s very little faculty members, teachers or administrators promoting capitalism, free markets, individual liberties, individual rights and freedoms instead of a collective.”

The non-profit organization, with a presence in over 1,000 college campuses and high schools nationwide, is known for its controversial right-wing ideals including a professor watch list that warns students of professors who have left-leaning ideologies. The website has been accused of inciting fear and promoting censorship but Sixto disagrees.

“The Professor Watchlist is not a tool to censor anyone, you do not get yourself on the Professor Watchlist for having a leftist ideology,” she said. “If that were the case, more than 80 percent of all higher-learning faculty and staff would be there. You get yourself [on the list] by being an abusive, unprofessional or simply unhinged professor who is guilty of censorship or discriminating against others.”  

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Sixto, who graduated from the University last summer, was responsible for recruiting members while she was a student, and has continued her work for the FIU chapter since.

“Sometimes I go up to a table [on campus] to get them to sign up and find out they’re already members and they flash me their pins,” Sixto said. “We are changing the culture on campus. It was great to see what it has blossomed into, and the enthusiasm that you see from so many diverse members.”

The FIU chapter boasts about 2,000 members and is the largest club on campus, according to Sixto. Club President Anaise Hernandez, a junior studying international relations, liked the idea of bringing a more conservative, libertarian voice to campus and invites students who don’t agree with the organization’s views to sign up and see their side.  

“It gives them another perspective to either question what they believe or to affirm their beliefs,” Hernandez said. “You don’t keep yourself in your own echo chamber where you’re hearing the same thing over and over again.”  

Krishna McKay, a senior political science major who says he has vastly different views than the organization, regularly attends their events because he likes to  “get an idea of how the opposition thinks.”

He says while they do raise some good points, such as taxes getting too high, he disagrees with their views on government involvement. He believes that more federal mandated business regulations would help the lower and middle working classes.  

As for the way the club handles debate, McKay also adds they can be condescending but likes “how they are getting our generation involved in the political process.”

The organization has hosted a few events on campus in the spring semester. In February, the club held a debate watch party on campus to broadcast the healthcare debate between senators Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz, which a pretty big turnout, according to the club president.

On March 6, they held a movie night and showed “Atlas Shrugged,” based on the Ayn Rand novel of the same name.  

Future events planned for the organization include “2A Event” with the Law Cabinet Republicans to promote their ideals on Second Amendment rights. They also hope to collaborate with Pink Pistols, an LGBTQ group who teaches people about gun safety and how to properly handle firearms but the date has not yet been set.  

The club doesn’t hold weekly meetings however, interested students can sign up for their newsletter or contact them through their facebook page at FIU Turning Point USA.

Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore