Commandments and Conflict: Turning Point USA Arrives at Stetson

Karah Evan ‘27, current president of Stetson University's Turning Point USA chapter. Photo credit: Karah Evan.

What is Turning Point USA?

Founded by an 18-year-old Charlie Kirk, the heart of the organization was a teenager trying to find a community. It's easy to see why the organization still appeals to young people with conservative values. Karah Evan ‘27, the president of Stetson’s newly official Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter shared, “l always had something to say about anything going on, so I think this is a really good outlet for me and other students who are able [in this context] to really speak their minds without fearing [persecution].” As a transfer student, Fall ‘25 was Evan’s first semester at Stetson, a semester which was, decidedly eventful. To the Stetson student body, Evan says, “just be confident and able to be out and be active in your beliefs and feel comfortable in being able to protect yourself... and defend your ideas.”

So what exactly is TPUSA to some of its constituents now? Given how often discussion surrounding what the chapter aims to stand for ends up being led by outsiders, it seems pertinent to share Evan’s view. “We really just focus on America,” said Evan. “That's what we're promoting. We're promoting values of America, traditional beliefs [and] traditional core values of the American Red.” 

“Traditional core values” has no hard-set definition. Delineating what distinguishes these values, Evan simply shared, “We kind of just go back to the values of us as a country that we were founded on, and I think living in that country, you live by the values that your country was established on. And if you agree with one country, you live in that country.” 

Who or What is Represented?

At the “core” of opponents’ disagreements with TPUSA are beliefs surrounding what the American government should look like. Sociology student Gelly Lezcano ‘27 recounted a discussion surrounding whether representation in government was representative of their communities. Lezcano says she shared with the class, “‘No, as a Hispanic woman in America, I don't feel like white men in government are representative of what I believe are the experiences that I've undergone.’” Lezcano claims that Evan refuted her point by stating, “that's not the purpose of government,” and stated Lezcano “didn't know [or didn’t read] policies.” 

Evan responded to Lezcano’s claims, saying, “I don't recall me actually responding to that prompt. I remember [Lezcano] saying that, … [but] I never said anything to her directly.” Evan further stated, “I see where she's coming from, and if I recall correctly, I think that I was on the side of  ‘No, I don't think the current government is a solid representation of the people. I think they are out for themselves.’”

While Evan did not specifically discuss the governments’ or TPUSA’s actions towards or away from inclusion of different ethnic voices, she did state, “I think you have to really understand that while there are different areas of the country, there's different ways of life everywhere, we are all able to come together under one blanket: just plain American. So yeah, you can be Southern, Northern, [or] Yankee…But, at the end of the day, we are all American.” Evan’s vision of an assimilated “blanket” is in contrast with Lezcano’s vision of visible difference. 

Parchment and Parables

Evan has her own view on what the government should look like. “Our culture was founded on biblical scripture. I mean, that's my moral compass, that's my moral guidebook,” said Evan. “I'm not gonna force anyone else to be a Christian, but I think it's good to just have a moral standpoint, one common guideline. That's why the country should be run, in a way, with those specific morals.” Evan then attempted to refute common claims of the church overstepping its bounds. Evan shared that she had the discussion with her mother previously about how “people don't understand the difference between church and state. …The point of that was to keep the state out of the church, versus the church out of the state. So it was to make it to where the state can't tell the church what to do and like what to say and that kind of thing. It's a very, very common misconception.” 

The Constitution is a secular document. Still, biblical scripture has become entangled with a sense of American identity for many. Clarifying to what extent she thinks Christianity should be embedded in government, Evan added, “I think it's a very fine line, honestly, because it comes between, again, having those morals and then forcing people to switch to a certain place that they might not agree with. So it's hard having that within [the] government, but at the same time, I might be biased because I am a Christian… but I don't think there is anything in the 10 Commandments that we shouldn't live by…It's just very basic human principles.”

Suppression and Dissent

“I think a lot of the media that comes out, it's directed to pit us against each other, versus, like, actually telling us the news and what's happening,” said Evan. “And I think … both sides do it. The narrative that is shared is just made to form divisiveness.”  Evan wants students to remember that Stetson’s chapter of TPUSA wants to promote “listening to people you know, hearing their side… We want to understand. Please explain. We want to understand the mindset.”

These leadership aims might bring comfort to those who are uncertain about interacting with the organization. Lezcano specifically expressed hesitation after a past encounter with their chapter, where she was reported to the Bias Education Support Team. “Essentially, the allegation was that I walked by a table that Turning Point was doing in tandem with Hatters for Life, and I flipped them off… The original report was also referencing where in my poetry class…my professor was lamenting…how scary it is to not feel like you can teach academia….. because of fear,” said Lezcano. 

“In response to that… I let her know that Turning Point USA, as an organization, has a professor and school watch list that they utilize, and any ideology that they think is ‘harmful’ or ‘against conservative views and ideals’ they [can] report professors … and that ranges from anything to abortion to critical race theory, to even just the whole idea of cultural literature,” Lezcano said. “[They were] using these ways to subtly attack people that just don't agree with them, to almost make me shut up.”

Lezcano says that there is no truth to the former part of the allegation. Sharing that she makes, “a very active decision to engage in ways that I feel are safe because I know, as a woman of color who lives on this campus… I have to interact with these people. They're in my Honors programs, they're in my classes, they know where I live. I make a very concerted effort to put myself in situations where I can still advocate for myself and my beliefs without putting myself in harm, because, I think, in this political climate, they are mutually exclusive. It's hard to be an advocate. I don't even feel like I do it in a way that could be considered harmful, not that I think any advocacy is harmful, so I would never have approached their table.”

Evan was unsure as to the specifics of Lezcano’s experiences at the time of the interview, as Stetson’s chapter of TPUSA had only tabled twice. However, she holds these experiences with her as she moves forward, “I try to really build up those bridges again because I'm not responsible for other people - so if other things have taken place, it's not my fault,” said Evan, “I feel terrible for the ones who have had really bad experiences with it.”

The Professor Watch List

Evan did share what she believes the function of the Professor Watch List to be. “I don't have an issue with it. It's not supposed to be a dox or anything. It's more for conservative students to have an idea [of] what kind of professors they might need to look out for… one of my professors right now, I very much have different beliefs than her, but she's one of my favorite professors, because she'll still talk and she still treats me like a human being and vice versa… but she's never graded me down based on my opinion. If she did, it'd be a different story. But she knows how to grade my work versus just what the opinion I have is, and I think that's the point of the watch list.”

According to TPUSA’s own site, the Professor Watch List aims “to expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students.” Unfortunately, it also, by its own admission, seeks to halt the advancement of “leftist propaganda in the classroom.” What exactly constitutes ‘propaganda’ is not agreed upon across party lines, therefore creating tension over what exactly the purpose of the ‘Watch List’ is for onlookers such as Evan and Lezcano. 

The Reality

TPUSA is an enigma. While they have a conservative leaning, whether the spokesperson most commonly associated with the organization is a well-meaning college student or someone with a more controversial agenda, changes more often than either parties’ source of outrage. 

Regarding outrage, Evan recalled a comment on a social media platform utilized by Stetson’s student body. “One person actually commented and said that someone from the organization called them a slur… I [direct messaged] them on Yik-Yak… I said in the message, ‘I want to work with you. I'd love to talk to you and get a name so we can work to remove them, because I will not tolerate that.’” 

TPUSA is a meeting place for conservative ideas. Similar to traditional public forums, extremist speech is not censored. Stetson’s own chapter of TPUSA frequently responds to criticism surrounding their sharing of extremist speech by citing this very fact. Through their social media presence, Stetson TPUSA has shared a belief that platforming, in their opinion, does not have to signal agreement but rather a dedication to keeping the conversation open to all opinions. Evan shared that the campus charter of the organization aims to foster trust with the student body through open discussion. However, when the same videos they view as starting a discussion are viewed through others’ eyes as platforming hate speech, one begins to wonder if the rise to fame of their Chicago founder has fueled a love for spectacle — where publicity, no matter its reception — is welcome. 

What’s Next?

As President Evan said, her focus for the future is on “really pinpointing talking points that might get thrown. A lot of people, they just have the talking points of common things that they hear… so I want to be able to combat those with [advising members or supporters of TPUSA], ‘Hey, this might be what gets thrown at you. Here's how you can handle that.’” Whether preparing members for debate helps or hurts an organization hoping to rebrand itself as a space for amicable discussion remains to be seen.

When asked to give a piece of advice to the Stetson community, Evan said: “just be confident and able to be out and be active in your beliefs and feel comfortable in being able to protect yourself... and defend your ideas.”