Now more than ever, political discourse is at the center of public attention. This is especially true for those of college-age, many of whom will be eligible to vote for the first time in the presidential election this coming November. Though not the exclusive driver, the 2024 presidential election has heightened the sense of urgency and the polarization of political discourse. Issues ranging from abortion to the Israel-Palestine conflict have divided this nation and its youth.
The College of William & Mary is home to over 475 clubs and organizations in which students partake. College is a transitory period in life, and students’ involvement in political organizations should come as no surprise as they acclimate to their role in civic life and learn what it means to be a responsible citizen. Membership in a club reflects a student’s priorities and values. As such, these clubs become a useful measure to gauge, as well as influence, what the student body feels is right and what they feel is wrong.
In light of these circumstances, it seems proper to interview political organizations on our campus about their thoughts on our community’s political discourse. The dominant political organizations at William and Mary are College Republicans, Young Democrats, Theodore Roosevelt Society, and Liberal Students League. The latter are debate clubs representing conservatism and liberalism respectively, while the former are focused on political mobilization. While they were asked the same questions, their answers about discourse on campus were heavily divided along ideological lines.
“Honestly, I’ve been surprised since I got here at how relatively subdued the political environment at William & Mary is, at least with the notable exception with the Palestine/Israel issue,” remarks Daniel Russell ‘25, secretary and former president of Liberal Students League. He feels discourse on campus is infrequent and never too heated, which was “one of the reasons why [he] was interested in starting LSL.” As the election nears, he predicts “it might get a little bit more tense” because “most people on campus do think that the stakes of the election are quite high and the campus does certainly lean, as with most colleges, pro-Democrat.” He believes it depends on the outcome, but expects no significant problems.
Adrian Ryan ‘27, treasurer of Young Democrats, highlighted how civil the conversations tend to be on campus: “I think that the political climate on campus is vibrant. You have people on both sides who feel comfortable talking about the issues that matter to the majority of Americans, and I think that’s a healthy and constructive way to do it.” He believes “the urgency is going to grow among people” and that discourse will “get more heated,” but that the dialogue will remain constructive because ultimately, that is the nature of William & Mary students.
Bella Hosang ‘25, president of College Republicans, shared a very different sentiment, expressing that the political climate on campus is “rough right now.” She feels that the situation is extremely “tense between the two opposing sides” and that although she wishes “there was a way that we could come together,” she does not see the possibility being “feasible given the politics both sides play in the election.” She worries “it’s only going to get worse as we near the election.” Despite her concerns, Hosang was open to working with clubs on campus “to alleviate these concerns.”
Edwin Carlson ‘25, president of Theodore Roosevelt Society, went even further, saying that “political discourse is a dangerous thing to engage in here” and while not “dangerous in a physical sense,” it is “risky insofar that one might be found in more hot water than one wants for voicing a more conservative opinion.” He pointed out that the predominant set of beliefs at the College are such that he does not “think everyone necessarily agrees with” them. He specifically mentioned that “Pro-life organizations had urine thrown at them in years past.” He pointed to online posts as further proof of his pessimism towards discourse, saying that as he was scrolling through the anonymous campus social media app YikYak, he saw a user post “a picture of a Trump-Vance bumper sticker on someone’s car here on campus” adding that “this was the day of the most recent Trump assassination attempt at the golf course.” Carlson alleges that “the post read something like ‘Damn, why do they keep missing?’” and feels that “at some level there’s some people on this campus who wish legitimate harm on their opposition’s leader” and that he does not know whether “it’s safe to say that they don’t wish the same upon their opponents.”
In contrast to their views about discourse on campus, the political organizations were more aligned when asked about the current role of political organizations on campus and how they ideally view that role. Russell argues that organizations “should provide a space for people to both hear others’ political opinions and state their own in a welcoming, polite, civil environment where they’re not going to be shouted down or feel awkward for bringing up political topics.” Additionally, he feels that organizations should facilitate“dialogue between different political echo chambers and groups also in a civil and respectful way.” He thinks that his organization accomplishes these goals, saying that “Liberal Students League remains the only Left-of-center focused political discussion group on campus.” He wants his organization to fill the void that did not exist two years ago regarding the presence of a left-leaning debate club. He understands the role of his club as “just allowing people to discuss left-wing politics, critique or defend the Democratic Party or other political figures and organizations on the American Left and the global Left, without having to necessarily view things in such a partisan lens.”
Ryan believes that political organizations “should make sure that everybody knows how to vote” and “that they know how to make sure that their opinions are counted.” He views political organizations as safe spaces for dialogue. He understands Young Democrats as an educational organization “in the sense that they bring out perspectives that people might not have considered before.”
Hosang expresses opinions similar to those of Ryan, highlighting the importance of political organizations as educational “rather than pushing a narrative.” She believes that there “needs to be a broad education of both sides’ point of view highlighting the positives and negatives of each side and letting students choose from there.” She points out how College Republicans will “start tabling on the Sadler terrace and educate students on the conservative point of view and the conservative platform of our candidate in this upcoming election.”
Carlson emphasizes the need for discussion and opposition to echo chambers. He feels “political organizations should create an outlet for people of a particular political niche.” He views his organization as “an outlet for people of conservative thought to voice their opinions and engage with each other.” He feels that “these organizations should intermingle and discuss with each other in a more measured and controlled setting than interactions online or just yelling at people on the street or at a protest or a rally.” He points out his organization’s commitment to fostering debate, despite being a uniformly conservative group. “There are things that not everyone on this side of the aisle agrees with, that’s why we meet and that’s why we continue to grow our membership and have productive and engaging meetings.” Additionally, he has his club meet up with other organizations like the Liberal Students League to discuss issues on which they disagree.
Overall, there is a major divide between liberal and conservative organizations’ views on the civility of political discourse on the campus of William and Mary, both now and as we approach the November 5th presidential election. Colleges in general, and especially public institutions, are majority liberal. What conservative students feel, as the minority faction, will not correspond to what a liberal student feels on any such campus. The answers given above by the representatives of political clubs at William and Mary perfectly illustrate the alarm conservatives feel towards the majority opinion, as one which might not welcome their dissent. On the other hand, liberals feel no threat from the system as it currently stands, as it offers little disagreement with their worldview. Because of this striking difference of opinion, the general agreements on the duties of political organizations is heartwarming. That each individual interviewed above feels that campus political organizations exist to generate discussion and help people understand the views of the opposing parties, in service of generating a more productive environment, is a welcome sight.
