As President of WashU’s College Republicans, I have found that WashU, though possessing a similar left-liberal monoculture as most other universities, is fairly tolerant and generally open to ideas. Maybe it is just that people on campus think of conservatives and conservatism as quaint, rare, and non-threatening, but I’d like to think this is due to a greater commitment to free dialogue on the part of the University and its students. 

WashU College Republicans (WUCR) and WashU College Democrats co-hosted their Campus Crossfire Debate in Tisch Commons, which led to discussion over immigration, free speech, the economy, and the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Tuesday, Nov. 14. 

Washington University ranked No. 135 in College Pulse’s 2024 College Free Speech Rankings amongst 248 ranked colleges. The university received a score of 45.26 out of 100 points, leading its speech climate to be categorized as average.

Student Union’s (SU) Constitutional Council determined that SU Treasury demonstrated political bias when representatives chose not to fund a speaker appeal from the Washington University College Republicans (WUCR), a violation of SU’s Constitution, in a unanimous opinion released on April 5. 

I cannot understand the choice to bring Amala Ekpunobi, a transphobic content creator for PragerU, to Washington University’s campus (nor can I understand paying almost $11,000 for her). As a member of the SU Treasury, I spent hours combing through Ekpunobi’s videos, and they seem to show a clear contempt for the identities that many people hold on this campus.

I firmly believe that those who find themselves politically at odds with Ekpunobi should especially attend the event to improve their understanding of views they may not personally agree with.

Student Union Treasury approved an $11,208.95 budget to fund Amala Ekpunobi, a conservative commentator, to speak at a College Republicans (CR) event titled “Why I Left the Left,” Nov. 15.

The College Democrats and Republicans debated a variety of issues at the 2021 Campus Crossfire event

Multiple students groups have condemned the Islamophobic comments and threats following senior Fadel Alkilani’s removal of the flags, while College Republicans have called for his expulsion.

In this week’s episode, we explore what’s in a proposed Missouri law and what it would mean for student protesters.