Republicans lay low at Oberlin

Students experience difficulty expressing their conservative side

There are no Republican students at Oberlin. Although this seems like conventional wisdom, it is patently false.

Students who identify as Republican or politically conservative may not be in the majority on campus, but many are just as politically active as their more liberal counterparts. An organized political group of Republicans existed on campus until a few years ago, and some of the former members remain committed to party activities.

Junior Arion Petasis spent the summer working for the Dole/Kemp campaign and attended the Republican National Convention in San Diego.

Sophomore Jay Gates came to Oberlin partly because of its reputation as a politically active school. He said he wanted to engage in discussions with people who did not share his point of view.

"I wanted the students to challenge my beliefs as much as I wanted to challenge theirs," Gates said. He admits that not many people agree with him, but most are willing to listen.

"I've only had one person become enraged," he said.

Petasis sees being a conservative at Oberlin as a positive. "It's definitely very useful - it strengthens your ideas.When you get into debates all the time it always helps ... You get practice defending your views," he said.

In class discussions conservatives usually find themselves on the defensive. Constantly arguing in defense of your point of view can be so frustrating that some decide not to force the issue.

"In classes I tend not to argue it because it seems like a waste of my time," said Gates.

Others prefer to keep quiet about it altogether. "It's easier if you just don't let anybody know," said a Conservatory student who wished to remain anonymous.

While none of the students interviewed said that they had experienced serious malice on the account of being politically conservative, almost all could recount rather rude encounters with fellow students.

"I had a George Bush for president sign on my door in `92, and someone ripped it off," said a Conservatory fifth-year who wished to remain anonymous.

Other students described acts ranging from writing nasty notes on message boards to being maligned by hallmates.

More common than these individual acts of rudeness is the tendency of students to make judgements about other students who identify as conservative. One student mentioned that she did not agree with every aspect of the Republican platform, just as most people do not agree with every aspect of the Democratic platform.

"People many times associate you with evil things of the movement," said Petasis.

Up until 1994 there was an Oberlin chapter of the College Republicans. In its last year of existence it had about eight to ten active members. The group's concern was mainly to bring in speakers with more conservative points of view, and to try to generate campus discussion.

"A student's education is imbalanced if no more than one viewpoint is discussed," said a former member of the College Republicans.

The College Republicans sponsored talks by columnist Suzanne Fields and author/intellectual Dinesh D'Souza. According to some who were there, the talks were attended by many students who were not interested in listening at all, and seemed to come just to pick arguments.

When asked about the possibility of reviving the group, former members said it was unlikely to happen, citing the time commitment it takes to keep an organization going and the lack of campus interest.

Where are they now? The Young Republican officers of 1948 led a more active group than the republicans at Oberlin today. In honor of their party, the group brought an elephant to the mock convention. (photos courtesy Oberlin Hi-O-Hi Yearbook)