A Different Kind of Minority
Spend a week at any college campus, more specifically the University of Michigan, and you might pick up on a tendency — most of its students appear to lean left with regard to their political views. However, while Democrats represent a majority of the student and professor population, a significant portion of the campus identifies as Republicans. What’s it like to be a Republican on a campus in which the majority of your peers and professors do not share your ideologies?
Junior Cameron Ward knows what it’s like to be a part of this precise group of students. As a current Exec. Board member of UofM College Republicans club, Cam is a passionate and proud Republican. He recently spent a semester as an intern in President Trump’s white house and is currently studying abroad in Dublin, Ireland and is a Junior.
Before sitting down with Cam, I was eager to find out what it is like to hold a (relatively) uncommon viewpoint at a politically charged and divisive time in our country. What does the college experience look like for a student with a viewpoint that represents the minority?
Has Cam ever felt uncomfortable sharing his viewpoints in a class if the topic ever shifted to something politically charged? “Never,” he responded. But it has affected him and his participation in his classes here at the university. In certain situations, Cam has held his tongue in order to maintain a positive image in the eyes of his instructor. He stressed that it doesn’t happen all that often as he is a sports management major — therefore not many of his class discussions are centered on politics. However, when it does come up he tends to withhold his opinion. Cam mentioned an example in one of his classes in which the topic of healthcare policy of Presidential candidates was brought up. “The lecturer specifically mentioned how he wanted the discussion to be unbiased and only factual. However, as soon as the discussion began, he immediately was saying how one side was so great and was the only possible way to function as a country and how the other would ruin everyone’s life. I was looking forward to being involved in the discussion prior to that, but I decided against it because I felt it could only hurt me. My lecturer writes my grades and if he is so adamant about his opinion and tells his students what they are, then I can’t imagine he will like anything I had to say that contradicts that.”
In talking with Cam, this seemed to be a common frustration with regard to expressing opinions on campus. I asked if he felt that other students or people on campus, in general, were tolerant of his political viewpoints. “Most people yes. Although I am surrounded by people who disagree with my political views (just the nature of college campuses in America), I would say that most people are tolerant” said Cam. However, this is not always the case. “I have met people who literally told me that they will not speak to me and don’t want to be in the same room as me simply because I supported a certain candidate or lean a certain way politically.” When Cam mentioned this I was surprised that there could be such disdain and closed-mindedness from educated college students.
I asked if he had any recent examples or instances of something along these lines occurring. He mentioned an instance in which he was passing through the Diag and got heckled when he refused to sign a pro-choice petition.
Aside from these extreme cases, it seemed that Cam’s viewpoints are, for the most part, tolerated by his peers. I was curious if he felt that the University and its administration also represented both sides of the political aisle. “In terms of how the university represents itself as an institution, I think they act within their legal boundaries to equally represent all viewpoints, but often times still make it obvious that the school administration also is left-leaning.” He mentioned an example that he has seen before when a conservative speaker comes to campus. The school cannot legally deny that speaker the opportunity to come and speak but can discourage students from attending on the basis of public safety.
Cam also said that the University’s political biases were most transparent after the 2016 Presidential election. When President Donald Trump was elected Ward said that, “Professors allowed students to miss class, miss assignments, etc. because they didn’t like the result of the election. The school also provided coloring books and play-doh to students in classrooms allocated as‘safe spaces’ for those so stressed and ‘fearful’ from the results of the election.” As a student myself I too remember this scene. In addition to professors canceling classes and assignments, the University held a candlelight vigil in the Diag to ‘mourn the loss’ of the election. “If the election had gone a different way,” said Cam, “I think it is a safe assumption to say there would not have been any of that for the other side — So to sum that answer up, no I do not believe the university equally represents both viewpoints.”
It was fascinating to speak with Cam about his experience at the University of Michigan as it relates to his political viewpoints. It was disappointing to hear that at such a prestigious school with so many bright minds that Cam’s experiences have not always been positive.
The current state of politics in the United States is a divided one, leaving its citizens and participants often close-minded, easily triggered, and combative. During this contentious time, it is imperative that citizens act with empathy, open-mindedness and tolerance — especially on college campuses. College students are just beginning to establish their own personal ideologies. Communication and open dialogue, as well as tolerance of different viewpoints, can only improve and further each individuals’ exploration of their beliefs and values.