UCSD was the site of the West Coast Pro-America Student Conference this weekend, which attracted students from colleges throughout California to discuss ways they could better support America on their campuses.
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Attendees from other UC campuses came from Berkeley, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside and Santa Cruz. The University of Southern California and Biola University in La Mirada, Calif., also had attendees.
“”For a lot of people, conservative activism seems like an oxymoron,”” said organizer Vince Vasquez of the UCSD Conservative Union. “”But I think as anyone with convictions, anyone who lives in an environment where there’s diversity and embraces that diversity, we always want to be talking about what makes us different.””
Titled “”Defending Freedom and Supporting America on Campus,”” the conference featured a variety of speakers who lectured and moderated workshops. Approximately 30 students were present.
On Friday, April 5, the conference opened with speaker Shannon Reeves, the president of the Oakland chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and secretary of the California Republican Party.
Reeves spoke of the need for students to be active in promoting America on their campuses.
“”Students need to take an active role in governing what goes on on a campus and ensuring that the campus gives balance to the educational process,”” Reeves said.
Addressing the issues facing conservative and Republican students at the university level, Reeves said that students need to base their platforms around more issues than party identification.
“”I think what Republican students have to do is to work to shed the stigma of what being Republican is in the minds of many students,”” Reeves said.
Indeed, most attendees acknowledged they were in an ideological minority on their campuses. Robb McFadden, president of the Berkeley College Republicans, takes his minority status in stride.
“”You kind of receive a lot of criticism, and you’re always the only one [conservative] in your classrooms,”” he said. “”So once you kind of accept your minority status, it’s pretty easy. You stand out, and it’s actually pretty fun, voicing these opinions and partaking in very active debates.””
Some students also felt that being a minority made it more of a challenge to voice their opinions.
Shawn Steel, chairman of the California Republican Party, spoke on Saturday, April 6, as part of the second day of the conference. His speech focused on encouraging the attendees to make their presence known at their universities.
“”We want you to have an equal voice on campus,”” he said.
