The Rise of the New Right

Author: Daniel Phillips

Tabby Connor '04, chair of the Middlebury College Republicans, was one of the only outspoken conservatives at her Vermont High School, which caused a great uproar in her pronounced liberal surroundings, and even among her close friends.

This same prejudice of political earmarking seeps its way all too often into classroom discussions at Middlebury College, squelching an otherwise quiet contingent of undergraduates who are gravitating more towards the right on many issues.

According to the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Higher Education Research Institute, student conservatism has been on the rise for the past four years. Incoming college freshmen nationwide have voiced a distinct drop in support for casual sex, legal abortion, wealthy people paying a larger share of taxes and provision for gun laws.

This resurgence of college conservatism under the current Bush administration recalls the years during Clinton's presidency when undergraduates instead tended toward more left-wing labels. And while conservative interest groups around the country have seized this opportunity to fuel and finance the recent wave, a youthful resurgence has rippled all the way to Middlebury's campus, as evidenced by the ranks of the College Republicans.

With a committed core of close to 12 conservatives, about half of the College Republicans are first-years, all freshly recruited from this year's activities fair that added 20 new names to the right-wing bandwagon. Connor noted that the first-years at the meetings have been very enthusiastic about taking on future responsibilities for the organization and she hopes the club will prove more proactive with the increased involvement.

Connor claimed, "We do not have a set of beliefs we go by because we have such a range of political views, mostly moderate. What connects us is a belief in a limited role of government. The extent of that role varies from person to person." Connor explained that the club's debate of formulating a consensus on current political issues gradually becomes more of a factual discussion.



Facets of Activism



"A lot of students see it as an outlet to state or local politics," said Connor, herself a delegate from Middlebury town voters to the Addison County Republicans. Drew Pugsley '04.5 is also heavily involved in local politics as a member of the national board of directors for the Republican Party, also holding a seat on the executive committees for Addison County and for the state of Vermont.

Hailing from Ohio, Pugsley described the political environment in Vermont as very accepting of his party affiliation and noted that being chosen as state representative back home would have been much more difficult. He also would never have had the privilege of an invitation to the home of the Vermont Speaker of the House of Representatives for fresh maple syrup.

At the club, said Pugsley, "We are more geared towards conservatism than the Republican party. If you say you are a Republican, you are going to get pigeon-holed."

He has noticed that there are more conservatives on campus than in previous years, perhaps due to the increased interest in the club, which has also recently updated its constitution to herald the rising attendance. Pugsley also suspects that many of Middlebury students do not realize their conservative labels, but they probably have them.

Connor agrees that, in general, the nation is seeing a rise in Independent voters - there is a shift of people becoming more moderate as presidential candidates are gravitating towards the center of the political fence.

Connor thinks that the large number of Republican spokespeople in the current Bush administration contributes to this newfound undergraduate adoption of conservative tendencies because "people are hearing more of both sides."

She also speculated that the offspring of the baby boomers, a generation known for its radical counterculture, will consequently want to be Republican, following the trend of children rebelling against their parents.



On the Agenda



Last year, all of the club members went to different state events, and many have volunteered for various levels of involvement in state and local politics, including the campaign of Vermont Governor Jim Douglas '72, a past member of the College Republicans.

The club is working to set up a presidential debate with the College Democrats next spring, and is preparing for a breakfast with the Addison County legislators when local representatives have their meeting on Middlebury's campus.

At the meeting, College students and local residents are invited to participate in discussions about what the legislative committees are working on. Next fall, they will attempt to hold a gubernatorial debate on campus, according to Pugsley.



Conservatives in Class



Sarah Jones '07 is one such voice of Middlebury conservatism. Brought up in Indiana, she has always been a "gung-ho" Republican. Jones explained how her parents had expressed concern for the political backdrop at Middlebury as early as their first campus tour together last year after seeing the plethora of anti-war propaganda posted campuswide.

Still trying to adjust to her classes, she has found her new political environment at Middlebury as "kind of a test" that either made her question her previous beliefs or reaffirm them.

"Sometimes it feels crushing because I feel like I am the minority here, but I never let that stop me," explained Jones. Although she has already encountered many students who are not politically active, "People on the whole are much more open. At Middlebury, people really strive for tolerance and appreciate other ideas," she said.

Connor agreed. "There is a feeling that it is harder to be a Republican in college, but we are very fortunate at Middlebury with the level of tolerance. When I explain why I think the way I do," she continued, the reaction to her stance is often, 'Oh, I never looked at it that way before.'

Annie Davies '06 expressed a similar opinion. "The College Republicans do not take a unified position - there has not been a need for that. We are trying to develop a sense of listening to other people's opinions. That is what Middlebury is all about," she said.

Associate Professor of Political Science Matthew Dickinson, known for not wearing his political ideology on his sleeve, has noticed a Republican reticence.

Dickinson explained how he devotes the beginning of each class period to a discussion of current events, and that he is very careful not present a "right or wrong policy."

He even echoed the UCLA polls results by stating, "The vast majority of students have conservative leanings, but are not politically active.

Generally speaking," he continued, "the more vocal students are liberally minded," thus making students who espouse more conservative ideals feel outnumbered.

If the attendance of weekly College Democrats is any indication for comparison, anywhere from 17 to 27 students show up to discuss their left-wing beliefs, according to Jon Brand '05.5, chair of the club.



Ruminating on Apathy



Activism surrounding Ari Fleisher's visit to campus last fall threw into sharp relief the reigning political apathy of the late 1990s.

As students, "We have a hard time deciding whether we are apathetic or just busy," Pugsley commented.

Both Pugsley and Davies have never hesitated to voice their political opinions in class, and have felt comfortable that Middlebury professors have consistently mediated an unbiased forum for political discussion.

Middlebury's curriculum is known as a "classical" liberal arts education, ensuring that college students receive a pol
itically impartial education rather than a professor's indoctrination.

Politicized teaching, however, has been the topic of recent debate within a group of House Republicans.

Last month, the group called on national colleges and universities to adopt an academic bill of rights to instill such intellectual independence in the classroom. The bill was introduced at the same time when the Independent Women's Forum released a study saying that classical freshmen courses at some of the best liberal-arts colleges - such as Bowdoin, Swarthmore, Williams and Amherst - have been supplanted by alternatives that disregard the achievements of Western Civilization.