In print | December 6, 2007

As a student body, it seems as though we consider conversation, debate, and the sharing of experiences to be the hallmarks of the Swarthmore experience. Yet, with a predominantly liberal student body, one could say that conversations in past years have been decidedly one-sided. Over the past 14 years, the College Republicans have existed on-and-off as an operating group, and with its recent revival, it seems as though Swarthmore may be shaken up — but in a good way.

Before this announcement, it seems as though there had been quite a few complaints within the Swarthmore community about the lack of political diversity on campus. While ethnic groups and socioeconomic backgrounds are fairly well distributed amongst the student body, it seemed as though political opinions were quite left-leaning. One can look to the televised coverage of students watching the fall 2006 elections in Mephistos — wherein students cheered emphatically when states turned blue and booed unhappily at the slightest tinge of red — to get a good handle on just how strong liberal sentiment on campus is.

Yet, amidst all of this, there seemed to be an air of dissatisfaction with the political landscape on campus. Those with more conservative leanings seemed discontent with how polarized the campus was – to the point of extreme discomfort when voicing their opinions for fear of hostile responses. Left-leaning students felt as though something was missing from their self-edification: a dissenting opinion that would challenge them to think through their own beliefs. With few conservative students willing to express their opinions, liberal students were left to construct their arguments amongst like-minded peers, rather than in the presence of students who differed from themselves. There were, in effect, few to no conversations happening.

To say the least, the revival of the Swarthmore College Republicans is one that will likely cause quite a stir on campus. Whether the event is met with negative or positive reactions will be left to the student body, but the potential for important discussions is quite high. We have sincere hopes different voices will begin to emerge within the student body and that collaboration between the Swarthmore College Democrats and the Swarthmore College Republicans will follow. But until that happens, let the much-needed conversations begin.

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