By Juliana Vasquez | Staff Writer
Connect requests and Instagram follows have erupted for Turning Point USA at Baylor since the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Turning Point USA is a nonprofit activism organization committed to identifying, educating, training and organizing students to promote freedom, according to its website. The organization’s core purpose is to educate students, founded by the late political activist Charlie Kirk.
Professor Daniel Ogden, lecturer at the Hankamer School of Business and the adviser for Baylor’s Turning Point USA chapter, said interest in the chapter has grown exponentially since Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10.
“Ever since Sept. 10, there have been well over 200 new membership requests from students,” Ogden said.
West Point, N.Y., senior and Turning Point USA President and Treasurer Peter Fernandez said Turning Point at Baylor didn’t always have this membership traction, though.
“Our chapter wasn’t very active; the chapter was almost dead,” Fernandez said.
When he first joined Turning Point, he didn’t intend to go into a leadership position. However, he ended up at the right place at the right time, with the right people hoping to guide him into an executive role when the last leaders graduated.
“They were both seniors, and they didn’t really have a line of succession coming out behind them. And was, I guess, the most enthusiastic person that had come to them about [being involved],” Fernandez said.
In fact, prior to Kirk’s assassination, membership in Turning Point was still pretty spotty on campus, Fernandez said. Turning Point hosted an interest meeting a few days before Kirk’s death, and another one just last Thursday. The meeting had a turnout of approximately 22 people before Kirk’s death, and the first meeting of the year had around eight. But the last meeting drew about 100.
Ogden said the death of Kirk and rise of member interest has inspired the chapter’s leadership team.
“They’re more determined than ever … to have the chapter expand and have it be a presence on campus,” Ogden said.
Turning Point USA’s overall message is to continue having tough conversations about controversial topics, and Fernandez said this message has not changed.
“We’re definitely emphasizing a little more about civil discourse conversations … because the less you have those conversations, the more ignorant and evil things you think about other people,” Fernandez said.
One way Turning Point USA at Baylor continues to support this mission is through their tabling events where they put a controversial question on a white board and have students vote and argue in favor of their vote.
“I think that hearing the other side is really important … knowing that they’re not really the evil that you might think they are, but also either strengthening or questioning your beliefs,” Fernandez said. “If you don’t question what you believe, then maybe you don’t really know why you believe this to begin with.”
