I am a member of Turning Point USA. Time and time again, our property has been destroyed by students and University employees who do not seek meaningful discourse.

They seek a dystopian campus where only their opinions should be listened to and where their commands shall be obeyed. Several senators and executive branch members of the Illinois Student Government laughed off complaints by TPUSA about the vandalism of our property and claimed it was not a problem.

At the Homecoming Parade, ISG promulgated protesters to act violently and disrupt traffic. ISG’s ignorance of the problem has created a toxic environment on campus. Their lack of compassion has energized a violent uprising against the student body. Their poor leadership and out-of-bounds abuse of power led to brutal assaults, multiple accounts of vandalized property and a disgrace to the University’s name.

The problem is incrementally getting worse and worse, sponsored by this student government. We may disagree on our national politics, but when it comes down to the policies and issues all of us face and struggle with here on campus, we are all united by being proud Illini.

The progression and success of the University of Illinois and the student body is our mutual goal. It’s the value everyone here on campus shares. There are groups on campus that want to their student body to be liberals or conservatives, but I ask this: Why not both? Why must we continue to make it seem as if we can’t put our political ideologies aside and start putting the interests of the entire student body first and work together as one?

We must not shy away from positive, multigenerational change. For the sake of our campus, we can shake up Champaign and improve ISG for the better.

Joel is a freshman in LAS. 

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