Conservatives feel outnumbered at the University of Florida

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Florida
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<p>By Jeremiah Stanley
Campus correspondent</p>

<p>Young conservatives are feeling the squeeze.</p>

<p>Just ask David Kowalczyk, a member of the College Republicans, an on-campus student organization at the University of Florida.</p>

<p>Kowalczyk said he has seen a steady increase in liberalism among UF students over the past two years.</p>

<p>“I notice a lot more kids wearing Obama T-shirts,” he said. “I would say it’s a pretty big trend across the nation and at the University of Florida.”</p>

<p>But the trend that Kowalczyk has recognized isn’t limited to college campuses, according to Michael T. Heaney, assistant professor of political science at UF. </p>

<p>“In many ways, the young people mirror what is happening to the electorate as a whole,” said Heaney, an expert on American political parties.</p>

<p>Heaney explained that young people begin to form their political identity in high school, and that most of today’s college students were only 11 or 12 years old on 9/11 — both a defining tragedy and political turning point.</p>

<p>Most students in college today have formulated their ideas in a post-9/11 world, Heaney said. Today, college campuses are disproportionately filled with Democrats, he said. </p>

<p>Tommy Jardon, southern regional vice chairman for the College Republicans National Committee and a UF student, also sees the trend, but he chalks it up to the fact that political directions drift frequently.</p>

<p>“All political trends are like a swinging pendulum,” he said. “One generation reacts to how the previous generation acted.”</p>

<p>Jardon recalls passing out fliers at UF football games as a part of the College Republicans and having people coming up to him saying, “Oh my God, there are Republicans on this campus?”</p>

<p>Jardon said that being a conservative on campus has become increasingly difficult lately because of Sen. Barack Obama’s rising popularity among college students.</p>

<p>Garrett Garner, chapter coordinator for Students for Barack Obama at UF, said he too has seen an increase in students’ liberal leanings.</p>

<p>Although he views this as a positive, he said there is a lot of respect between the liberals and conservatives on the UF campus.</p>

<p>Click link for rest of article:</p>

<p>UF</a> s conservatives feel outnumbered | Gainesville.com | The Gainesville Sun | Gainesville, FL</p>

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<p>I don't get why the conservatives running this state are destroying the university education system. I would think a conservative mindset would allow the schools to increase tuition and so fourth. </p>

<p>Note: I'm a conservative myself.</p>

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<p>I'm fiscally conservative as well, and I am really upset at the Legislature for cutting higher education. It's a good economic engine, and we need to diversify our economy from tourism and agriculture.</p>