Students For Academic Freedom

Conservatives, Second Class Citizens at Brandeis, Fight Back · 30 March 2004

By Jonathan Krisch--The Brandeis Justice, 03/23/04

How many closeted Republicans exist at Brandeis? This week, they will finally have a chance to make their identities known. Conservative Coming Out Week, sponsored by the Brandeis College Republicans, starts today and runs through next Tuesday. Why would the Republicans schedule such a week? The group's leaders, Jordana Luks '04, Adrienne Camire '04 and Sarah Chopnick '04, say their goal for the week is to raise awareness about conservative issues that are often suppressed on campus.

The Republican club is not homogeneous, the three said. They never release "club stances" on any issue, except that the club supports President Bush. The social issue of the year, which seems to be gay marriage, elicited a "no comment" response from the Republicans.

"It's an emotional, personal issue, decided on an individual basis," Camire stated.

It's not easy to be a Republican on this campus. All three believe that suppression of the conservative voice has gotten worse during their four years at Brandeis.

"Republicans are embarrassed on this campus," Luks said. "People will make fun of you."

Luks recalled that during her American Government class during her first year at Brandeis, her professor announced that the Supreme Court had come to a decision on the election and that Bush would officially be the next president.

"There was complete silence in the room, and I started to clap," Luks remembered. She said the professor told her later that she was "really brave."

The three are disappointed with the labels that are often attached to those with different views. "Republicans are often related to anti-woman, anti-minority, pro-killing and pro-destroying the environment," Camire stated.

Luks has been called a "fascist" and plainly told that she's "evil." Luks knows of somebody who received death threats because he was in favor of the war in Iraq.

While the Democrats have a bulletin board in Usdan, the Republicans do not. "Our office was taken away without notice during the move from Usdan to Shapiro [in 2002]," Camire stated. When they did have an office, she said, Republican paraphernalia was often destroyed, signs were ripped off and destroyed, and walls had been vandalized.

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