By Grant Terwilliger
Ever since the death of Charlie Kirk in September, Turning Point USA chapters have exploded across college and university campuses even into SUNY Plattsburgh’s own lawn.
Students Vaughn Martin and Landon Castine have been trying to organize a chapter on campus.
Turning Point USA is a conservative organization targeted at young adults that was started by Charlie Kirk in 2012. According to its official website the non-profit’s mission is to “identify, educate, train and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets and limited government.”
The organization has steadily been growing support around SUNY Plattsburgh over the past few months amongst small groups and Greek life. Rumours have been traveling around campus about a chapter for months.
The club currently has two advisers and 20 members, enough to start a chapter. They have a regional adviser and have registered through nationals for a chapter on campus. Their last step is to get approved by the Student Association in the spring 2026 semester.
The club’s advisers and board members said their objective on campus is to have open dialogues and create a safe space on campus for people to have their views challenged and remain respectful and understanding.
In regard to the Student Association, Martin believes that the organization will serve a critical rule in bringing about political discourse and discussion across campus.
“I can’t imagine any reason that they’d be looking to shy away from something as objective as just bringing back thought to the school of free thought. You know, where higher education meets conversation and debate,” Martin said.
SUNY Cortland’s Student Association denied Turning Point USA a chapter in February 2024, ending with Turning Point USA suing the Student Association and school officials leading to a settlement agreement of $42,000 in compensation to TPUSA and a revision of policies from the Student Association.
Turning Point USA has gained a reputation for far-right ideas and radicalism related to founder Charlie Kirk, but not all members agree with those ideals.
“I’ve mentioned Turning Point to a few people and they’re like ‘oh, you’re gonna be fascist or a Nazi,’” Martin said. “They always attach it to Charlie Kirk, but he doesn’t speak for all the individuals that are associated with the organization.”
The organization has also come under fire for their side projects like professor watchlist, schoolboard watchlist and Deans list that point out and shame professors, school boards and colleges for left wing opinions.
“The purpose of those lists is really to educate people about what they’re paying money for and let them know what viewpoints they’re going to be able to express,” Vice-president Landon Castine said. “I myself have been called racist, I’ve been called sexist, I’ve been called a horrible person by professors, and that’s just for sharing my viewpoints. I’m not saying anything violent, I’m not saying anything bad, but I’m challenging their beliefs.”
Both Castine and Martin agreed that they didn’t currently have a plan to bring Turning Points side projects to campus, but expressed that if they didn’t like how a professor was talking or acting that they would discuss it.
The organization has come under fire around the country for hate speech related incidents spurring concern from minority students.
“I mean I’m all for free speech, but there’s a line where you can see this rhetoric actively harming people, especially when that’s what the very administration we’re in at this point is continuing to terrorize minorities,” Junior Rebekah Abdul-Wahhab said.
In response to the backlash that Turning Point has received on college campuses and the expected backlash that the organization faces from concerned students, Castine emphasized his desire to remain objective.
“People get emotional with these topics. I do get it. Politics affect your life, so you may get emotional. I totally understand it, but that’s not the way that we want to go about our debate. We want to be objective, we want to be reasonable, and we want to be respectful of everybody’s beliefs, no matter how much we may vehemently disagree with them,” Castine said.
Abdul-Wahhab said that she feels that with an influx of mixed information and the rise of conservatism on college campuses students should seek to fully understand their political affiliations.
“I would really be interested to know how this will change and shape the future of students that are coming in and students that are here now,” Abdul-Wahhab said. “There’s just so much going on around the world, and we’re being inundated with it every single day, but when it’s this close to home, I think it’s even more imperative that people fully understand what this means.”
Abdul-Wahhab said that she is concerned for the safety of minority students and diverse students on campus.
“The way it stands now, where we’re trying to uplift and spotlight diversity and inclusion, doesn’t exactly push students out that may not agree, whereas Turning Point actively does, in my opinion,” Abdul Wahhab said.
