The PNW College Republicans intend to give a voice to students who may not be heard as loudly as the liberal voices traditionally associated with universities. A group of conservative students formed a chapter in March, and the club had 11 members as of its second meeting.

Communication major Anna Gianni, club president, said she spoke in February to two of her friends, human resources major Wyatt Trevino and education major Bonnie Hamstra, about the idea of starting a Republican club. She said she perceives college opinion generally to be strongly tilted to the political left, and she wanted to encourage open communication for others.

“You’re the black sheep in the world of university liberals,” Gianni said. “We just wanted to be the voice for the right-sided students. Conservative students have difficulty finding other conservatives at a university, but this club can be a way to bring them together.”

Hamstra, now the club treasurer, said another main goal is open communication instead of different sides arguing with each other. She said that a key reason for starting this club was seeing the hatred toward conservative students after the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

“If liberals can voice their opinions at a university, why can’t conservatives? We’ve had to listen to all of their opinions forever,” Hamstra said.

Club secretary Evan Fus said the club plans on hosting guest speakers, attending events as a club, organizing political debates and encouraging open communication among students. Gianni said if a debate cannot be organized with liberals, the club may have one of their members argue for the liberal side. However, she welcomes the attendance of students with a different political view, even if they come just to listen, she said.

The club also promotes less formal, friendly discussion of political topics.

“It’s hard to get those deep-down, personal feelings unless you sit down and talk to somebody,” Gianni said.

Frank Colucci, associate professor of political science, said he agreed when he was asked to be the club’s adviser.

“A campus like Purdue Northwest should have vibrant political groups. I am happy to do what I can to get this group off the ground,” he said.

PNW used to have a Republican club on the Hammond campus about 10 years ago. That club’s adviser, associate professor Maurice Eisenstein, told Gianna that students’ interest in the club decreased after the election of President Barack Obama, she said.

The present club’s members said they want to dispel stereotypes about conservatives. For example, the club members are not Islamophobic, Fus said.

Gianni said just the first meeting showed her the members are educated, despite what some may think about conservatives.

“Just because your opinion doesn’t match ours doesn’t mean we are uneducated, racist, homophobic, xenophobic,” Gianni said. “Here, we have created not a club, but a family — a family of likeminded, intelligent students who deserve to be heard.”