Persecution from the left: Oregon & Seattle campuses plan pushback

Seattle University collegians discuss the intolerance of the left and event ideas

There are few areas in the country as rabidly eco-crazy than the Pacific Northwest. That’s why it is so great to see coalitions of conservative and libertarian students coming together to discuss how they can best counter extremist environmentalism on their campuses. The things they had been subject to from liberal students and administrations, however, was anything but encouraging.

Students at Oregon State University and Seattle University held meetings with CFACT National Director of Collegians Adam Houser to map out how to have the best impact with their student peers. Their ideas and passion were amazing. But then the students started sharing stories about their experiences on campus.

CFACT National Director of Collegians Adam Houser presents to students at OSU

“People regularly refer to us as ‘fascists’ in place of ‘conservatives’,” said Seattle University student Maggie Roberts. “It’s getting really bad out there.” 

“I was impressed by how opposed they were to the radical left,” noted Houser. “Sometimes when you meet with collegians in liberal parts of the country they are favorable to free market environmentalism, but disagree with you on issues like climate change or fracking. I think they’ve been persecuted so much by the extreme liberal majorities within the student and faculty populations that they’ve become fed up.” 

The story was the same at Oregon State. “I think the most recent crazy thing that happened was that protests popped up where they were trying to change the names of several buildings on campus,” said OSU student William Hull. “Instead of approaching it from a calm perspective where they obtain signatures peacefully, students take to the streets and make demands from the administration. And the administration gives in! If us conservatives or libertarians took that approach on anything we’d immediately be kicked off campus.”

Oregon State collegians discuss how to do events on free market environmentalism

Thankfully, these students were not deterred. Seattle University collegians are planning to do a showing of CFACT’s Climate Hustle film, to let their campus know there are those who disagree with the view that humans are causing catastrophic climate change. Oregon State students want to do a nature walk and litter clean up to show their liberal peers that they you don’t have to be a believer in man-made climate change or heavy handed government regulation to care about the environment.

“We’ll be there every step of the way to help these activists fight back,” said Houser. “It’s tough out there as a campus conservative or libertarian. But you have to fight back, you have to show the left that the tolerance they preach doesn’t only apply if you agree with them. They’re hypocrites, and we’re going to expose them.”