Let’s be honest, we all have a feel for the political atmosphere surrounding our college. Whether it be noticing which clubs get the most funding from the university, the subtle messages some professors hint at during lecture, or even what your fellow students strut across campus in. Politics is a natural part of college life. It is the first time we are able to form our own opinions, openly express our ideas, and most importantly vote. But, my campus is a little different than most. The University of Michigan is often ranked as one of the most liberal campuses across the country and believe me we show it. Our students are liberal, our faculty is liberal, and our city is liberal.
Just ask Omar Mahmood who, after writing his article “Do The Left Thing”, was forced out of his job at The Michigan Daily; or more recently you can look at the controversy surrounding the University and the American Sniper movie. These are the most extreme examples on campus and unfortunately they shine a negative light on liberal campuses. But, being on a liberal campus is not necessarily a bad thing. And while I do not “Feel the Bern” or want “Hillary for America,” I’ve learned a tremendous amount from my campus.
I have learned that open and respectful debate about government, policy, and ideology is why our country is so great. At Michigan I am never more than a person away from an engaging policy discussion and I love it. These small dialogues are intense and heated, but at the same time my liberal counterparts love to bring facts and ideas to my mind that I never would have considered. Before coming to college I knew the basics of conservatism: small government, free enterprise, and strong national defense. But now—because of my lovely liberal friends—I know where I stand on education, environmentalism, single payer healthcare, and just about every other possible policy. They challenge me to know more.
There is no room for political complacency at the University of Michigan, and I learned that the hard way. Michigan has taught me that constructive and respectful discussions are crucial; they allow people to explore new ideas and learn from one another. In truth, my liberal campus has made me a better conservative. I bet they regret that.
My time as a conservative on campus has also taught me that it is alright not to fit in with university norms; in reality it is kind of fun being an outlier, it makes me unique. Coming into college I was worried that being a conservative on campus was going to be a problem. I didn’t know if the professors would be pushy with their ideologies or if the student body was going to discount my conservative views.
However, these fears have turned out to be somewhat unwarranted. Sure, I have had my fair share of disputes with a few presumptuous students on campus, but it hasn’t been anything serious. Being one of the few conservatives on campus is actually refreshing. It allows me to be different and helps me to separate myself in a school of nearly 44,000 students. I’ve learned that, like everywhere else, if you search hard enough you will find a community of people like you. And sure enough, I was able to find those fellow conservatives, even at the University of Michigan.
But, the most important thing that I have learned from being a conservative on a liberal campus is that, contrary to common belief, it is alright to like people of the other political party. As a country we are more partisan than ever before and our political ideology is even affecting the way we look at others. In David Frum’s article, “The Great Republican Revolt”, he discusses how one-third of Democrats and one-half of Republicans would be upset if their child married someone of the other party. Let’s be honest this is crazy.
Yes, I want my future wife to be a conservative, but her political ideology is going to have little influence over whether or not I marry her. Having strong beliefs are great, but being at Michigan has taught me that some of my favorite people are liberals. My closest friends here are far from conservative and we often get into intense debates over different policies, but at the end of the day they are still my friends and I still love them. Being a conservative here is important, but not nearly as important as loving others or finding yourself. The University of Michigan may be liberal, but it has showed me—a strong conservative—that life is about so much more than politics.
