Elon invited Kathleen Parker, a Pulitzer Prize winner and accomplished columnist, to speak at the university this coming school year. Parker describes herself as "slightly right of center," and many students began a petition to cancel her presentation and counter her "consistent attack on all of the things Elon has been working towards -- ending sexual assault, increasing diversity..." However, Elon responded with a firm rejection of the petition.

Dan Anderson, Elon’s vice president of communications, authored the official response: “It is important to know that the university does not endorse or reject the ideas expressed by the speakers we engage… We would be shortchanging our community if we were to engage only those who express ideas that are held by the majority… Our world cannot move forward if we all withdraw into camps of like-minded people. We must ensure that Elon students are exposed to the wide range of ideas they will encounter as they live and work around the globe in the complex 21st century.”

Yet, Elon University almost exclusively invites speakers from the far left. The political speakers chosen for the first semester of Elon’s Cultural series in fall 2015 shared a disappointing commonality -- party affiliation. Melissa Harris-Perry, Leonard Pitts Jr., and Jennifer Granholm all identify as members of the Democratic Party. Out of the three, Harris-Perry and Pitts primarily addressed race relations in America, a central theme of the school year based upon the common reading "Why We Can’t Wait" by MLK. Why not change it up a bit?

The “Young America’s Foundation” offers a variety of resources geared toward young, republican students. By simply inserting the desired price range and topic, the site will instantly suggest speakers available to present. Black political activists such as Deroy Murdock and Joseph Phillips offer race perspectives from the right, and their professional experience in broadcast, book/opinions writing, etc. make for a well qualified, interesting speaker material. These individuals come at a cost in only the second lowest range the organization offers ($1,000-3,000).

Even Parker, who seemed to represent a rare exception, fits a better liberal mold than conservative. Shortly after Elon released a statement defending Parker’s presentation, an article published in the Wall Street Journal revealed a noteworthy confession: “I’ve never been a Republican and never said I was. I’ve been an independent since the early ‘80s and was a Democrat before that.”

However, no matter the political party, I stand by my initial support in allowing Parker to speak on campus. Though I lean to the right, I consider myself open to other opinions. I do not wish to convert Democrats to Republicans, but to promote awareness of diverse thinking. Differing opinions often encounter conflict, but disagreements lead to change, an abstract concept vital to maintaining a society which guarantees as many rights and freedoms to as many as possible. Countless college campuses hypocritically value diversity and openness to everything except matters they find disagreeable. Kathleen Parker responded to complaints through a simple tweet: “Dear ‪#Elon students - I look forward to speaking w/you this fall about life, love and politics. I'm confident we'll learn from each other.” You go, girl!

The petition cited two articles written by Parker, pointing to her “dangerous” opinions toward race and rape. I for one, agree with the majority of her views in these topic areas, as she provided solid evidence to back her strong statements. Her opinions do not represent any extreme, polarizing ideas. According to the Elon school newspaper (The Pendulum), Parker “frequently appears on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” MSNBC’s “Hardball” and Fox News’ “Media Buzz,” a set of news stations with varying degrees of bias to specific parties. Are students so blindsided by their little bubbles that they don’t even realize there’s another half of the political ideological spectrum? Had Elon scheduled the KKK to present, the petitioners’ reasoning would have been justified. But, I’m no radical, and neither is Kathleen Parker.

If an individual easily takes offense, then they are not emotionally mature enough to handle an opinion other than their own. Attending the presentation is not even a mandatory requirement! Free speech needs to be valued and appreciated. Does anyone realize how many presentations I've sat through (respectfully) cringing and wanting to scream the entire time? If anyone considers Parker’s past work "threatening" to the "everyone is a special little snowflake attitude," then Elon should not have admitted me to the University. If the spread of dangerous ideas is a cause for concern, then the university should ask potential students questions in regards to their opinions in the application process to ensure safety and security on campus. Or, we could just call it discrimination.

I plan to take advantage of the buzz from the recent controversy and open the minds of students to other ways of thinking through the Alexander Hamilton Society. And no, I’m not talking about a fan club for the new hit musical, though I do enjoy the soundtrack. When a friend of mine informed me of her mission to organize a chapter on WASHU's campus this year, I decided to investigate for myself. According to their website, “The Alexander Hamilton Society (AHS) is an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting constructive debate on basic principles and contemporary issues in foreign, economic, and national security policy. AHS is a membership organization -- not a think tank or an advocacy group. Seeking to build a national network of outstanding students, faculty, and professionals, we sponsor debates at colleges and universities, as well as in major cities, and provide other opportunities for our members to flourish intellectually and professionally.”

Joseph Riley, a graduate of the 2013 class at the University of Virginia strongly endorses the mission of the Alexander Hamilton Society. He explains how students have access to professional resources, networking, and mentoring beyond a career in politics. Riley promoted unity by engaging students of different backgrounds, opinions, and views in a perspective other than their own. He reflects: “Through these debates…I had several students come up to me after each event and say they had never thought of the issues in that way, or they had never seen a civil exchange of ideas on that level, between well-informed professors and professionals who had very different views.”

I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands, and I challenge other students across the nation to do the same. Do not submit to the notorious liberal brainwashing of college campuses. Question everything, and think for yourself. Stay open to other ways of thinking, but take everything you hear with a grain of salt. And if after that, you still decide to label yourself as a liberal, then go right ahead. You’ve earned my respect.