Young Conservatives of Oklahoma aims to educate

A new group on OU’s campus, Young Conservatives of Oklahoma, is trying to create a sense of community among conservative students, said Rick Farbro, one of the founding members of the group and energy management and finance junior.

“The purpose of the group is to educate young people,” he said.

“The Young Conservatives aim to provide members with a better grasp of the actual principles behind conservatism. It allows them to grow in their ideals,” said Farbro.

The students involved with the Young Conservatives of Oklahoma are united by a belief in conserving the original premises on which the nation was founded, like individual rights and social contract theory, said Jason Byas, University College freshman and member of the group.

All too often, conservatives feel alone on OU’s campus, Farbro said.

The portions of the OU campus that identify with conservative ideals are, through this group, being provided with a forum for their views to be heard by other like-minded individuals, Byas said.

“This group seems very inclusive,” he said. “It ranges from people who consider themselves conservative in a mainstream sense to people who are considered conservative in the older sense of the world, those generally considered libertarians.”

The group differs from other political campus organizations in that the group is not loyal to politicians and candidates, Byas said. They are primarily ideological and concerned with education of the student body about the meaning of conservatism.

Young Conservatives also plans to be very careful with endorsements. Lynndi Gibbons, social studies education sophomore, said that it would take a lot for the group to endorse a candidate.

Farbro added that the candidate would have to represent truly conservative ideals.

The group plans to create a rating system for legislature so that when it comes time to vote, students can better choose a candidate that truly represents their beliefs, Gibbons said. They are also committed to raising voter awareness on campus.

In the coming meetings, the group hopes to draft a constitution and outline the principles under which the group will function, Gibbons said.

The group meets twice a month, one Tuesday and one Wednesday, to accommodate varied student schedules. The next meeting will be Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. in the basement of the Beta Theta Pi house.