Campus Reform: Valencia Community College

As a part of their Tax Day activism and YAL's April All-Out Activism 2012, the Young Americans for Liberty chapter at University of Central Florida took part in the national #Occupy The Honor Roll activism event.

In their first year as a student group on campus, Florida Students for Concealed Carry at the University of Florida has had an incredibly successful year. Just this past month, they staged a successful concealed carry protest on campus.

Just two weeks after the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) announced that University of Florida was sharing the honor of "Speech Code of the Year" with California State University-Chico, the text of the speech code in question was removed from UF's "Student's Rights and Responsibilities Policy". 

College Democrats tabled on University of South Florida’s (USF) campus with U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to promote Universal Health Care to passersby.

The College Democrats tried to manipulate students to support Universal Health Care by informing students they can now stay on their parent’s health care until they are 26.  USF’s student newspaper, The Oracle, originally covered the story.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) announced this week that the University of Florida won the April Speech Code of the Month.  The University of Florida Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook policy states, “Organizations or individuals that adversely upset the delicate balance of communal living will be subject to disciplinary action by the University."

The most powerful truth that conservative student activists should learn is this: when you stand up for your principles, you will likely win. That's the lesson the Young Americans for Freedom at the University of South Florida (USF) learned this week.

This past spring, a group of students at USF came together form a chapter of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF). They researched their school's requirements to become a recognized campus group and submitted their application for approval. Then they waited.

In September 2010, USF's Student Programs Coordinator emailed the group to say they had been denied university recognition. The reason? The administration deemed the conservative Young Americans for Freedom too similar to the libertarian Young Americans for Liberty, a group already present on campus.

But the Young Americans for Freedom knew not to give up. They contacted FIRE, a prominent legal defense organization, for help -- and FIRE delivered.

In May 2010, at the University of South Florida (USF), several students decided to come together and start a Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) chapter on their campus.

They met for an informational meeting, handed out flyers on campus and met at the campus food court after school twice to ensure they had all the requirements necessary to be a recognized club. After submitting the required information to the office of Student Involvement in May, the university finally replied to the group five months later on September 24th stating, in an email, that the purpose and mission statement of YAF is too similar to another group on campus and "that no other student organization can exist with the same or similar mission/purpose."

The administrator, Edna Miller Jones, told the students who wanted to start a YAF chapter on campus that their mission statement and purpose were to similar to that of the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL).

The students were shocked that they were denied, especially after reading the mission statement of YAL which is significantly different that YAF's mission statement.

Recently, conservative students at the University of Florida challenged the College Democrats to a debate. Watch the videos below and decide for yourself who was the winner.

If you're interested in hosting a debate on campus check out our activism resources to make it as successful as possible.

This post is part of CampusReform.org's guide to the nation's top 100 colleges. Each day, CampusReform.org profiles a different college, examines its political climate, and offers items of interest to conservative students, parents, and alumni. Click here to see the full list of college profiles.

The University of Florida (UF), located in Gainesville, Florida, is one of the largest public universities in the country with an enrollment of more 50,000 students. UF is the oldest university in Florida, having been established in 1853. Among its other programs, UF is known for its Division I sports teams, the Florida Gators -- especially the Florida Gators football team.

Campus Life

Of the 18 political student groups on campus, 10 are liberal and eight are conservative.

Liberal campus groups are the Animal Activists of America Alachua County; Action Party; Amnesty International; College Democrats; Gator Chapter of the NAACP; Human Rights Awareness on Campus; Law School Democrats; NORML; Pride Student Union; and VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood.

Conservative campus groups are Americans for Prosperity; Network of enlighted Women; Pro-Life Alliance; American Constitution Society; College Republicans; Gators for Israel; Law School Republicans; and The Florida Frontier, a conservative newspaper. The italicized groups are affiliated with CampusReform.org's Campus Leadership Program, which provides students with advice, assistance, and many kinds of support.

A recent article in the Independent Florida Alligator revealed the lavish spending practices of Accent, an organization at the University of Florida funded by Student Activity and Service Fees, which sponsors celebrity speeches and events on campus.

According to SG finance records, Accent has not been the greatest steward of student funds.