College ‘blows off’ GOP rep asking why students couldn’t start Turning Point club

A Republican member of Congress who wanted to support one of his constituents who accused his university of thwarting his attempts to start a new Turning Point USA chapter on campus was reportedly “blown away” by university administrators after he tried to talk to the school to better understand what was going on.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., attempted to gather facts regarding a Beloit College student’s allegations that his college prevented him from establishing a new Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter on campus. TPUSA was a conservative campus activism nonprofit organization founded by assassinated activist Charlie Kirk.

Additionally, student Jocelyn Jordan accused her school of failing to adequately respond to a campaign of harassment she and her classmates faced as a result of their efforts to form a new TPUSA club on campus. The harassment initially included disturbing images on the group’s new Instagram page, referring to Jordan and his co-founders as Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members and White supremacists, but eventually escalated into threats.

“Our office contacted Beloit College in good faith to discuss this matter and they were surprised,” Van Orden said in a statement posted on the official X account. “This is unacceptable. Every student, regardless of political beliefs, deserves the right to organize, speak freely, and fully participate in campus life without fear of retribution.”

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According to Van Orden, his staff called the Beloit College President’s Administrative Office on Monday to arrange a phone call between the congressman and the college’s President Eric Boynton. The congressman said his office agreed to schedule the phone call for the afternoon.

But a few hours before the meeting was to take place, Eric Rumbaugh, an attorney representing the school, informed the congressman and his staff that Boynton would not attend the meeting on the lawyer’s advice. Wanting to clarify the issue further, the congressman called Rumbaugh himself the same day, but the call went straight to voicemail. Van Orden left a message requesting a call back, but told Fox News Digital that Rumbaugh has not called him back to date.

But when reached for comment on this story, a Beloit University spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the voicemail was returned a few hours earlier Wednesday morning, two days after Van Orden left her voicemail at the president’s office.

“Beloit College received an inquiry from Representative Van Orden, and it is appropriate for the college representative to return the call to Representative Van Orden’s office,” a Beloit College spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. he said. “He had a lengthy conversation with Representative Van Orden’s office at the time. Representative Van Orden called again on the afternoon of the 10th and left a message. The phone call was returned this morning and Representative Van Orden has not returned our call since.” Van Orden’s staff later told Fox News Digital that the congressman plans to return on Thursday.

The decision by a group of Beloit College students to start a new TPUSA chapter on campus occurred in early October. A large part of TPUSA’s activism efforts is building support on campuses across the country through chapter clubs at various colleges and universities. TPUSA was eventually expanded to include high school departments.

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Jordan and his classmates were told by school administrators that there was a list of requirements they must meet before officially forming the club; these included finding a faculty advisor. According to Jordan, every faculty member the students have requested so far has refused to help them, including the dean of students; Jordan said he was advised to form a band without the Turning Point name attached.

Jordan also said a prominent member of the student body on campus said that even if they could find a faculty advisor, they would not be able to create a Turning Point chapter on campus because the actions of the national-level organization TPUSA allegedly violated Beloit College’s “Student Culture Statement” policy.

In response to the accusations, a Beloit College spokesperson denied that faculty prevented Jordan and his classmates from starting a TPUSA chapter and told Fox News Digital that the school is “fully compliant with campus policies” and that all potential clubs must comply with the same list of requirements.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden told Fox News Digital that his hometown community of 5,500 was shaken by this brutal crime. (Provided by Congressman Derrick Van Orden’s office)

After Jordan and his classmates began promoting their club on social media in mid-October, a harassment campaign quickly followed targeting students for their efforts.

Jordan said the university ignored students’ initial harassment concerns and told them there was nothing faculty could do because they couldn’t determine who was making the harassing posts. When the harassment escalated into threats, Jordan later filed a report with the police; It was a move that appeared to spur greater action from the university, and eventually one of the main harassers, Jordan, an alumnus who was working in campus food service at the time, was banned from campus.

“As a student, no matter what my faith is, no matter what I identify as, whoever I want to be, I should feel comfortable coming to campus. And right now, I don’t feel comfortable,” Jordan told Fox News Digital.

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In addition to denying that the school prevented Jordan and his classmates from forming a Republican student club, the school also insisted that it was “committed to promoting respectful, open inquiry and encouraging diverse perspectives on campus.”

“The college takes all allegations of threats and harassment against students seriously, including recent allegations regarding students interested in creating a Turning Point USA chapter,” the college told Fox News Digital. he said. “Beloit College expects all members of our community to show compassion and respect for one another. We are an educational institution, and students learn best in a safe and vibrant campus environment.”