Student Government at Queens Catholic School Denies Turning Point USA Chapter

The student government at a Catholic university in Queens, New York, has turned down requests from peers to establish a Turning Point USA chapter on campus. This marks the second denial, following an earlier rejection last November, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the school.

According to Brian Brown, the university spokesperson, “At St. John’s University, the authority to approve or deny new student organizations primarily lies with Student Government, Inc. (SGI).” He mentioned that SGI only approved four out of the 19 proposed organizations in the prior semester.

Students interested in Turning Point USA have been advised to consider reapplying in the spring or seeking other existing resources for faculty-sponsored support.

When asked about the prospects of a third application being successful, Brown suggested that applicants should collaborate with student government leaders to rectify any issues from previous applications.

Eva Wilson, the SGI Director at St. John’s, did not respond to requests for further comment.

This rejection is part of a wider trend where various Turning Point chapters are facing challenges in gaining campus recognition, particularly following the tragic assassination of the group’s founder, Charlie Kirk, last year.

For instance, at Loyola University New Orleans, students found themselves navigating a similar situation, where their attempts to form a Turning Point chapter were also denied multiple times—all while being directed back to the same decision-making board.

Further issues arose at California Lutheran University, where students were blocked from reviving a Turning Point branch. A committee member openly expressed skepticism about the group, stating they did not want to invite controversy to the campus atmosphere.

Even more recently, attempts by students at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego to create a chapter were met with rejection, as had been the case in 2021.

Interestingly, despite the setbacks, the assassination of Kirk sparked a notable increase in interest for the movement. Following a significant memorial service for Kirk, the organization reported over 120,000 inquiries about establishing new chapters, indicating a heightened engagement from students across nearly 900 campuses nationwide.