After Student Government Clash, Tennessee Turning Point USA Chapter Gets Green Light

A Tennessee university on Thursday approved the creation of a Turning Point USA chapter on campus after the conservative group faced opposition from the school’s student government.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC)’s Student Government Association on Wednesday voted against approving the Charlie Kirk-inspired club, sparking backlash from conservative lawmakers. Less than 24 hours after that vote, the university announced that it had approved the application in accordance with school guidelines. 

“The Dean of Students Office has determined that Turning Point USA is approved as a Registered Student Organization,” the university announced Thursday morning. “While the Student Government Association may voice opinions, recognition of student organizations is determined by the UTC Dean of Students and Chancellor. Turning Point USA has been authorized in accordance with university policy and the law.”  

Calls to approve the club poured in after Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet said that UTC’s student government had denied the request to approve the formation of the club. 

Get 40% off new DailyWire+ annual memberships with code FALL40 at checkout! 

“This decision effectively blocks our students from gaining official recognition on campus. As a result, the students will be forced to restart the process, reapplying and once again facing the same SGA that has already demonstrated clear bias against them. Tennessee, are these the values of your state? Your tax dollars are propping this garbage up,” Kolvet posted on X.

After the vote, the university stated that final approval for the club went through school officials, not the student government. 

Shortly before the university announced its decision to approve the club, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) urged school officials to “do the right thing.” 

“The Student Government Association at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga just voted to recommend that a [TPUSA] chapter not be approved,” Blackburn wrote on X. “Do the right thing and approve the Turning Point chapter immediately.”

Several state Republican representatives also commented on the student government’s vote, saying that the university would approve the application. 

Rep. Jason Zachary, a Republican who represents part of Knoxville, said Thursday that he had spoken with Randy Boyd, the president of the University of Tennessee system, about the student government association’s vote. Zachary urged Turning Point USA to reach out to him if they had any other problems. 

After UTC announced the approval of the club, Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth, a Republican, praised the school. 

“Glad to see [TPUSA] approved at [UTC]. Looks like some of these young conservatives need to run against the liberal SGA who didn’t even want their voices heard on campus,” he said. “Appreciate the Dean standing for free speech.”

Following the assassination of Kirk last month in Utah, Turning Point USA has reported a massive surge in requests to form new chapters on both high school and college campuses. The organization said last week that it has launched 1,500 new high school chapters nationwide, up from roughly 1,200 total before Kirk’s death.