One for the Gipper

Students looking for creative ways to shake up the politically correct climate at their colleges should seek inspiration from Ronald Reagan, says Patrick X. Coyle, author of “The Campus Conservative Battleplan.”

Comparing passive acceptance of liberal dominance of the nation’s campuses to the “detente” approach to the Cold War, Mr. Coyle urges conservative students to emulate the man who declared, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

Mr. Coyle’s role as director of campus programs for Young America’s Foundation has made him a target of leftist groups who call him the “puppet master” responsible for bringing speakers such as Ann Coulter and David Horowitz to university campuses.

The following are excerpts of an e-mail interview with Mr. Coyle:

Question: You describe your approach to conservative activism on campus as the “Ronald Reagan Model.” Why?

Answer: We recognize that Ronald Reagan won the Cold War and in doing so he didn’t cater to the Soviets through policies such as detente. His predecessors’ hope was to avoid confrontation, to just “contain” communism even though the communists were determined to destroy our way of life. It was because of these weak policies that we saw communism slowly gaining ground and freedom losing ground. Ronald Reagan reversed this trend by confronting the Soviets with accurate descriptions of their “evil empire” and challenging [Mikhail] Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.

Conservative students can be just as effective at winning on campus by adopting the mind-set embraced by Ronald Reagan. They can dramatically alter the atmosphere on their college campus by aggressively promoting conservatism and challenging liberal ideas every week. …

Q: Is there a danger that, by pursuing the “aggressive,” “confrontational” style of activism you recommend, conservative students might alienate their peers?

A: Conservatives are often afraid to speak out in class or organize activities for the fear of reprisals from campus leftists, administrators and faculty. Many of their activities are reduced to holding social events, setting up voter registration drives and so on. There is nothing inherently wrong with these activities, and they can be a component of conservative activity on campus. However, the passive approach does little to advance conservative ideas. Other students will never have the opportunity to hear or even consider conservative viewpoints unless conservatives adopt an active agenda promoting conservative ideas.

Following an aggressive style of activism does not, by definition, mean that conservatives should scream obnoxious slogans such as “invade Iran” or “burn the rain forests.” This won’t bring other students to conservatism. Conservatives should be vocal but, more importantly, they need to follow a proactive approach to advancing conservatism. …

Q: One of your suggestions is that students celebrate “Freedom Week” in November to commemorate the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. Most of this year’s freshmen were in diapers in 1989. Do they have any understanding of the Cold War?

A: Unfortunately, the average student does not, which only underscores the importance of commemorating “Freedom Week.” … Following the Cold War, Marxism was proven to be an unmitigated failure, yet pro-Marxist courses still flourish on college campuses. Some would argue that college campuses are the last bastions where Marxism is fervently embraced, which would explain why today’s college students might not completely understand the Cold War or appreciate President Reagan’s victory over communism. …

Few students are ever taught that collectivist regimes murdered 100 million people. They need to be reminded that the Soviet economy was such a failure that people had to wait in line for hours for a simple loaf of bread. When the Wall fell, East Germans eagerly fled … to the freedom, opportunity and prosperity offered by the West. …

If conservatives do not remind the younger generations of the dangers of Marxism, the Left will win by default.

Q: Why do you urge students to make an issue of the Che Guevara T-shirts that have become fashionable among many young people?

A: For decades the Left tried to glorify murderers and thugs like [Vladimir I.] Lenin, Mao [Zedong] and even [Josef] Stalin. They are discredited today because people know about their evil deeds. Che is more obscure. He is one notorious figure who is idolized by the Left and hailed as a “hero,” yet most students never learn the truth about his [legacy] of violence.

They don’t know, for example, that Che murdered his friends who didn’t completely reject democratic ideas; he supported [Fidel] Castro’s violent revolution of Cuba; he murdered children in his guerilla camps for being accused of stealing food, and he authored the book “Guerilla Warfare,” where he explains the best methods to murder people. …

Q: What are some of the other types of activism you recommend for students?

A: The most effective activity to reach the greatest numbers of students is to host a prominent conservative speaker on campus. Young America’s Foundation is the only organization that specializes in helping students host Ann Coulter, John Ashcroft, Michelle Malkin and many others.

One of the advantages of hosting a conservative speaker on campus is that it gives young people a chance to hear conservative ideas from a conservative and not through the filter of a professor or the mainstream media. Additionally, there is nothing better than watching an ignorant liberal student — or even better, an arrogant liberal professor — ask what he thinks is a challenging question to Ann Coulter who tears down their arguments in front of thousands of people. …

Q: Several researchers have documented that liberals are an overwhelming majority of university faculty. How does that affect the political climate on campus?

A: Sadly, most conservatives will find the campus atmosphere openly hostile, since most faculty and administrators are only interested in presenting left-wing readings and ideas. Last spring, we scheduled Ann Coulter at Loyola University in Chicago. During Ann’s presentation, she was constantly interrupted by leftist agitators who yelled sexually explicit obscenities. No action was taken by any deans or administrators to encourage these students to respect free speech. …

Q: Ronald Reagan was famous for his jokes and one-liners. Do you encourage conservative students to emulate the Gipper’s sense of humor?

A: Since the Left is so angry and full of angst, it is important we promote our philosophy in ways that are fun and provocative. We encourage students to reach the broadest possible audience, but they need to remember that they are competing not just with the Left but with all other activities on campus.

Conservative activists must focus on their target audience. For better or worse, more students watch Comedy Central than Fox News. If conservatives market their programs as another professorial lecture, they shouldn’t be surprised if attendance is disappointing. Instead, we encourage our activists to promote their events as a program that students won’t want to miss. …

Q: Do you think conservative students are making an impact on campuses?

A. Absolutely. Through Young America’s Foundation’s activist network on more than 2,000 campuses, we have been able to host more than 500 lectures a year reaching more than 200,000 young people annually.

Students following the “Battleplan” strategies have experienced great success: Intolerant, left-wing professors have resigned, ROTC is being preserved on campuses nationwide, and pressure is placed upon schools, which indoctrinate students under the guise of “tolerance” and “diversity.”

Campus conservatives are no longer happy being relegated to small discussion groups that reach, at best, a handful of their peers. They want to expose the entire student body to conservative ideas. …

Young people can also learn how to advance conservative ideas by taking part in Young America’s Foundation’s upcoming conferences and training seminars occurring at our … Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, Calif. Additionally, if a parent or student is interested in learning more about the ideas and activities contained in the “Battleplan,” they are welcome to call me at Young America’s Foundation and request a free copy.