What started as a campus decision quickly turned into a statewide debate and gained local and national news attention after Loyola confirmed that its Student Government Association denied Turning Point USA’s application to become a chartered student organization.
Shortly after Fox News covered the story, the university said SGA “leads a peer-to-peer process for recognizing new student organizations” and confirmed that Turning Point USA’s application “was not approved.” Loyola added that student leaders of the group were informed of their right to appeal the decision.
The story gained wider attention after Fox News cited reporting from The Maroon, Loyola’s student-run newspaper, which first reported the denial following the Oct. 15 SGA Senate meeting.
Landry posted on social media Tuesday, criticizing the university’s handling of the application. Sharing a highlighted portion of Loyola’s mission statement that reads, “Loyola University New Orleans… welcomes students of diverse backgrounds.”
Landry wrote in the caption: “Hmmm… so much for welcoming students with diverse backgrounds, @loyola_nola. I’ll be taking a look at this to ensure all voices are heard on campuses across Louisiana!”
The governor’s comments came less than 24 hours after national coverage surfaced.
TPUSA at Loyola responded to the denial in a lengthy Instagram post, sharing details from its SGA presentation and emphasizing its alignment with Jesuit values of “faith and justice.”
“Here is the long-overdue debrief of what really happened in the room before SGA,” the post said. “We began the meeting by presenting who we are, what we stand for, and why we are pursuing a charter on campus.”
According to the post, senators asked how the group would “assimilate into campus life, given Loyola’s diverse environment of students and faculty from all backgrounds.”
The chapter stated that its goal is to “offer a space where our faith can be shared and where students are welcomed to engage in open and sometimes polarizing conversations without fear of being ‘cancelled.’”
TPUSA also said that other students protested during the SGA deliberations on Oct. 15.
“Members of this opposing group had the opportunity to speak against us, sharing their concerns about TPUSA as an organization and our request to be chartered,” the group wrote.
The post concluded that the chapter plans to move forward with an appeal.
“Our work doesn’t stop here,” they said. “We will continue to advocate for the approval of this organization and stand firm in our commitment to free expression and student representation.”
This is a developing story. Follow The Maroon for continued coverage.
Philip Frady • Nov 6, 2025 at 3:55 pm
Charlie did say that the Civil Rights Act was a destructive force in the US. The tell is he never offered a conservative alternative to the Civil Rights Act that would have broken down the legal barriers to education and careers for minorities. Sometimes weĺl intentioned people lack a basic knowledge and understanding of why such laws as the Civil Rights Act was and is necessary. For example we see a throughline from George Wallace’s voter denial efforts to the MAGA effort to minimize the impact of minority voting through unprecedented efforts to redistrict Congressional Districts to minimize the impact of minority voting.
Andrew Wolfe • Nov 4, 2025 at 1:48 pm
The lack of any information from SGA compromises the value of this report. The false information about TPUSA doesn’t mean that SGA was basing its decision on such false information. We don’t know until the SGA presents its rationale.
That said, we have a very large number of student organizations and it’s hard to see any reason why TPUSA should be denied a charter. What complaints have there been about other TPUSA chapters?
This rejection makes the SGA and the overall student body look bad. It’s one thing to have a principled disagreement with political and social conservatives. It’s quite another to obstruct them from assembling as a Loyola group.
Linda McCarrin • Nov 3, 2025 at 6:58 pm
Keep up the great work, Loyola! Don’t let them win the appeal.