Loyola students behind the proposed Turning Point USA chapter say they plan to appeal the Student Government Association’s decision to deny them official recognition. The group said they were “excited still” but “pretty disappointed” to learn, through Instagram, that their charter had been rejected on Oct. 15.

“We presented on Wednesday night, and by Thursday morning Students for Democratic Society had posted on their Instagram that we got denied,” said senior biochemistry major Peyton Woods.

The group said they were told to expect a smooth process at the senate meeting, but that the meeting atmosphere was far from relaxed with over 100 students in attendance.

 “We were told it was going to be a chill presentation, that we’d go in, present, maybe have some questions asked, and then they’d vote,” Woods said.

When that didn’t happen to be the case she said they were pretty disappointed.  

“Have you ever presented something in front of roughly 65 people who literally just probably looked like they wanted to pull your hair out?” Capasso said. “It was just the three of us, and we were looking at all these people’s faces.”

The founders said they were surprised by the limited time they were given and that they had no chance to respond to criticisms.

 “We only had so many minutes to present and then there were seven minutes of questions,” Woods said. “Then we were asked to leave the room and not even have a way to defend ourselves or any rebuttal.”

Capasso said that it didn’t feel fair. 

“I don’t think that’s really democratic at all,” she said. “I would rather somebody confront me and I could explain to them.”

They said they were frustrated that other students found out before they did.

Student Government Association President Nicholas Keen and Vice President Jessica Valerio both declined to comment on the issue. 

 “Even if we did get denied, I think it just undermines the authority of SGA holding this democratic process,” Capasso said. “Word breaks out before we even get it.”

When asked about the reasons given for the denial, the students said the Student Government Association cited “Jesuit values” as a key concern.

 “One of the main reasons that they focused on was about Jesuit values, and we align with that,” Woods said. “That’s the basis of our foundation, on faith.”

The university failed to respond in time within the deadline of this article. 

“It made us think, okay, so this was a premeditated answer when we got there,” added Viviana Capasso, a senior political science major. “We never stood a chance.”

Viviana Capasso, Peyton Woods, and Anistin Murray, a freshman mass communication major minoring in public relations, said they started the chapter out of both faith and conviction.

“Honestly it was actually me and her,” Capasso said, referring to Woods. “We just met Anistin this year for being a freshman, and I remember being at work and hearing about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. We were in shock because we just really admired him.”

The three said the event pushed them to get involved. 

“I was like, ‘I want to do something,’” Capasso said. “That’s the type of person I am. I signed up to get involved, and then our Bayou representative for Turning Point reached out to me and then I was like, holy crap this could actually happen.”

Murray said she also signed up separately around the same time. 

“It was a Wednesday, I remember it,” she said. “He was like, ‘oh my god, two other people just signed up and wanted to do this at Loyola in New Orleans,’ and then they connected us.” 

The three then began preparing their constitution and chartering materials, believing they were on the right track. 

“We started looking into the chartering process, how to connect, stuff like that,” Capasso said. “We had high hopes that we followed the procedures and everything outlined for us.”

They said their organization would have promoted debate and discussion grounded in their beliefs. 

“Turning Point is a political organization that creates a safe environment for free discussion outside of the classroom,” Capasso said. “We would not want to impose on a faith-based group and say, ‘hey, let’s have all these political conversations,’ when their primary goal is not that. For us, our primary goal is politics that are motivated and founded on our faith.”

Woods added that the club’s purpose was to foster “critical thinking through debate and conversation.”

 “We can have nuance and coexistence but still hear each other,” she said. “There might be multiple opinions about a topic or subject; that’s something vital that Loyola has as an institution.”

Capasso said that as a political science major, she’s experienced firsthand the pressure of speaking up in class.

“Talking about it on Instagram or on Fizz, tearing each other apart, where is that getting us?” she added. “We want to be able to sit down and talk about our differences.” 

Murray echoed that feeling, saying the denial isn’t just about politics but about dialogue. 

“If we only have a single-minded campus, like an echo chamber of thought, and then people go out into the real world, how are they going to survive?” she said. “They’re going to think everybody’s against them. No, it’s just that we have different opinions.” 

She said the group wanted to provide a space for those differences.

“We wish we could have stayed in the room and engaged,” Murray said. “We have enough self-control to endure what people would say in opposition, and that’s okay. It’s welcome, because that’s our right and that’s our freedom.”

Since the vote, the students said they’ve received increasing support from peers and national attention from outside groups and media outlets.

“We’ve had too many reporters,” Woods said. “Tulane asked us to write a story. Fox News wrote an article about us. Everybody’s hearing about it.”

They said Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s public statement on the issue left them “humbled.”

“We’re literally shocked that so many people in this state and in the city are in support or reaching out to help,” Woods said. “It’s a lot though because this is the first time doing this, and we’re just trying to be smart about how we go about these things.”

Capasso added. “We would love to work through the school, go through school processes to get approved in the correct way.”

Despite the controversy, the group plans to move forward with an appeal of SGA’s decision.

Woods said. “We’re not going to say exactly when, but it’s going to be soon.”

They said they have continued organizing, keeping in touch with members and supporters.

When asked what message the SGA’s denial sends to Loyola’s community, Capasso said it’s about more than just one student club.

“I saw someone comment on Loyola’s official Instagram, saying, ‘I was thinking of coming to Loyola but now I’m not so sure,’” she said. “How am I sure that I’ll be able to express the way I feel and think if college cannot even approve an organization that promotes that? It’s one person, but it still matters.”

Murray said she hopes the controversy leads to more understanding, not division.

“We love this campus,” she said. “We love the students here. We just want to work together to make the environment stronger and more diverse.”

Woods agreed. “We want to create a space for free discussion,” she said. “Because if there’s no disagreement, we become weak.”

For the three students, the experience, while challenging, has only reaffirmed their motivation.

“This is my ‘why.’ I found a voice, and I think I was meant to be here for this reason,” Murray said.