Posted on October 31, 2010 in News
By Paul Koenig

A newly-formed conservative student group is trying to bring more American flags to the Gorham campus.

The College Conservatives, which has 13 members, have only been active since September. They held a meeting Friday in the Science Building on the Portland campus to increase their profile and to reach out to local conservatives and Tea Partiers.

The meeting, which they called a Tea Party rally, featured talks from members of the Cumberland County Tea Party and Matt Mattingly, a Maine Senate candidate for District 6, among others.

The group is trying put a new flagpole on the Gorham campus because the only American flag now is in front of Corthell Hall and is difficult to see, they say. The group’s president, April O’Leary, said they also want to put up American flags on the Gorham campus on the light posts. She said they’re focusing on Gorham because most of their members are residents on campus.

While the flag project is their yearlong goal, O’Leary said they didn’t have any other immediate plans besides meeting again next week.

O’Leary, a senior business major said there is a lack of political diversity at USM.

“On campus we are asked to promote diversity and encourage people to different, but a world where everywhere thinks the same is not diversity.” said O’Leary, who also said her and the other group members feel they’re pressured to hide their views to avoid offending anyone.

“I came here as a freshman and I came from a very conservative family,” said O’Leary. “I never wanted to say I was a conservative because I felt like I would be ostracized. I want to give students a chance to feel safe about their views.”

However, O’Leary said, more than anything, she would like to see more students involved politically on campus, regardless of their affiliation.

She said the group found four more interested students at the rally on Friday.