Enrollment for the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, has remained stagnant as students express fear of social and academic retaliation for holding conservative beliefs. According to Rachel Cook, the chapter president, a prevailing sentiment on campus is that being conservative is not a popular idea, leading to a reluctance to join the student group.
"In general, a lot of students are afraid of being ostracized by their peers or ... not being [accepted] — it's a very minority group," Cook told Fox News Digital. "We have seen a lot of disrespect and not a lot of people who are open to having civil discussion and discourse."
Cook reported incidents where TPUSA chapter members and affiliated pro-life advocates faced harassment. "An officer has gotten spit at when we table, and we have had people be harassed," Cook said. "Even in these past couple of weeks, people have come up to them, ripped their signs, and attempted to hit them. A lot of people choose not to press charges."
The stagnation in membership follows a high-profile decision nearly a year prior by the student government to recognize the TPUSA chapter, which initially sparked significant opposition on campus. David Peters, former chair of the La Plata County GOP, noted that "a lot of students are reluctant to join the chapter for fear of retaliation."
Fort Lewis College officials stated that campus security is a priority and that the college has not received any reports of harassment involving TPUSA chapter members this academic year. A college spokesperson said, "Fort Lewis College takes the safety of our students and visitors seriously. We continue to respond to all reports of safety concerns on campus."
The national TPUSA organization has seen increased interest in establishing campus chapters, with over 120,000 inquiries following the assassination of co-founder Charlie Kirk in September 2025. However, the Fort Lewis College chapter has struggled with recruitment, partially due to the campus climate.
Initially, the effort to establish the chapter was led by Jonah Flynn, who proposed a watchlist of professors. The Associated Students of Fort Lewis College (ASFLC) student government initially rejected Flynn's proposal, but later reversed the decision and approved the group. The approval vote led to immediate pushback from demonstrators outside the meeting.
Despite these challenges, Cook expressed optimism for the chapter's upcoming initiatives, which include focusing on policy issues affecting the community and events related to the Second Amendment. The chapter recently held a memorial vigil for Charlie Kirk.