Congressman Alleges Wisconsin College “Blew Off” Inquiry into Conservative Student Group Controversy

Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden has publicly criticized Beloit College for allegedly ignoring his attempts to discuss a student’s complaint about barriers to forming a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter on campus.

The Wisconsin representative sought to investigate claims from Beloit College student Jocelyn Jordan that school administrators were preventing her from establishing a chapter of the conservative campus activism organization founded by Charlie Kirk, who was recently the target of an assassination attempt.

“Our office reached out to Beloit College in good faith to discuss this matter and were blown off,” Van Orden stated on his official X account. “That is unacceptable. Every student, regardless of political belief, deserves the right to organize, speak freely, and participate fully in campus life without fear of retribution.”

According to Van Orden’s office, staff contacted the college president’s administrative office to arrange a call with President Eric Boynton on Monday. Though initially agreeing to the conversation, the college later sent an attorney, Eric Rumbaugh, to inform the congressman that Boynton would not participate on advice of counsel. Van Orden’s subsequent follow-up call went to voicemail, which the congressman claims remained unreturned.

Beloit College disputes this characterization, telling Fox News Digital that they returned the congressman’s call Wednesday morning, two days after the initial contact. “He had had a long conversation with Rep. Van Orden’s office at that time,” a college spokesperson stated. The congressman’s staff indicated he plans to return their call on Thursday.

The controversy began in early October when Jordan and fellow students initiated efforts to establish a TPUSA chapter at Beloit. TPUSA has expanded its presence across American campuses in recent years, adding high school chapters to its network of college and university clubs.

Jordan alleges that beyond the standard requirements for establishing campus organizations, her group faced additional obstacles. She claims every faculty member approached, including the dean of students, refused to serve as the required faculty advisor. Jordan says she was advised to establish a group without the Turning Point name.

Further complicating matters, Jordan reported that a student government representative indicated that even with a faculty advisor, a TPUSA chapter would likely be rejected for violating the school’s “Student Statement of Culture” policy due to actions by the national organization.

The situation intensified when Jordan and her classmates began promoting their club on social media in mid-October. According to Jordan, they quickly became targets of a harassment campaign that included disturbing imagery on the group’s Instagram page labeling them as Nazis, KKK members, and white supremacists.

Jordan says the university initially dismissed their harassment concerns, stating they couldn’t identify the perpetrators. When the harassment escalated to threats, Jordan filed a police report, which apparently prompted greater action from the college. The school eventually banned one of the main alleged harassers—reportedly an alumnus working in food service on campus—from college grounds.

“As a student, I should feel comfortable coming to campus no matter what beliefs I have, no matter what I identify as, no matter who I want to be. And, at this moment, I don’t feel comfortable,” Jordan told Fox News Digital.

Beloit College has denied blocking the formation of the Republican student club. A spokesperson stated that the school has acted “in full accordance with campus policies” and that all potential clubs must follow identical requirements. The college further asserted it is “committed to fostering respectful, open inquiry and encouraging a diversity of perspectives on campus.”

This incident occurs amid increasing national attention to political tensions on college campuses, including a recent Department of Justice investigation into unrest at a TPUSA event at UC Berkeley. It also highlights ongoing debates about viewpoint diversity and conservative representation in higher education.