“[At Oberlin] digging up a Republican among the student body is nearly impossible to do... and conservative, or even moderate, voices are virtually non-existent [sic],” read a much-discussed article that was published last fall in the online publication Front Page Magazine. Over 20 students who attended the College Republicans general interest meeting Tuesday night proved this statement false.

The students at the meeting could not be easily classified. There were connies and college students, students of different ethnicities and genders and even students of different political orientations. Some students defined themselves as Republicans, others simply as conservative. Some said they were libertarian and some students described themselves as moderate or liberal. All the students came hoping for an alternative to what they saw as the predominantly leftist discourse on campus.

“I thought I was the only one,” said several students, referring to their conservative political orientation.

The College Republicans was originally chartered at Oberlin in 1982. The group was more or less active until 1994, according to Review archives. At one point in the late 80s, the organization had as many as 40 members. In recent years, however, red signs and images of elephants such as the ones posted in the last week announcing Tuesday’s meeting have been noticeably lacking from Oberlin’s campus.

“My intention in forming this group was to contribute to and stimulate political dialogue on campus and create a forum for students who feel they aren’t represented,” said College sophomore Jonathan Bruno, who co-organized the general interest meeting with sophomore Ezra Temko. “I also hope to work closely with the OC Dems, the Socialist Alternative, anybody who’s interested — to bring in debates and create real forums where ideas can be exchanged in a civil manner.”

“Some people who knew me saw me putting up signs and asked, ‘Ezra, what are you doing? Are you a Republican?’” said Temko, who describes himself politically as a progressive moderate. “I used to be one of the most liberal kids in my high school. I was very intolerant of other viewpoints. Then I came to Oberlin, and I was shocked. Even the OC Dems describe themselves as left of the Democratic party. Political discourse at Oberlin is very contained, and it doesn’t prepare people for debates and political discourse outside of Oberlin.”

Students at the general interest meeting seemed to agree that a major goal of the organization would be to dispel myths about who a Republican is at Oberlin.

Students also shared their experiences as the conservative minority at Oberlin. A bond seemed to form around the shared trauma of the 2004 presidential election, during which one girl was ridiculed for being the only Republican on her hall, others received the silent treatment and one girl remembered being called a “heinous bitch.”

“For too many students here, Republicans are B-movie villains,” said Timothy Hall, a professor of philosophy and faculty advisor to the College Republicans. “They are thin caricatures. So, it’s a good thing that Republican students are asserting themselves. They will show their fellows that conscientious students offer powerful arguments for conservative positions.”

Bruno and Temko both said their main goal was to start the organization and let the students who attended the meeting give the group direction. Still, they expressed some hopes they had in starting the group.

“I don’t want to function in an us/them manner. I want to promote well-balanced civil discourse on this campus. My hope is that we can work with the Dems in ’06 to bring in a political debate,” said Bruno.

At their officer’s meeting, the Oberlin College Democrats discussed the emergence of the College Republicans.

“We welcome the College Republicans and hope that they will bring more diversity to political discussion on campus,” said Renata Strause, co-chair of the OC Dems. “We look forward to working with them on non-partisan issues such as voter registration and voter turnout. We also hope we can agree and that where we disagree they will add to a vibrant political debate on campus.”

At the general interest meeting, students discussed the organization’s constitution and mission and discussed ideas for future projects and events.

The group has already lined up a speaker for next week, Lawrence F. Kaplan, the senior editor of The New Republic.

“This club will offer a new political angle and will increase awareness, respect and discourse,” said Temko. “I think the College Republicans is a group that needs to exist on this campus.”