I was walking down the street with a College Republicans shirt on. It was right before the [2004 presidential] election and I had red, white and blue in my hair. Then someone who was selling the socialist paper around Library Mall called me a 'f---ing Republican' and spit on me, said Sara Mikolajczak, junior and current chair of UW-Madison College Republicans.
""It was the most bizarre thing that ever happened to me. I just looked at him and thought he was pathetic.""
It is surprising to hear of such a blatantly intolerant act happening at UW-Madison, a school widely known for its liberalism. Many students readily assure people they are open to all ideas - but forget to keep an open mind to ideas that reject basic liberal values. By following her beliefs, Mikolajczak is part of the one minority that Madison leftists openly enjoy ridiculing: hardcore conservatives.
Although most Madison conservatives are not subject to the chastising saliva of angry socialists, several College Republicans shared stories of being treated differently based upon their political beliefs.
A rare breed
Mattie Duppler, junior and first vice chair of the College Republicans, relayed a minor but telling experience.
""When I was leaving you a voicemail the other day, I was walking next to three people. I said, 'This is Mattie Duppler, vice chair of College Republicans,' and two of those heads whipped around,"" she said, laughing good-naturedly. ""If anything, I hope I'm projecting the idea that I'm not the 50-year-old balding conservative.""
Even as she said this, it seemed some students sitting nearby in College Library were fighting the urge to whip their heads around and get a good look at a Republican - a self-professed, unashamed one at that - on our campus.
That's not to say that Madison's college conservatives are forced into a sort of social internment camp by disgusted liberals. Alex Hall, a freshman who recently joined the College Republicans and currently serves as its dorm liaison, points out that his girlfriend and many of his friends are liberal.
Hall said discussions over topics like abortion and continuing the War in Iraq occasionally get heated with his friends, but even if they call his arguments ""typical conservative bullshit,"" they always remain friends afterward. ""I don't take it personally,"" he said with a smile.
Duppler also probably surprises a lot of people who find out she is close friends with Suchita Shah, vice chair of UW-Madison's College Democrats.
""When you can have a rational discourse with someone, you don't have a problem with them,"" Duppler said about their friendship. ""A lot of people on this campus can't articulate their ideas or why they think you're wrong and they're right. That's when you run into problems... That's when conflicts arise.""
Reinforcing support
According to Byron Shafer, a UW-Madison professor of political science, this is not necessarily a bad thing for UW conservatives. ""In any situation like this, the dominant view - liberalism here - tends to benefit from having a lot of energy behind it, while the recessive view - conservatism here - tends to benefit from being forced to think out its postulates more clearly and consciously.""
In fact, the unquestioning ease with which liberal ideas permeate our campus is part of the reason some students make a point to voice their conservative beliefs, even if it makes them seem more out of place than a Zoroastrian or leather fetishist in Vatican City.
""Knowing there was a large liberal voice on campus only made me want to join College Republicans more,"" Mikolajczak said. ""My main goal right now, especially with '08 coming up so quickly, is just to educate people. I really just want people to hear both sides, not just from the College Democrats.""
Given the scarcity of unabashed right-wingers in Madison, Hall - who is particularly interested in banning abortion and continuing the war in Iraq - believes their role is that much more important. ""[We] just want to get the word out about Republicans, so the minority - since we are the minority on this campus - doesn't have to hide their beliefs.""
In a manner that is neither condescending nor embittered, Mikolajczak said she believes too many Democrats in Madison have strong beliefs without having knowledge to back them up.
""I think everybody on campus, on both sides of the spectrum - even myself at points - needs more education,"" she said. ""The most important thing is to be educated. You can't strongly believe something if you don't know why you believe it.""
The other side
Many UW-Madison students would agree that Americans are not as well-educated on political issues as they should be, but few would care to turn that critical lens back on their own political acumen. Given that most voices heard on this campus are liberal shouts, lectures or comic potshots, the truth that Madison's political discourse is somewhat one-sided is almost so obvious as to go unnoticed.
""There are a lot of people here who are not required to know what they're saying and not required to know how to defend themselves,"" Duppler said. One of the reasons she identifies with conservatism is that it espouses self-sufficiency, something she wishes more liberal students would apply to their political logic.
""Some people say Madison is this island of idealism and it's completely true. When you go out into the real world, there's going to be ideologies from all facets of life, and you need to be able to defend what you believe. And I think it's to the detriment of a lot of kids here who don't know what they're talking about and why they're talking about it. As soon as they're pressed on it, they have to back off.""
Although College Democrats might not agree that Madison's liberalism has deleterious side effects, many appreciate the value of competing political voices. College Democrats Chair Oliver Kiefer says that although working with the College Republicans ""can be challenging at times,"" he relishes the opportunity to talk to conservatives on campus.
""Quite frankly, sometimes they're thinking of things you're not thinking about,"" Kiefer admits. ""Hunting those people down in a city that's as liberal as Madison is a rarity, it's kind of a treasure.""
In spite of the occasional antagonism between liberal and conservative activists, both share one key motivation: the desire to use politics to make a positive impact on society.
""I'm just not someone who wants to sit still,"" Duppler said when asked why she chooses to be so active in College Republicans. ""I don't take things as is. If I see something that I don't agree with, I'm not going to sit with it. I'm not going to change the world, but I see things that are wrong, and I see ways to make them better.""
