Auburn University is associated with many traditions, values and aspects of Southern culture. Conservatism is often paired with Southern values, and many consider Auburn to be conservative — perhaps even the most conservative in the country.
In 2013, The Princeton Review ranked Auburn University as the most conservative student body of any college campus. In 2015, that ranking dropped to No. 7.
The Plainsman conducted a survey intended to test The Princeton Review's claim, not to disprove it. The survey was designed to gauge the student body opinion on a variety of political and social issues through a series of multiple-choice questions.
192 students from all degree levels and eight faculty members and employees took part in the survey.
Only 26 percent of the 200 Auburn community members surveyed identified as conservative when asked to select the political ideology with which they most identified. Seventeen percent chose Democratic Socialism, and 13 percent chose Libertarianism.
11 percent said they identified with no political ideology. The remaining 33 percent identified with other options included socialism, communism, liberalism, nationalism, progressivism, environmentalism and theism.
Wesley Stone, president of the Young Americans for Liberty, a libertarian-leaning student organization, said he believes The Princeton Review's designation is undeserved.
“I feel that the whole campus is more neutral, and people just don’t get as politically involved so their natural inclination is to conservatism,” Stone said. “This is the South, so it is more natural to have people that come from traditionally conservative backgrounds but also aren’t opposed to things like gay marriage.”
Jackson Miller, former executive director of Auburn University’s chapter of College Republicans, said he personally feels there is a more organized voice for liberal student organizations.
“I would say traditionally the left-wing values have been more proactive in making students aware,” Miller said. “They’ve done a good job of dispersing their messages as well.”
Tyler Knapp, president of Students for Concealed Carry, said he enjoys the conservative atmosphere he perceives at Auburn, but didn't agree The Princeton Review's claim.
“I think we are very conservative, but I don’t know how I feel about the most conservative,” Knapp said. “I think we’ve got a lot of students on both extremities. It seems like there are more conservative clubs.”
Traditionally conservative schools are known for their lack of respect toward LGBTQ students. However, Chris Horn, a transgender senior in psychology, said he chose Auburn because he feels included and protected.
“I’ve seen, more than once, a very (conservative) person stand up at a football game for an LGBT kid,” Horn said. “When put to the test, AU does stand up for its own.”
66 percent of students agreed with the Supreme Court’s ruling to legalize same-sex marriage, according to The Plainsman's survey, but it wasn’t until late 2014 that the SGA Senate voted to include unisex restrooms in future campus buildings.
The conservative stereotype often extends to the faculty and administration as well. However, Alinne Pereira, a second-year doctoral student in microbiology and international student from Brasília, Brazil, said she was overwhelmed with the amount of conservatism she experienced on campus.
“It’s very different from where I came from,” Pereira said. “There are all of these organizations that advertise as serving a purpose, like for an animal shelter, but then you join and they start pushing conservative values on you. Most of the conservative values are closely related to religion.”
The majority of people, 50 percent, chose “Protestant Christianity” as their religion, but a combined total of 18.5 percent chose “atheism/agnosticism,” 13.5 percent chose “unsure" and 16.5 percent chose "Roman Catholicism."
When asked to declare their political affiliation, 37 percent of students identified with the Democratic Party, 33 percent chose the Republican Party, 10 percent chose Libertarian and 16 percent chose "none."
Auburn's College Democrats, College Republicans and the Young Americans for Liberty often work together on political initiatives such as the voter registration drive held during the first two weeks of February, with support from SGA.
“I think it’s silly to be that close-minded [to hearing other’s beliefs] because if you don’t speak to your counterparts, you’ll never come up with good ideas,” Miller said. “Saying you wouldn’t be willing to collaborate with another group is silly because you can’t come up with any solutions without talking.”
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