Picture this: A conservative voice in North Carolina politics, John Hood, delivers a speech at Duke’s Sanford School. The topic? "American Conservatism 101" — a wonderful opportunity for students to engage directly with traditional Republican thought that isn’t often available on campus. Yet, as Mr. Hood’s presentation echoed through the room, we could not help but wonder: Where is everyone? The surprising lack of attendance, though somewhat atypical of nominally Republican or conservative events, raises some uncomfortable questions about our campus’s commitment to intellectual diversity. Does Duke celebrate conservative or Republican voices? And are conservative or Republican voices actually welcome?
Consider another event at Duke featuring a conservative speaker — an interview with Congresswoman Liz Cheney. At the event, Cheney endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President. The event drew effusive praise from Duke students and faculty, who lauded Cheney’s courage in opposing former President Trump’s alleged plans to "destroy American democracy." Duke ostensibly appears to be committed to free speech, bipartisanship and open inquiry, right?
Had Cheney spoken at Duke fifteen years ago about her strong pro-life convictions, then Duke ought to be praised for its willingness to platform ideas the institution itself finds repulsive. But that is not what happened. Instead, Duke invited one of the most vocal critics of the Republican presidential nominee to speak about "Defending Democracy," a phrase that has been the de facto campaign slogan of the last two Democratic Party presidential campaigns. Ask yourself, is it really bipartisanship if a Republican speaks before an audience of presumably mostly Democrats and endorses the Democratic presidential nominee? Perhaps Cheney made a compromise, but what controversial, hard-line conservative stance did the Duke community compromise on? Irrespective of one’s opinion of the former president, Cheney or the meaning of "Defending Democracy," we cannot consider this event an earnest attempt at tolerance or promoting Republican voices.
Some may retort that inviting former Senator Richard Burr, a current Trump supporter who ironically voted for impeachment, to speak at Duke was a step in the right direction. Perhaps platforming a Trump supporter shows that Duke is serious about its newfound commitment to free speech. However, Duke did not originally invite him with the intention of focusing on his conservative principles or his support of the Republican presidential nominee. Instead his "Bridging the Divide" event was centered around civil discourse and free expression — seemingly the only topic Republicans supporting Trump can speak about at Duke.
This pattern is revealing. If Duke only encourages Republicans to discuss "safe" topics, such as bipartisanship, civil discourse and anti-Trumpism, can the University honestly claim to "stand for freedom of expression, painful though it may be?" If traditionally Republican voices are only welcome when they align with the campus orthodoxy, how can we pretend to value genuine bipartisanship? True tolerance requires something to tolerate. It calls us to extend the same respect to opposing views that we desire for our own, especially those we find most disagreeable. If we instead prejudge an opinion as unworthy of any platform, then we directly endanger that "fragile thing" of freedom which has sustained our national experiment all these years.
At this point, we could rattle off various facts like that only 14.28% of the Class of 2027 identifies as conservative, that Duke’s civility-minded professors are leaving for UNC-Chapel Hill’s new School of Civic Life and Leadership, or that Duke issues institutional statements and emails condemning conservative policies. Needless to say, the majority of Duke students keenly understand that our campus will not tolerate certain opinions.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s (FIRE) 2025 College Free Speech Rankings report on Duke University specifically delineate that merely 26% of students feel "very" or "somewhat" comfortable expressing an unpopular political opinion to their fellow students on a social media account tied to their name; 72% believe "shouting down a speaker" is acceptable conduct, compared to the 39% of Duke students who believe "using violence" is acceptable; and only about a third (31%) "say it is 'extremely' or 'very' clear that their administration protects free speech on campus."
To put it bluntly, the Duke community needs to understand and be exposed to the views held by millions of Americans. If we truly desire tolerance and civil discourse, then we need a campus that fairly represents both of America’s parties.
Hence, today we announce the establishment of Duke College Republicans.
Though we do not expect every member to agree with everything the Republican Party stands for, we do believe promoting unrepresented yet widely-held ideas is a noble goal, especially at an institution hoping to create the next generation of leaders. This group will serve dual purposes: providing right-wing students with a much-needed sense of belonging and challenging progressive students to sharpen their ideological foundations through genuine debate and dialogue.
True tolerance is not about silencing dissent or creating an echo chamber of agreeable opinions. It is about fostering an environment where diverse viewpoints can coexist, clash and ultimately strengthen one another. By embracing genuine ideological diversity, Duke can transcend the hollowness of empty commitments to bipartisanship and become an institution truly dedicated to "unfettered debate and deliberation."
We call on every member of the Duke community — students, faculty, and administration alike — to embrace this call to listen. Because, when we close ourselves off, we can quickly forget that we share the desire to build a better world.
A former president once said: "That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t challenge [those you disagree with]. Have the confidence to challenge them, the confidence in the rightness of your position. There will be times when you shouldn’t compromise your core values, your integrity, and you will have the responsibility to speak up in the face of injustice. But listen. Engage. If the other side has a point, learn from them. If they’re wrong, rebut them. Teach them. Beat them on the battlefield of ideas."
These words were pulled directly from former President Obama's 2016 commencement address at Howard University. That a Democratic president's words resonate so deeply with our call for Republican voices highlights a universal truth: the power of open dialogue transcends party lines.
By embracing this ethos, we don't just improve our campus — we cultivate the skills vital for leadership in our diverse nation. True tolerance, genuine engagement and the willingness to grapple with challenging ideas are not just academic exercises; they are the foundation of a robust republic.
Zander Pitrus and Sherman Criner are Trinity juniors.
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