From Darkness To Light

8 Nov 2025

Reversal: Fort Lewis College approves Turning Point USA following backlash

Posted by Adam Howell

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A reversal without any explanation to approve the registration of a Turning Point USA chapter at Fort Lewis College came from the student government following their decision last week to deny the group’s registration as a student organization.

Reversal

Screenshot from Bernie Lake’s video.

This, after the Turning Point USA’s chapter founder filed a written appeal of the denial as well as public backlash against the student government’s alleged viewpoint discrimination.

Video obtained from Bernie Lake shows the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College (student government) holding an emergency meeting on Friday Nov. 7, 2025 about the reconsideration of Turning Point USA as a Registered Student Organization (RSO).

In contrast to the ASFLC’s 1-5 decision on October 29 to reject the registration of Turning Point USA, the ASFLC voted unanimously to approve the RSO on Nov. 7.

After the ASFLC first denied the registration of Turning Point USA as an RSO, there was immense backlash from the community, alumni, legal representatives, high-level donors for the athletics department, said FLC Turning Point USA’s Vice President Zen Moreno. Unspecified funding for the college had been revoked, and legal action was being threatened, Moreno said.

It’s unclear what funding to Fort Lewis College was withheld prior to and following the ASFLC vote reversal.

From a legal standpoint, the ASFLC’s original denial of Turning Point USA chapter at Fort Lewis College was seen by many as viewpoint discrimination. Clearly established case law and legal precedent prohibits such discrimination as a violation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Turning Point USA is a nonprofit organization with a student program goal of educating young people about the importance of limited government, free markets and freedom.

Alarmingly, Turning Point’s Board President Charlie Kirk was assassinated via gunshot to the neck on Sept. 10, 2025 on the Utah Valley University Campus during a public event.

Reversal and denial decisions happened at meetings with no posted agendas

Agendas where people could find out about the location, date, time and action items of these meetings did not appear to be posted on the website of the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College.

Colorado’s Open Meetings Law, specifically C.R.S. § 24-6-402, requires governmental entities to post meeting agendas at least 24 hours in advance. Colorado’s Sunshine Law mandates that notices, including agenda information, must be made accessible to the public at no charge. Since July 1, 2019, this can be done online via the governmental body’s website.

Even though the ASFLC meetings are supposed to follow Colorado’s Sunshine Act, the agendas for the two meetings where the registration of Turning Point USA was being voted on were not posted on their website.

Screenshot of the web page where ASFLC is supposed to post their agendas.

It’s unclear where the agenda for the emergency meeting where the reversal vote occurred was posted, but word about the meeting instead got publicized on social media. A long line of people was seen trying to access the meeting in Lake’s video.

While the meeting where ASFLC originally rejected Turning Point USA was held in the Vallecito Room, accommodating a larger crowd, their emergency meeting following the appeal was held in their ASFLC Senate Chambers, where only 44 people were allowed to attend, according to Lake.

Reversal

Adam Howell is a writer who believes in free press and the importance of the constitution. He can be reached by clicking on this link to the contact page.

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