Y A F
S T U D E N T
P E R S P E C T I V E
Holding the Largest Conservative Event in Campus History By Catriona Fee, Chairwoman, The Catholic University of America YAF
B
ringing the biggest names in the Conservative Movement to campus is truly a once-ina-lifetime experience for any YAF student. That is why my Young Americans for Freedom chapter at The Catholic University of America (CUA) was honored to host Verdict with Ted Cruz, the popular podcast featuring Senator Ted Cruz and Daily Wire commentator Michael Knowles, on our campus. Founded in 2019 to promote conservative ideas on campus, our YAF chapter grew from 15 students meeting in a dorm room to a group of bold activists who hosted the largest conservative event in CUA history—all in just two
years, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and repeated roadblocks from our university. These obstacles began long before our Verdict Live with Catriona Fee, chairwoman of The Catholic University of Ted Cruz event, as our club was America YAF chapter, introduces YAF’s Verdict with Ted Cruz denied approval by our Office event on stage. of Campus Activities not once, describe themselves as pro-life. However, not twice, but three times before getting these students motivated to being officially recognized in 2020. participate in activism or attend YAF CUA is a relatively small campus meetings is a different story. located in Washington, D.C., with just more than 3,000 undergraduates. One of When Young America’s Foundation the greatest difficulties with growing our announced the opportunity for YAF chapters nationwide to apply to host YAF chapter has been the apathy of our student body. Many students on campus Verdict Live with Ted Cruz—a live broadcast of the podcast—we thought are practicing Catholics who are fairly the odds of CUA YAF being chosen to conservative in their values. Most would
About YAF’s Verdict Live with Ted Cruz Tour Young America’s Foundation’s Verdict Live with Ted Cruz campus tour is the first-ever program of its kind, bringing a live recording of the popular video podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz, to student audiences nationwide. Immediately following its launch in 2020, Verdict with Ted Cruz shot up the charts to become the #1 podcast in the nation. Featuring Senator Ted Cruz and Daily Wire host Michael Knowles, the podcast provides the next generation of leaders with an insider perspective on the key debates
36
Young America’s Foundation | Libertas | Winter 2021
taking place in America, including COVID-19 government mandates, Critical Race Theory in the classroom, and reckless government spending, among others. Sponsored by YAF’s Logan Family Lecture Series, Verdict Live with Ted Cruz has appeared thus far at The Catholic University of America, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Texas A&M University, with more campuses to come. ———————————————— To learn more about Verdict Live with Ted Cruz, please visit YAF.org/ VerdictLive or call 800-USA-1776.