There is nothing wrong with being ’Ultra-Conservative‘
Quality over cost: the voice of conservatismaround
JESSE BEACH
Am I strange? An embarrassment? Am I really like the rest of you? I do not fit into a stereotype, yet I am certainly not unique. For years, I have been bombarded with images of the typical university student, a long-haired liberal radical, protesting against every issue and lobbying against “the man.” Now I have a slightly embarrassing announcement to make, I am a conservative.
To be perfectly honest, my political views are fairly recent, as recent as the last federal election. Up to that point in time I was woefully ignorant of the various political parties of Canada. My first election as an eligible voter was looming and, excited to take part in my civic duty, I eagerly wikipedia-ed those political parties, frantically attempting to decide which one best coincided with my personal beliefs. Finally, informed and eager, I chose conservatism, attracted by their tough stance on crime, intentions to dismantle the Gun Registration Act, and to lower taxes. So I cast my ballot in favour of Stephen Harper in my first-ever election. Proud of my participation, I returned to school eager to discuss my newfound political involvement.
However, as I looked around at my classmates in my predominantly English course load, I began to notice an odd, if not startling, trend — they were all liberal! It was as if my eyes were open for the first time as I looked conservatismaround at the plaid scarves, murses, and black Berets. I am an English major, yet somehow I also became conservative amidst a sea of liberalism. I suddenly began to feel strange and inadequate, forcing a strained smile during the ritualistic Bush-bashing while squirming on the inside over my tragic flaw.
However, in light of the recent tuition hike in Engineering (which yes, I did support), and in light of Tope Oriola’s recent conservative-bashing article, I decided to stop my squirming and stand up: I am a conservative! Is there really anything wrong with that? Can I seriously be discriminated against for putting faith in my country, for being traditional and nationalistic? I say no! There is nothing wrong with being conservative, and if we, the pro-establishment, mainstream-loving right-wingers of this university allow ourselves to be judged and discriminated against by those who take pride in their support of equality and human rights, then we are allowing them to mutate our campus into a breeding ground of discrimination and hypocrisy.
I would like to point out that agreeing with “the establishment” on proposed changes meant to increase the greater good, does not make us a “generation of ‘yes’ men and women,” as pointed out by Oriola. It simply means we are attempting to improve things, by consensus rather than by protest. Oriola uses this month’s engineering vote as an excuse to smear the so-called “ultra-conservative” student body for being responsible for the tuition fee increase. But is the increase really such a bad thing? And does it really turn our generation into a group of “yes” men and women?
The engineering student body, far from being unidealistic and uncaring, was faced with a difficult choice. These students, who have worked long and hard to reach their present positions, who take pride in their faculty, were Centreforced to choose between quality and cost, between a superior education or a cheap one. Faced with this difficult decision with the entire university looking over their shoulders, the engineering student body decided they would not run the risk of losing their faculty’s accreditation, they decided to make the right choice, not the cheap one, and said to hell with the consequences, standing up en masse to support their faculty and I, for one, applaud their efforts.
Though the threats of losing their accreditation were slightly “melodramatic” and possibly slightly spurious, it was a risk they were not willing to take, and they should not be discriminated against for their choice, even if it reveals their conservative leanings. It is also ridiculous to assume that because they voted to increase their tuition fees they are ignoring the plights of less-privileged students.
I am also burdened with financial difficulties, the same as any student; balancing a part-time job with a full course load during the school year, while working two jobs at ludicrous hours all summer in a seemingly futile effort to raise enough for tuition. But it would be childish and even ignorant to expect or desire this university to freeze or lower my tuition at the expense of the quality of education which they provide. By not supporting our university in times of financial crisis, we are not only sacrificing the quality of our education and our futures, but also the integrity of this institution.
Jesse Beach is a fourth-year English student.
