{"id":2185970,"date":"2024-02-25T05:34:03","date_gmt":"2024-02-25T10:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/for-conservative-women-a-college-conundrum\/"},"modified":"2024-02-25T05:39:26","modified_gmt":"2024-02-25T10:39:26","slug":"for-conservative-women-a-college-conundrum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/for-conservative-women-a-college-conundrum\/","title":{"rendered":"Conservative women face college challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffor-conservative-women-a-college-conundrum%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2185970&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>REVIEW: \u2018You\u2019re Not Alone: The Conservative\u2063 Woman\u2019s Guide to College\u2019 by Karin A. Lips<\/h2>\n<figure><figcaption>Guillermo Spelucin\/Grabien<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>Somewhere, in some sorority house, a Brittany\u200c and\u200d a Jess discuss what\u200c color glitter they should paint\u2063 this year\u2019s rush banner. Brittany prefers red and white\u2014\u2019Bama\u200c colors\u2014and Jess wants pink to \u200dmatch Alpha Phi\u2019s recruitment\u2062 bid-day\u2064 theme of &#8220;Dream House.&#8221; Before either can decide, Ashly beckons her sisters toward the front of the \u2064house: It\u2019s time to practice songs.<\/p>\n<p>Not every\u200c young college\u200d woman resembles Brittany or Jess or Ashly. \u2064Some, like the ones Network of Enlightened Women founder Karin A. Lips describes in <i>You\u2019re Not\u2064 Alone:<\/i> <i>The Conservative Woman\u2019s Guide to \u200bCollege<\/i>, swap song nights\u2062 to peruse internship listings in Washington, D.C., watch Ben Shapiro, or debate other\u2063 19-year-olds on abortion (debates which inevitably lead \u2064to friend-breakups or, worse, awkward roommate schisms). On one end of the\u200d spectrum, it seems, \u200dlie the &#8220;normies&#8221;: girls who go \u200cto school to have fun and get a\u2062 degree. On the other end are the Republicans who yearn for \u2064civil discourse and plot their future Supreme Court\u2064 nominations in between classes. Lips offers young\u2063 women some good \u2064advice: choose a school \u2063and major\u2063 wisely, utilize \u2062women\u2019s\u2064 leadership programs or opportunities, focus on personal and\u200d professional development. Her\u200b advice, however, extends only\u200b to a niche group of women who want to make conservatism their campus \u2064identity\u2014advice that should come \u2064with a few warnings.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You\u2019re not alone,&#8221; Lips begins. &#8220;One\u2064 of the most common\u200b conversations I \u2063have with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/science-white-libs-more-likely-to-have-mental-health-problems\/\" title=\"SCIENCE: White Libs More Likely To Have Mental Health Problems\">young conservative women<\/a> on campus today is about how alone \u2063they feel. From what I hear from students, \u2062it often feels\u200c more like \u200b90% of \u2062their female peers and professors are liberal. What is a young conservative woman\u2064 to do?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This reviewer went \u200dto Hillsdale College. Attending a conservative school limited\u2064 how often I thought about Republicanism; class discussions employed\u200b classical logic-based arguments that didn\u2019t require political heft to win. People are usually surprised to know that students leave the college less political yet more conservative than when they entered. The best explanation for \u2062that is \u2063that Hillsdale\u2019s bubble \u2064is uber-conducive to free thought, which for many of us, resulted in less political dogmatism. If students \u200cwant an &#8220;intellectual\u200c home&#8221; on college campuses as Lips suggests they \u2062should find, it might be best to create the conditions for free thought, not \u200bnecessarily for exclusively conservative thought.<\/p>\n<p><i>You\u2019re Not Alone<\/i> presumes that young women who\u200b are \u200dconservatives \u200dwill approach college from a political stance. Granted, \u200dsome kids who are outspoken \u200dabout their political \u200bbeliefs in high school,\u2063 might. Those students will appreciate Lips\u2019s latest. Before explaining to students how to cultivate a \u200bconservative\u2064 home on college campuses, though, it is also worth asking: Is it better to be a conservative student or a student who is a conservative?<\/p>\n<p>Lips assumes right-leaning women\u200b want\u200c to fight against the \u200bschools they choose to attend. But the most \u200cconsequential piece of conservative literature on elite professors\u2064 and their liberal leanings came from a man devoted\u2064 to his alma mater. William F. Buckley Jr. \u200dcriticized Yale University\u2019s \u200c&#8221;dogmatism \u2026\u2064 the tendency by some teachers to utilize the classroom as a \u2064soapbox\u2062 from which to impose upon their students not the great ideas of great scholars, but their own,&#8221; \u2062in 1951 with <i>God and \u2063Man at Yale<\/i>. Buckley\u2064 wrote about\u2062 Yale in such detail and with such vigor because\u2063 he was familiar with\u2063 and wanted to correct\u2062 the institution\u2019s failures.<\/p>\n<p>Lips \u200bencourages\u2062 conservative women to stand up for what they believe in, create \u200ccounterculture movements and clubs on campuses, and find an antidote to \u2063pervasive liberal ideology\u200c that seeks to censor conservative viewpoints. But college can also be a good place to flush out previously held beliefs, build new ones, and learn new perspectives. If what motivates a young conservative woman to attend \u200ca four-year university is her premature desire to revolt against \u2063the institution she pledges herself to,\u200c chances are, she might not create for herself the \u2064best\u2062 learning environment.<\/p>\n<p>Womanhood requires \u2062identity\u2014a steady state of being and a sameness with others that isn\u2019t all\u2063 that difficult to\u2062 find if you\u2019re a good human and an \u200dinquisitive student. Womanhood also requires sisterhood, and \u2062I sympathize with the women in Lips\u2019s book who share their experiences of friend break-ups or sorority fights \u200bover political differences. College-aged women, though, have bigger problems to deal with that both connect and divide us a whole lot more than politics do: \u2063Boys,\u2064 outfits,\u2062 drama,\u2064 social media,\u2064 mental health, substances,\u200d clubs, any number of social pursuits. Women are\u2062 women and some really will ditch their friends over\u200d petty disagreements. \u2063I\u2019d guess that the isolation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rutgers-students-host-rally-protesting-vaccine-mandate\/\" title=\"Rutgers Students Host Rally Protesting Vaccine Mandate\">college-aged women<\/a> feel on campuses has less\u2063 to do with partisan divides and more\u2062 to do with devices, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trigger-warnings-dont-work-cause-people-to-avoid-underlying-content-studies-show\/\" title=\"Trigger Warnings Don\u2019t Work, Cause People To Avoid Underlying Content, Studies Show\">growing mental health crisis<\/a>, and social shortcomings caused by COVID-era \u2062isolation.<\/p>\n<p>College should also be\u200c fun. Girls I knew went to school to learn, grow in\u2063 virtue, and breach adulthood. If a young student finds\u2064 that politics are central to those three pursuits, they should\u200d listen to advice from\u2062 Abby Daniela, a\u2062 woman who Lips interviewed: &#8220;I learned to lead with my personality, \u2064not \u200bmy politics.&#8221; \u2064(Also important to note that conservative women\u200c should not be kind and\u200b compassionate \u200djust because they fear how peers might\u200d perceive their politics.)<\/p>\n<p>Students who lean right should listen and learn to choose their \u200dbattles wisely\u2014and might take one more lesson from Buckley, \u2063who wrote in\u2063 <i>National Review<\/i>\u2019s mission statement that on the matter \u200bof education, his magazine sat proudly &#8220;on the side of excellence (rather than \u2018newness\u2019) and of\u2063 honest \u200dintellectual combat (rather than conformity).&#8221;\t<\/p>\n<p><em>You\u2019re\u2063 Not \u2062Alone: The Conservative\u2062 Woman\u2019s Guide to College<\/em><br \/>  by Karin \u2062A.\u2063 Lips<br \/> NeW, 169 pp., $15.95<\/p>\n<p><em>Haley \u200dStrack is a Buckley \u2062Fellow \u200bat<\/em> National Review.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How can young women \u200bbalance \u200dactively promoting conservative principles on campus with pursuing \u2062their own passions and interests<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Intellectual and \u2064personal growth \u200dthat college has the potential to offer.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of focusing solely \u2062on creating a conservative identity on campus,\u2064 Lips should also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-air-force-officer-crowned-as-miss-america-2024\/\" title=\"U.S. Air Force Officer Wins Miss America 2024\">encourage young women<\/a> to\u200b explore diverse perspectives and engage \u200cin constructive dialogue. This doesn&#8217;t mean suppressing one&#8217;s own conservative beliefs, but rather being open to\u2064 learning from others and\u2063 challenging one&#8217;s own assumptions. Engaging in civil discourse and hearing different viewpoints can lead to personal growth and a more nuanced understanding of complex issues.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, it\u2062 is important for conservative students to resist the temptation to \u200disolate themselves in an echo chamber.\u200c Creating counterculture movements \u200band clubs can be valuable for building support networks, but it is equally important to interact\u200b with students of \u2062different ideological backgrounds. By engaging with\u2063 diverse perspectives, conservative students can strengthen\u200d their \u2063own arguments, learn how to effectively communicate their beliefs, \u200cand find common ground with those who may have different political viewpoints.<\/p>\n<p>In her \u2064book, Lips offers practical advice on choosing a \u2064school and major that align with conservative\u2062 values, as \u2064well as utilizing women&#8217;s leadership programs \u200dand opportunities. While this advice may be helpful for those who want to\u200d actively promote conservative principles on\u2062 campus, \u2064it \u200bis also important for young women to pursue their own\u200c passions and interests, regardless of the political climate. College \u2062should be a time for personal and professional growth, and\u2062 students should prioritize \u2064their own development rather than solely focusing on political activism.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, Karin \u200bA. Lips&#8217; <i>You&#8217;re Not \u2063Alone: The Conservative Woman&#8217;s Guide to\u2064 College<\/i> \u2062provides valuable insights and advice for conservative women navigating college\u200b campuses. However, it is important to approach college with an open \u200cmind, willing to engage with diverse perspectives and challenge one&#8217;s own beliefs. \u200cBy creating an environment conducive to free thought, rather than exclusively conservative thought, young women \u2062can \u200cmaximize their college experience and develop into well-rounded \u200cindividuals who\u2062 are capable of engaging in meaningful dialogue \u2064and contributing to society.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Review: Karin A. Lips&#8217; &#8216;You&#8217;re Not Alone: The Conservative Woman&#8217;s Guide to College&#8217; explores the experiences of conservative women on campus. In this insightful book, Lips sheds light on the challenges they face and provides guidance for navigating college life. A must-read for those seeking to understand the conservative perspective in higher education<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":782,"featured_media":2185971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/rear-view-of-a-girl-motivating-a-student-friend-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2185970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/rear-view-of-a-girl-motivating-a-student-friend-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2185970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/782"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2185970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2185970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2185971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2185970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2185970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2185970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}