Students Leaning Toward The Right

Many Boston University students agree with a recent study suggesting there has been a shift toward a conservative viewpoint on college campuses following Sept. 11.

Conducted by the Tarrance Group and released at the Independent Women’s Forum last week, the survey found 75 percent of college students nationwide approve of President Bush’s reaction to the terrorist attacks.

According to the study, when asked about the most pressing issues for the government, students expressed equal concern for both terrorism and the economy.

Boston University spokesman Colin Riley said support for Bush comes from awareness.

“The vast majority of students recognize that the U.S. was the key to ending a regime that was oppressive of its people and supportive of international terrorism,” Riley said.

The survey reflects students’ disapproval of the use of racial profiling in the War on Terrorism and tolerance for the inconvenience that arises from safety precautions.

“There seems to have been an expressed understanding for high security and scrutiny,” Riley said. “I think they understand the reasoning behind the actions of the government.”

The question of whether this political shift since Sept. 11 will affect local or national politics is unclear.

“[The shift] will certainly affect the 2004 elections if anyone comes out who is willing to take less of a stance on issues of war or the military, as the Democrats have tried to do in the past,” said BU College Republicans Treasurer Philip Bell, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“People have become more conservative — not excessively, but at least with the war effort,” Bell said.

Riley said the war effort alone may not change the political affiliation of students at BU.

“There’s a point when [the students] will be putting their feelings to a vote, but it remains to be seen whether it will have a lasting effect,” Riley said.

BU students, although supportive of the Bush administration, said they may not be ready to change their party affiliation.

“After the tragedy I became more open-minded, but I retained most of my liberal views,” said CAS freshman Jacquelyn Ridzy. “I realized the importance of giving money to the military, for example.”

“A lot of people had come to believe in Bush’s war until the ‘axis of evil’ comment,” Bell said.

Some BU students agreed with Bell, saying the so-called “axis of evil,” referring to Iran, Iraq and North Korea, reflects excessive political jingoism.

“I don’t like how he uses the word ‘evil,'” said CAS freshman Ashley Cordes. “It’s too general.”

The study conflicts with one conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles prior to Sept. 11, which reported 29.9 percent of students characterize themselves as “leftists.”