Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board. Letters to the Editor reflect the view of a member of the campus community and are submitted to the publication for approval.

Diversity is vital.

Indeed, it’s critical to our nation and our world. It’s critical to our campus.

No one is the same as another, and we must embrace and celebrate our uniqueness in our big beautiful world. This diversity of ethnicity, cultural background, gender, sexual orientation and yes, diversity of thought, makes us the greatest nation on earth. That’s what America stands for; we are the melting pot of the world in all of these ways, not least of which is ideologically. We are still the living embodiment of our national motto: “e pluribus unum,” out of many, one.

That’s what Turning Point USA stands for too. We stand for the freedom to express diverse views about how our great nation should govern itself and what we believe. At TPUSA, we believe in limited government, freedom of speech and open markets. It’s that simple.

We are from diverse backgrounds, cultural and sexual identities and religious beliefs. If you are reading this and you wrongly assume that TPUSA is bigoted or racist in any form, please understand that this could not be further from the truth. To be absolutely clear, contrary to what some would have you believe, in no way do we condone racism, bigotry, white supremacy or any other exclusive ideologies, period.

In fact, all of that runs contrary to TPUSA’s mission — free people, free markets and free minds — and we condemn it on its face as un-American.

Last week, there was a flagrantly inappropriate connection made between TPUSA and recent abhorrent acts of racism on our campus — acts that had zero connection to TPUSA or our members. On Friday, Sept. 21, President Joyce McConnell included in an email sent to the entire Colorado State University student body, faculty and our larger CSU community of parents and family members, a denouncement of these racist events.

So, regardless of what you look like, what you believe, who you love or who you pray to, come share your thoughts, state your beliefs and let’s share in the dialogue about how we as a nation preserve our liberties.

Then, inexplicably, she included alongside this denunciation, reference to TPUSA’s upcoming sponsored speaking engagement. This conflation of a conservative speaker with Nazis and blackface is counterproductive, wrong and it must be called out. Our CSU chapter, over 400 students strong, condemns both the racist acts that precluded President McConnell’s email as well her connection of those acts with TPUSA, our members and our founder Charlie Kirk.

Our TPUSA chapter at CSU is multiethnic and diverse. We are Black, brown and white. We are male and female. We embrace diverse sexual orientations. We are liberal arts, business, agriculture, science and other majors. We do not discriminate in any way, but we do believe in our shared values. The only colors that matter to us are red, white and blue. We believe in the freedom to express these views, and we believe in the power and promise of the American Dream for all. In short, we abhor racism, bigotry and hate.

How many times must we (or our founder) say as much from our events at Colorado’s own universities?

We recognize that President McConnell is new to the CSU Ramily, and perhaps she’s not yet sure what we at Turning Point are all about. We hope that our statement of what we are — and what we are not — can provide clarity and lead her to clarifying her previous email and apologizing for unfairly implicating hundreds of good and hardworking CSU students. Most of all, we hope that our peers take the opportunity to engage in thoughtful dialogue as we host our Oct. 22 event with special guest Donald Trump Jr.

So regardless of what you look like, what you believe, who you love or who you pray to, come share your thoughts, state your beliefs and let’s share in the dialogue about how we as a nation preserve our liberties. Instead of condemning conservatives, let’s instead be partners in exercising this – the greatest of American legacies as the expression of ideas in what we hope results in a great evolution of thought and openness on our campus.

Together, we Rams can set a standard for civil discourse in a time when our campus and our country desperately need examples like those CSU can, and should, provide on how to disagree agreeably.

That is what America and TPUSA is all about.

Turning Point USA Chapter Leadership