As I get ready to graduate, I reflect on my time at Holy Cross. In particular, I think of my time as a conservative college student and all it entailed. Between receiving threats for writing for The Fenwick Review and the verbal attacks for being a College Republicans e-board member, I am reminded of the importance of conservative student voices, especially in a time of deep division.
I did not become aware of The Fenwick Review until my sophomore year. After being convinced by two members to join and feeling a strong desire to write after the failed ENGAGE Summit, I co-wrote an article with now Co-Editor, Andrew Buck. Soon after I joined, I immediately became aware of its reputation among the campus. As soon as the printed copies were distributed, people purposely threw stacks into the trash, made fun of anybody whose name appeared in the issue, and went so far as to post threats to its members. People have stopped writing for The Fenwick Review, fearing for their reputations both on campus and when applying for jobs. Some at Holy Cross argue that this proves how terrible The Fenwick Review is and that those involved deserve this hatred and fear. But, it does not-- it reflects its importance.
This emotional response shows the unfortunate state our country is in. Each article written is meant to cover the latest political news, happenings on campus, or Catholic values and questions. They bring up hard topics that can be difficult to discuss. Holy Cross prides itself on the promotion of dialogue to understand each other and expand our thinking. On a college campus in particular, the conservative voice is what the community lacks and what it needs most. Too often the promotion of dialogue is not a dialogue at all; it is nothing more than code for conversations where one side is right and tells the other it’s wrong.
Agreement with every article in The Fenwick Review is not the goal of the publication. There have been anti-Trump articles and pro Trump articles. There have been coronavirus articles of varying perspectives, from Governor Cuomo’s response to Holy Cross’ refusal to lower tuition. The Fenwick Review stands by its conservative and Catholic ideals, but each article is written by one or two students on a topic of their own choosing. Too often, the response to articles is emotionally charged based on the title and a pull quote or two.
But, I will always remember a conversation that I had with a former fellow student. An older student approached me after a new issue came out asking to talk. He was openly progressive, and I had heard him make vicious remarks about The Review. As nervous as I was, I agreed, and we sat down to chat in Cool Beans. With my anxiety at an all time high, he simply asked how I got the idea for my latest article about my thoughts on the importance of learning about and discussing other viewpoints. He told me how he used to write off The Fenwick Review, insult it, and rarely even read the articles. But he said that, even though he does not agree with the publication and what we write, he wants to be able to engage with its writers and discuss their articles in order to understand their viewpoints, despite his disagreements.
This interaction reflects the exact reason why The Fenwick Review benefits the Holy Cross community. Too often, conservatives are villainized. Although this will inevitably continue on campus and in the country as a whole, giving conservative students a voice assures that they can spread their ideas, and hopefully help other students, even just a few, to engage in real dialogue. It is unlikely that many students will read The Fenwick Review and magically become Conservative or Catholic (hey, I’m still Greek Orthodox and write for it), but for those who actually take the time to read our publication, they will realize that there can be arguments that they can vehemently disagree with and yet respect their merits.
The Fenwick Review taught me the importance of standing by my conservative values. As I prepare to leave Holy Cross, I will forever be grateful for the strength, reflection, and community The Review brought me. Now more than ever in our divided country, I hope The Fenwick Review continues to ask more, and I look forward to going from Social Media Editor and Staff Writer to a proud donor. What a ride it has been.