The most prominent example is the term “Affirmative Action.”  Many young conservatives rightly want to challenge this program and do so by hosting “Affirmative Action” bake sales, debates, and speakers on this issue. However, in referring to “Affirmative Action,” students are using a phrase crafted by the Left to define a divisive program in a positive manner.

Instead, frame your argument against “Affirmative Action” by using terms such as “racial preferences” or “racial profiling” which more accurately describe the race-based practices of most colleges. The Left complains incessantly about racial profiling used by law enforcement, but it never speaks out against racial preferences or “Affirmative Action”—the campus-based form of racial profiling. It is just as wrong to reject an equally qualified applicant because of his race as it is to stop a driver because of his skin color. Administrators create “profiles” of students and assume certain races cannot gain admission to the school without preferences and quotas.  

Some may argue that the phrase “Affirmative Action” is more widely-used and understood among students and should therefore be the term conservatives use to critique the issue. However, Young America's Foundation speaker and civil rights advocate Ward Connerly has successfully passed resolutions in California, Washington, and Michigan effectively ending all use of race in university admissions. He did not refer to “Affirmative Action,” instead he used racial preferences.

Another example is the pro-abortion movement’s labeling of themselves as “pro-choice.” If you tackle abortion, never address the opposition as “pro-choice.” The only “choice” liberals are in favor of is to allow women the option to kill their children. When it comes to individuals keeping more of their hard earned money, business owners deciding whether their patrons can smoke in their establishment, or whether one can help the poor through private donations rather than through a government program, the Left always advocates for more government control.

Similarly, if you choose to defend the Reserves Officer Training Corp (ROTC) emphasize the importance of students’ rights to participate in an ROTC program on campus. Do not be lured into countering the Left’s primary argument that ROTC violates your school’s non-discrimination policy because of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The Left opposed ROTC before such policy existed. This government policy is the Left’s latest anti-military argument. However, this policy does not justify banning ROTC programs for students who voluntarily choose to participate.  

Young America's Foundation’s Campus Conservative Battleplan lists several activities you can organize to educate students on the failures of racial preferences and to defend students’ right to participate in ROTC.

Yes, youth unemployment is at 19.1 percent  - and it is reaching levels unseen since World War II. Four years of the Left being in control has led to skyrocketing unemployment for young people - which may explain the sudden drop in numbers. A near-twenty percent unemployment rate is absolutely abysmal, and unacceptable.

The bad news for the Left doesn't end there. Recent Gallup data shows that President Obama's approval rating among young people has dropped significantly. It is expected that his bungling of the oil spill has a lot to do with this sudden dip. 

The icing on the cake is the news coming out that  many states are starting to think more favorably about President Bush in comparison to President Obama. (This article gives ten reasons why. It's a very good read.) Again, is anyone really surprised? 

All these "inconvenient truths" stacked up on top of each other can only mean that America's youth is finally getting with the program. The only question is, is it too late?

You can watch it at your leisure or read the transcript by visiting this website.

• Why Obama could willfully lose the war on terror

• Why Obama will never be a “centrist” Democrat

• How the Obama administration’s “rules of engagement” in Afghanistan are costing American lives

• How the Obama administration’s aggressive push to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” could lead to countless lawsuits and the loss of up to a quarter of our armed forces

BONUS: The Obama administration’s official national security strategy—identifying “climate change” and not radical Islam as a threat to national security
PLUS: “Are You Safer?” a complete rundown of the foreign policy failures of the Obama administration

Incisive and comprehensive, Conduct Unbecoming is the most important book yet written on how Barack Obama is endangering our national security.  Get your copy today . 

You can watch the "Great Books to Read in College" panel discussion from the National Conservative Student Conference this weekend at these times on C-SPAN 2 Book TV : 

Saturday, September 4 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Sunday, September 5 at 3:45 a.m. ET

Monday, September 6 at 10:00 a.m. ET

Monday, September 6 at 10:00 p.m. ET

Jerome is a 24-year-old student of history, majoring in broadcast journalism at Florida A & M University.  He first received notoriety after the publication of his article "The Life of a Young Black Conservative," which was featured in July 2009 as the Top Story on Glenn Beck's website. He wrote:

But it wasn’t until college that I realized I had been ensnared in what John McWhorter calls the "Cult of Victimology."  One of my professors pointed me toward a world of literature I’d never been introduced to:  Thomas Sowell, John McWhorter, Shelby Steele, Star Parker, Angela McGlowan, Larry Elder, Walter Williams—they obliterated the Leftist foolishness that floods my community.

It was then that my eyes were opened to the truth, a truth that my father was willing to give his life for, a truth that hundreds of thousands of American soldiers have paid the ultimate price to pass on to future generations.  And that truth is this: America remains the greatest country that God gave to man.

Learn more about Jerome and watch him on Glenn Beck's show 

Leftist college administrators love to create endless “rules” and “guidelines.” They are government bureaucrats in training and temperament. Understanding the inner workings of the bureaucracy is a necessary evil, but it will make your life easier. As a club leader, you at least need to know how to reserve a room for a meeting and how to gain permission to set-up a recruitment table on campus. Frequently, the only way you can do this is by speaking with someone in your student activities office. If you are new to campus activism, you will surely want to plan more ambitious events and programs, but keep in mind that will require more interaction with your campus bureaucracy and administration. 

If you are not familiar with your school’s bureaucracy in terms of how it impacts student clubs, one of the first things you should do is visit your campus’ student activities office. Your school should have a booklet or website available which will explain many of the rules student groups must follow if they are to be affiliated with the college or university.

You should look into the following on your campus:

• Group Maintenance: Most universities have different requirements in order for a club to become a chartered organization. As described in previous chapters, you will most likely need a constitution and by-laws. However, even once your club is recognized, you will still need to continually provide the school with information and attend yearly meetings in order to maintain your status.

Requirements may include one or all of the following:

1. Maintaining an officer list with the student activities office: Your school may require you to submit names and information of students who make up the executive board or officers of your club.

2. Recruit a faculty advisor: Some schools require your club to have a faculty advisor in order to be chartered. You may be asked to complete paperwork each year designating who is your club’s advisor.

3. Meetings with school administrators and club officers: The number and type of meetings can vary depending on the school. Usually these occur at the beginning of the fall semester. On some campuses, only the club treasurer will be required to attend a meeting on the school’s funding process, how to maintain the club’s budget, and how to access the club’s account. On the other hand, the entire executive board may be mandated to attend several sessions on the administrative process and resources available to student clubs, among other items. If you do not attend these meetings, your club might not be eligible to receive student or school funds.

• Rules on Advertising: Universities have different policies on how clubs advertise meetings and events. On some campuses, you will need an administrator’s approval for every flier that you post. Others may allow you to post anything as long as the school recognizes your club. The same may be true for chalking.

Chalking is frequently done on many campuses but often students don’t check if it is allowed. Leftist groups usually skirt these rules and can get away with chalking. Yet when conservatives chalk the campus, administrators are quick to admonish the club for doing so. Sometimes penalties for breaking these rules can be bizarre or severe. Punishments can include suspension of charter, loss of funds, or cancelling of the event.

 As an alternative, you may be allowed to post yardsticks on campus grounds with your fliers attached to advertise an event. However you will probably need to get approval from the landscaping department. 

Understanding your school’s posting rules will ensure your club will not jeopardize its status for posting a flyer in the wrong location.

• Distribution of Funds: Following the correct procedure to secure school funds, particularly for speakers, can be confusing. However, it is important that you do not take this process lightly, as there can be severe repercussions if the rules are not followed properly.

If you are hosting a speaker through your club, you are most likely going to pay the speaker at least a nominal honorarium and/or travel and accommodation expenses. Whether the speaker is brought through Young America’s Foundation or not, it is likely that you will have to complete a contract with your university. The contract explains when and how the funds will be distributed and also protects the university and your club if anything unforeseen should happen negatively impacting the status of the event.

A university may have different contractual procedures depending on the amount the speaker is charging. For example, speakers charging less than $1,000 may require a university contract with signatures from you and the speaker and/or his agent.

However, if you host a more prominent speaker who charges upwards of $20,000, you may be required to have several offices sign off on the event. New activists are often surprised to learn of the severe punishments that can occur if the process is not handled properly.  At some schools, clubs are fortunate to receive tens of thousands of dollars to host speakers. However, some are not allowed to begin promotion until the university has signed a contract. If they do, they can lose their funding and their charter!

The more you understand your school’s bureaucracy the easier it will be to accomplish your objectives. Also, do not overlook informing your group’s new leadership of the school’s rules. Once they take over, you do not want them to fall into this trap. Finally, knowing these procedures will make it easier to receive funds, thereby effectively challenging the Left.

As an outspoken conservative activist, you will routinely challenge the leftist orthodoxy. On most campuses, the Left is accustomed to little opposition. When you successfully challenge their ideas, they often will try to silence you. The Left’s response can be evoked by something as simple as a well-designed flier, an effective speaking event, a provocative video posted on YouTube or Facebook, or an influential op-ed piece in your student newspaper. In response, the Left will not engage in a debate of ideas, but resort to name calling and pressure tactics to force you to be silent.

If you are successful, you will eventually find yourself under attack from a leftist student who will publicly denounce you and call you a “racist” because they are so “offended” by your activities. Furthermore, a lower-level campus administrator sympathetic to the Left may also attempt to discourage you from organizing conservative events and activities. They may pressure you to tone down your activities or attempt to coerce you into apologizing for your “offensive” activities and your message.

It is understandable that most people do not want to be called a bigot or a homophobe. The first reaction to these accusations is shock and fear that you indeed overreached in promoting conservative ideas. Since most conservative activists are isolated and have few allies on college campuses, most do not have the experience to know how to properly respond.

Some activists react by backtracking on their club’s ideas and initiatives. This is why the Left tries to intimidate you in the first place. This retreat may take the form of one of the following: focusing more on “member-only events,” like movie screenings and social events, moderating the group’s message, and worst of all, apologizing for their group’s “offensive behavior.”

I have never seen a reason for a conservative group to apologize for its activities and materials. First, if the Left responds with name-calling, that should tell you that they are devoid of arguments, and it shows you have been effective in forwarding your ideas. Moreover, when was the last time the Left was concerned about offending those who hold conservative values on their campus? They never worry about the feelings of conservative or religious students when they attack traditional values, America’s military, and conservative role models. The Left routinely practices racial profiling of students for admission purposes, calls black conservatives “Uncle Tom,” and accuses students involved with ROTC of being “warmongers” and “skinheads.”  In the Left’s eyes, the only people who are allowed to be offended are those who embrace their ideology. For every leftist who may be angry with you, there are undoubtedly many more students who agree with you and appreciate your bold stand for conservatism.

Trap #1: Attempting To Appease The Left

Appeasing the Left is a mistake often made by political leaders in Washington, D.C. You should never attempt to appease the Left. Young activists sometimes believe that if they organize activities or host speakers that the Left will view as “educational” or that they will “appreciate,” then the Left will eventually respect the conservative club, conservative students, and their ideas. In reality, campus leftists neither understand nor care to learn about conservative ideas. They are more interested in keeping their core assumptions from being challenged.

Conservative students sometimes try to appease the Left when selecting a speaker. In doing so, they choose a speaker and topic that the Left may agree with or a speaker who they won’t find offensive. For example, some suggest we shy away from Ann Coulter, David Horowitz, or Michelle Malkin because these speakers are controversial or purportedly do not have enough “academic credentials.”  Usually, the most effective speaker is someone who aggressively challenges the Left, not someone leftists or academics are “comfortable with!”

Conservative activists employing appeasement tactics only weaken their cause. First, they adopt the Left’s labels of these great leaders as being too “offensive” to engage in a “rational debate.” Second, students at your school will miss out on the opportunity to hear from a strong articulate advocate. Often, the only impression students have of conservatives is what they hear from the national news media or their professors. By giving students an opportunity to hear directly from Ann Coulter or Karl Rove, you allow students to form their own opinions of conservative leaders, minus the Left’s filter. Often, students come away from the event with a new perspective on conservative ideas.

The Left gets upset when you host prominent conservative speakers because they are effective.  The Left wants you to avoid hosting speakers who can draw hundreds, if not thousands, of students to a single event. Prominent conservatives also tend to be the most experienced in forcefully tearing down leftist arguments, whereas more obscure speakers don’t have as much practice.

You should also realize that you will seldom satisfy the Left no matter how hard you try. If they believe self-censorship is required, let them begin “clearing” their speakers with you first. If you want the respect of the campus Left, you need to prove that you and your organization will not back down from advancing your ideas. They are not a filter for your ideas.

This is not to say you should even care what the Left thinks of your organization or even whether it respects you! Your goal as an activist is to reach out to the undecided or moderate students on your campus. The hard Left will most likely reject your ideas, so there is no reason you should attempt to appease them.