DURHAM, N.C.—While Jackson Reagan (P ‘27) loves a lot of things about Duke, he takes issue with one tiny aspect of the school. “When I saw the NYTimes investigation saying we have one of the country’s least economically diverse student bodies, I felt so at peace,” Reagan said. “But I just feel like conservatives are silenced on campus.”
According to Reagan, most of Duke’s student body unfairly discriminates against right-wing students, prompting Reagan to worry about being attacked on campus for his views. “I just feel so unsafe here,” he said. “I had to stop informing strangers that Kamala is lying about her race because people frowned at me.”
Reagan has resorted to decreasing his vocal support for the conservative cause to help him blend into campus better. “I hate to do it, but I code-switch around liberals. I actually came up with that word to describe what Republicans have to go through, by the way.”
To aid himself in his efforts, Reagan memorized and now utilizes several phrases of what he calls “lib-coded shit,” such as “women should not be cursed for using birth control” and “certain shades of Asian are tolerable to me.”
However, many of Reagan’s classmates say his attempts are futile. “He walks around with a shaved head all year and wears camo daily,” said registered Democrat Morgan Harrison (P ‘26.) “Does he think we’re stupid?”
While Reagan laments the changes he has made to begin feeling accepted by the Duke community, he has visions of a brighter future for right-wingers on campus like him. “I’d like Duke to institutionalize some code of conduct to make us feel welcome, maybe something that promotes equity, inclusion, and diversity,” he said.
More specifically, Reagan also hopes that he and Harrison have the opportunity to bond over their similarities during their upcoming summer internships at Northrop Grumman. “Doing whatever we can to destabilize the Middle East is a shared American value, no matter your party.”
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