The US Constitution is the cornerstone of our rights, free society, and limited government. But in today's political climate -- from campus to Congress -- it's been stretched, twisted, and ignored by turns in an unprecedented way.

September 17 is Constitution Day, a day you can use to teach your campus what the Constitution really says and what its role is in securing peace, prosperity, and civil order.

The bonus? Every educational institution that receives federal funding (i.e. the vast majority of US colleges) must host an educational program on the Constitution. All you have to do is draw your university administration's attention to the federal law and request funding for your Constitution Day activism.

Your campus activism on Constitution Day can have real-world consequences. After all, just last fall, Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed a reporter's question on how the Constitution authorized Obamacare with a simple "Are you serious? Are you serious?" Yes, we are, Nancy.

One year ago, I first visited California State University, Northridge, a commuter school in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. To my amazement, there were no conservative students tabling at their annual "Meet The Clubs" event. A lot of you probably go to colleges just like this.

Students at these schools are busy. Many of them work and take classes. Some live in the nearby community, but others may have matriculated from smaller schools in the region, making a trip to class more of an ordeal.

With all of this going on in the background, commuter schools can be difficult places to set a solid foundation for any student organization, let alone a political one. That's why the fall is such an important time to commit to leadership and find your initial members.

Hosting a table at the student organization fair on your campus is critical at any institution, but especially at a commuter school. Depending on their schedule and courseload, the students you meet at this venue might never see you again for any other recruiting opportunity.

But there's a dilemma, you say. The club fair is tomorrow and you didn't register a spot. Of course, at some colleges you couldn't have. You weren't part of a Registered Student Organization (RSO) to begin with. Don't fret, fellow conservative. I have a solution. Just show up, start recruiting and let them pry your freedom away from your cold, dead hands (metaphorically speaking, of course).

Editor's Note: Shawn M. Griffiths, the author of this post, is the Director of Media Relations for the Young Conservatives of Texas.

The Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) is an independent, non-partisan, conservative grassroots organization, and has been the most active student political organization in Texas for the past thirty years. Founded in 1980, YCT was developed to promote conservative principles not only on the college campus, but also in local and state government.

YCT is involved in the entire spectrum of Texas politics. Members of YCT actively attempt to shape state policy by various means including reaching out to students on campus and the public, campus activism, advocating fiscal and social conservative values, lobbying the state legislature, campaigning for candidates, and rating members of the Texas legislature. YCT has the most respected and longest running ratings system for the state legislature.

The distinguished list of alumni of YCT includes U.S. Senator from Kentucky Dr. Rand Paul, U.S. Congressman Jeb Hensarling, former U.S. Congressman Steve Stockman, and various state legislators including Bryan Hughes, Tan Parker, Will Hartnett, Jodi Laubenburg, and others. The founder of YCT, Steve Munisteri, is currently the chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. 
 
YCT gives students the opportunity to become politically active on their campus, in their community, and on the state and local levels of government. Members gain much experience in grassroots outreach, campaigning, lobbying, and get very well acquainted with how politics in the State of Texas works. If you would like more information on YCT or are interested in starting a chapter at your own college or university visit www.yct.org.

This post is part of CampusReform.org's guide to the nation's top 100 colleges as ranked by US News and World Report. Each day, CampusReform.org profiles a different college, examines its political climate, and offers items of interest to conservative students, parents, and alumni. Click here to see the full list of college profiles.

Located in the heart of New York City, New York University (NYU) is the largest private school in America, with an undergraduate enrollment of more than 20,000 students.

Campus Life

NYU is a left-leaning campus and this is reflected in the political and social groups on campus. Of the 26 political groups on campus, 17 are left-leaning and nine are right-leaning.

The left-leaning groups are Body Queer; Fluidity; Campgrrl; Men's Group; Shades; T-Party; Queer Union; College Democrats; ACLU; National Organization for Women; Socialists; Young Communist League at NYU; Students for Justice in Palestine; Pride Month; Pride in Practice; Earth Matters; and Students Creating Radical Change.

The right-leaning groups are the College Republicans; Federalist Society; College Conservatives; Support Our Troops; Objectivist Club; College Libertarians; NYU Conservatives; The Amagi, which focuses on education and discussion in Austrian economics; and The Filibuster, a conservative student newspaper. The italicized groups are affiliated with CampusReform.org's Campus Leadership Program, which provides groups with advice, assistance, and many kinds of support.

In March 2006, NYU's Student Objectivist Club wanted to host a public event to display and discuss controversial cartoon caricatures of Mohammed. The cartoons, first published in a Danish newspaper, had sparked global controversy. But the NYU Director of Student Activities told students that they could not hold the event as planned. Instead -- in violation of NYU's own policy -- he would force them not to display the cartoons or not to allow any non-NYU students to the event. The university president defended the decision.

Editor's Note: Bonnie Kristian is the Communications Director for Young Americans for Liberty.

If you want to start a student group on your campus with a focus on freedom, check out Young Americans for Liberty (YAL). 

YAL was founded by Jeff Frazee, a former Regional Field Coordinator for the Leadership Institute, as the continuation of Students for Ron Paul. YAL's goal is to train, educate, and mobilize youth activists committed to "winning on principle." The goal is to cast the leaders of tomorrow and reclaim the policies, candidates, and direction of our government.  YAL's full statement of principles is available here.

So why join YAL and start a chapter on your campus?

• YAL is committed to the principles of liberty and small government.  Joining YAL will connect you with a large network of like-minded people -- YAL currently has more than 150 chapters nationwide and continues to grow!
• If you'd like your group to be very active on campus, YAL is a great fit:  Just take a look at our Spring 2010 Semester Report.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to promote the Constitution and win some money for your student group at the same time!

Young Americans for Freedom is sponsoring a video contest for the national event We Read the Constitution. The prizes are $200 for the best video and $100 for the best photo.

This post is part of CampusReform.org's guide to the nation's top 100 colleges as ranked by US News and World Report. Each day, CampusReform.org profiles a different college, examines its political climate, and offers items of interest to conservative students, parents, and alumni. Click here to see the full list of college profiles.

The College of William and Mary (W&M)  is the second oldest college in the nation. Chartered on February 8, 1693, by King William III and Queen Mary II of England, W&M today has just under 6,000 undergraduate students and 2,000 graduate students.

Campus Life

Of the political groups on campus, 16 are left-leaning and nine are right-leaning.

The liberal groups are ACLU; George Wythe Society; Americans for Informed Democracy; Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance; Free Thought Alliance; Humans for Animal Liberation and Vegetarian Alliance; Independent Feminist Fund; Justice in Palestine, NAACP; Students for a Democratic Society; Students for Fair Trade; Students for Justice in Palestine; Students for a Sensible Drug Policy; Voices of Planned Parenthood; W&M Green-Pink Project, which raises money for the Sierra Club; and the Young Democrats.

The conservative groups are The Virginia Informer; Network of enlightened Women; Students for Liberty; Objectivist Society; Bill of Rights Institute - Student Division; College Republicans; Collegiate Conservatives; Federalist Society; John Locke Society; and Libertarian Students.

The most successful student groups leverage their alumni’s monetary influence. Protests and bad publicity for a university are one thing, but money talks and creates real policy changes.

Every university, even public ones now, are heavily dependent on the generosity of voluntary donations, especially from alumni. State universities are now merely "publicly-assisted." Without this private source of funding, many universities simply could not operate as they do now. While it varies from college to college, many alumni have fond affection for their alma mater and take some interest in the overall character and future of it, which is why they donate.

However, most alumni only know what university officials tell them. Most conservative alumni, many of them successful and wealthy donors, would be very surprised to hear how their university has been taken over by the left.

In an article published earlier this year in Stanford University's The Cardinal Principle newspaper, Gregory Hirshman describes his disbelief at a mock debate between two Stanford faculty on same-sex marriage. After the first professor offers a defense of same-sex mariage, the rebuttal seems hardly one at all:

"The second [professor] responded that activists should not seek gay marriage at the current time because doing so would stimulate the conservative Republican base and impede on the broader progressive moment.  This response did not present any of the arguments which conservatives actually make against gay marriage.  The second professor had simply offered a different liberal perspective."

And so it is in many universities and colleges, where bumpersticker logic and animosity often trump reasoned debate on campus. The opportunity to get anywhere near a real discussion about marriage is missed, though partially because conservative youth activists themselves are scared stiff to broach the subject with their peers.

I recently had the opportunity to present some of our Leadership Institute activism training at the Ruth Institute's second annual "It Takes a Family to Raise a Village" (ITAF) conference.

What I found is an exceptional group of students, educators and activists who are very well prepared to defend marriage on campus, and very eager to help any interested student become a fellow champion for marriage. 

This post is part of CampusReform.org's guide to the nation's top 100 colleges as ranked by US News and World Report. Each day, CampusReform.org profiles a different college, examines its political climate, and offers items of interest to conservative students, parents, and alumni. Click here to see the full list of college profiles.

Boston College (BC) is located near downtown Boston in the affluent Chestnut Hill suburb. The university maintains a Jesuit Catholic tradition and currently has 14,623 students who are enrolled. With athletics being an integral part of its university life, BC is known as the Eagles and boasts such alumni as Doug Flutie, Matt Hasselbeck, and Bill Romanowski. Senator John Kerry is also an alumnus of Boston College.

Campus Life

Although Boston College students are not known for their political fervor, there are 12 politically oriented groups on campus. Of that number, seven are left-leaning and five are conservative.

The five conservative groups are The Observer, Young Americans for Liberty, The Federalist Society, Pro-Life Club, and College Republicans. The italicized groups are affiliated with CampusReform.org's Campus Leadership Program, which provides free advice, assistance, and many kinds of support to campus groups.

The Observer is the main conservative voice on campus. The Observer broke several investigative stories in the 2009-2010 school year, including one that detailted how the campus employees' union tried to enlist student support in violation of its contract. The Observer's consistent, excellent work earned it recognition as the top conservative newspaper in the country by The Institute of Political Journalism.