This was the winning essay for a contest at National Review.
The College Fix reports:
‘Conservatives, don’t give up on Yale’: Student’s winning essay highlights battle for Yale’s soulBeneath the outrageous headlines, there’s a “robust conservative community” at Yale University, and one student urges Americans not to give up on the Ivy League institution just yet.From conservative Federalist Party debates to the William F. Buckley Jr. Program, the largest student organization on campus with over 350 members, “conservatism is not dead at Yale — not even close,” wrote Yale sophomore history and philosophy major Michael Samaritano in an award-winning essay for National Review.And it’s no time to abandon the campus, he added.“Regardless of how much we desire it, Yale, and the rest of America’s elite universities, aren’t disappearing anytime soon. These institutions have power, money, connections, and — to be completely honest — many of the top intellectuals and instructors in the world, even (and especially) in the humanities. Whether we like it or not, these institutions will continue to shape the future of our country,” wrote Samaritano in his essay.His piece won the inaugural William F. Buckley Jr. Essay Contest, started by National Review Institute this year. Organizers say the contest for this year aimed to promote thought and discussion surrounding William F. Buckley Jr.’s writings. Buckley was a public intellectual, conservative author and political commentator who founded National Review.Samaritano, in a telephone interview with The College Fix, said he had previous discussions with friends at Yale on conservative matters and had read the essay’s book prompt “God and Man at Yale.” He said he was drawn to the topic.“The situation here in Yale for conservatives [is] a little different than it’s presented in conservative media,” he said.He said he wanted to be a voice for the conservatives on campus and prove that one did not need to be left-leaning to have a good experience at Yale. He said there is intellectual debate taking place that benefits all students, and his center-right peers experience a chance to understand why they believe what they believe.
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