By: Liz Villa
A new student-led club is in the works at Radford University: RU Activists is a student activist group that will politically educate students, help them get more involved in their community, and encourage people on campus to vote.
Liz Reynolds, a freshman and founder of the RU Activists, shared her insights on why she started this club and the importance of it at this point in history.
RU activists stand for empowerment, equality, and human rights. Reynolds believes that everyone, no matter who they are or the circumstances, can make a difference in their local community. “I want to be able to let people have their own voice and teach them how to use it,” Reynolds said.
The club will organize group events, such as getting together to vote, as well as walks or runs for causes like women’s rights, immigrant rights, and access to healthcare; these are all things RU Activists stands for and deeply values.
RU Activists is not officially up and running quite yet, but once it is, Reynolds would like to have biweekly meetings. These meetings would involve a group of students coming together to discuss the world’s political climate, share experiences and thoughts, and even educate newcomers or people with limited political education about current events.
Reynolds believes that everyone deserves to have a chance at a happy and healthy life, and wants to help people acquire the resources they need to thrive. Reynolds said that smaller local communities are struggling to thrive, as their members are often not given the proper resources.
“I know that we won’t be able to change the whole world,” Reynolds said, “but I’m hoping that we can at least impact one person’s life and make one person’s life better.”
Reynolds was inspired to start this club by an event earlier this semester. The Radford University chapter of Turning Point USA had a table in the Bonnie to advertise their causes, which Reynolds and a friend decided to protest. They sat near Turning Point USA’s table with signs saying “the wrong ice is melting” and “trans rights are human rights.” According to Reynolds, the small group of protesters sat there for about three hours.
Reynolds said that at one point, members of the TPUSA chapter approached her group and asked questions about their views. Following that, students simply hanging out in the Bonnie began approaching Reynolds’ group and praising them, saying things like “thank you so much for doing this” and “you don’t understand how much this means to me.”
This event sparked Reynolds’ idea to start an RU Activists club, as she saw how many people would appreciate and benefit from it.
Reynolds shared that she believes the RU Activists club should be up and running within the next few weeks. Before then, interested students can follow the club on Instagram at @ru.activists. Students can DM the account directly to ask questions. There is also a Discord server for the club, which students can join by messaging the Instagram account or reaching out to Reynolds directly.
Reynolds looks forward to the club becoming official soon, as she believes it is an important step in the right direction for Radford University.
“There’s a lot going on in the world politically, and it’s just a scary time to live in,” Reynolds said, “a lot of people are starting to lose hope, so I think we need a lot more things like this.”
