Since the group reorganized in the fall after a hiatus during COVID years, Trinity’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America has begun work on multiple initiatives. Trinity does not yet recognize YDSA as an official student organization, but that has not stopped them from hosting weekly meetings and building student interest in their efforts.
YDSA operates under the broader governance of the Democratic Socialists of America. Brooklyn King, sophomore political science and economics double-major, founded the chapter on campus last semester. They have engaged in various projects, but their status as an unofficial club poses a significant barrier, according to King.
YDSA is composed of various action groups dedicated to certain projects on campus, such as information and awareness campaigns. The first issue the group tackled last semester was an emergency contraceptive drive, in partnership with the University of Texas at San Antonio YDSA chapter.
“[UTSA YDSA] gave us Plan B to hand out on campus and a lot of informational materials,” King said. “They connected us to a network called ‘Everyone for Contraceptives,’ which is a student-based network where we now have access to resources for students in need of abortion or contraceptive care.”
Mia Vela, first-year political science major and YDSA secretary, said she’s involved with the food accessibility action group. This semester, the group has begun working to alleviate food insecurity on campus.
“I’ve also contacted food kitchens, charities and churches,” Vela said. “We’re trying to get into contact with ‘Food Not Bombs’ in San Antonio to work alongside them and serve food in the local area.”
Despite these initiatives, Trinity has yet to recognize YDSA as an official student organization, but YDSA leadership is working to amend the issue.
“We tried to apply to be a student org before the deadline last fall, but we were cold-shouldered by student life,” King said. “We updated our Constitution, elected our members and did everything required, but were told it was too late and to try again in the fall.”
Official status would significantly enhance the group’s ability to promote change on campus, according to King. The group aims to eventually secure funding for their action groups from SGA, but they can only do so once they have become a registered student organization.
“We absolutely would benefit from SGA funds,” Vela said. “We would be able to create better flyers and buy resources that could help students on campus who are in need and also the greater San Antonio area.”
Wills Brown, director of Student Engagement and Development, wrote in an email that any student who indicates interest in starting a recognized student organization is provided with an application. If the process isn’t complete by the deadline, students receive additional information on how to proceed the following semester, as YDSA plans to do.
YDSA acknowledges that their socialist stance has the potential to generate controversy. King said that though the DSA is a political party, the politics of YDSA is focused on supporting and contributing to the care of students and faculty.
“Sometimes when people see the name, Young Democratic Socialists, it scares them in a certain way,” King said. “But I think when people come to our events or know about the work that we do, they are more receptive and … tend to be happy to see that somebody is saying these things or participating in these things on campus.”
Vela said YDSA’s active participation in on-campus initiatives has fostered a sense of community and solidarity among involved students. This renewed commitment has been pivotal in branding YDSA as an influential organization on campus.
“I would say what we’ve been most successful in has been the protests that we participated in, especially last year with the Riley Gaines protest,” Vela said. “We were working alongside a lot of other groups like T-Progressive and PRIDE, which was helpful and we were able to show up and see results come out of it.”
Ruth Patterson, junior classical languages major and member of Trinity YDSA, said they believe the group is poised to make a significant impact on campus. They attribute this confidence to YDSA’s dedication to social justice and community engagement.
“I think YDSA is super cool because there’s not another group on campus that meets the niche, that is as plugged into campus as we are,” Patterson said. “Lots of people are … very receptive to what we’re doing, and it seems that [we are] meeting a need of the Trinity community that hasn’t really been met before.”
