Being Republican or conservative during your time in college can be a difficult experience. In some schools, up to 90 percent of the faculty who belong to a party are registered Democrats. If you consider yourself a conservative, you may find it challenging to engage your professors because you fear backlash on your grades due to the difference in political ideology.

Fortunately, for those who are left out, the Penn State College Republicans have established TRUTH Week, four days of speakers who promote conservatism and limited government. According to Josh Crawford, Chairman of the College Republicans, “TRUTH Week is a week dedicated to finding truth in areas of public policy often clouded by political rhetoric and demonization.” The College Republicans are inviting four speakers and workshops dedicated to bringing Republican ideals out of the shadows.

Today, the College Republicans present Arthur Laffer, who served as a senior economic adviser to Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. Dr. Laffer was one of the architects behind President Reagan’s policy of supply-side economics. Supply-side economists advocate lowering taxes on producers in order to promote growth. In addition, the Laffer Curve shows that government revenue is the same at 0%, when the government taxes nobody, and 100%, when workers and producers no longer have any incentive to work. Therefore, the optimal tax rate lies somewhere in between these values. Arthur Laffer will speak in the HUB auditorium at 2 p.m.

On Tuesday at 8 p.m. in 117 Osmond, Neal McCluskey, an Associate Director at the CATO Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom, will give a lecture about the federal government’s role in higher education. He argues that big government “corrupts, cripples and compromises” higher education in the United States. McCluskey will emphasize that the rise in tuition stems from the federal government. The next day, at 8:00 in 102 Thomas, Lawrence Reed will give a presentation about the role of Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression and its relevence to the current recession. Dr. Reed, the President of the Foundation for Economic Education, is an advocate for free-markets whose work has been noted by Congressman Ron Paul.

On the final day of TRUTH week, the College Republicans will host NRA U. NRA U is a two-hour seminar that will present the mission of the National Rifle Association, the importance of the Second Amendment and a discussion about gun-control politics. From this course, the NRA hopes that students will become an advocate for freedom, on-campus and off-campus. NRA U will offer food, pamphlets and FREE one-year memberships for the NRA to anyone who attends this event. The lecture begins at 6 p.m. and is located in 102 Thomas.