The Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) is a non-partisan student political group at UTSA focusing on basic conservatism.

The student organization is not aligned with any political affiliation. Yet YCT remains heavily involved in politics, often addressing volatile issues and incorporating controversial figures to enhance their message.

"YCT offers some of the most sought- after endorsements in the state of Texas and have the oldest and most respected legislative ratings in the state. YCT is characterized as an energetic political organization with a goal of electing conservatives and raising awareness on the positions of conservatives in the top state political issues," YCT president Laura Elizabeth Morales said.

While YCT refrains from stepping into national politics, some topics the organization addresses does not have a clear-cut distinction between state and national orientation.

"Last semester we did a lot on immigration, and, technically, that is a national issue. But immigration strongly affects Texas, being right here along the border," junior political science major and YCT executive director Kyle Winkler said.

Being non-partisan, however, does not mean YCT is not involved in politics or political parties.

"We spread our message through a combination of activism, political commentary and campaign work," Morales said. "More recently our members have been featured on local talk radio stations and news networks to give commentary on political issues. We host events that are designed to catch students' attention and spark discussion." During their meetings, held three times a month on Wednesdays, YCT rate the conservatism of members of the Texas legislature. YCT also rates candidates and members of the legislature and openly supports candidates.

"We give candidates our official endorsement that they then put in their literature," said Winkler. "And also I feel we do a good job of trying to, at the state level, push the Republicans in office more toward conservative values because the Republicans lately have not made very good on limited government and fiscal responsibility. They are spending tons of money every which way, and the government is growing."

The organization insists that their involvement in politics and political parties is to uphold the ideals of conservatism, and that while the group may focus on one party more than others they remain non-partisan.

"Limiting government and having greater fiscal responsibility in the state of Texas is our main focus, to promote conservatism," Winkler said.

To express their political views on campus, YCT plans to orchestrate several events in the future ranging from open meetings to political protests.

On Oct. 24, YCT is hosting Representative Frank Corte, Jr. at 8 p.m. in the UC Mesquite Room. Court is a member of the armed forces and has served terms in the Texas legislature while on tour in Iraq.

"He is coming to speak to us about how, from his perspective, the Iraq war is going," Winkler said. On Oct. 29 YCT will be hosting a mystery guest speaker. The meeting will be invitation and ticket only, but the group will be selling tickets the week before the event.

YCT also plans to protest UTSA's no handgun policy through an open holster demonstration. On Oct. 22, YCT members plan to wear open and empty gun holsters on their belts as they go about campus.

"We feel things like the Virginia Tech shootings could be prevented by students and faculty that carry guns on campus. It gives people a chance to fight back and also, it's our right to. State law prohibits it, and UTSA policy prohibits it, and we are trying to change that," Winkler said.

Other plans for the semester include a memorial on campus for UTSA students and alumni who have or are serving in the military. The push for a memorial is to try to bring the campus together in honor of those serving their country.

YCT's audience depends heavily on the issues the group decides to focus on, and most reactions to their message have been characterized by anger and sometimes violence.

"Usually people are like 'Oh what are you guys doing this time? What is your problem now?' A lot of times people don't like what we got to say," Winkler said. This reaction was seen last year at an immigration event held under the Sombrilla featuring Chris Simcox. Dissenters to the event were hauled away by police officers.

"The event got so crazy that we had one cop when we started. By the end of it, we had every police officer not assigned to a critical duty," said Winkler.

"That is what the left [wing] does, and the university handled it very well."

Interestingly enough, there seems to be a lack of understanding as to what YCT actually does, which leads to misconceptions and disappointment. "One of the things we are trying to put forward is what it means to be a conservative. A lot of people see "conservative" and think "republican", and that is not necessarily true. We want to reinforce what real conservatism should be for," Winkler said.

Winkler would also like to see more students get involved in political issues.

"I don't think there has ever been a time at UTSA where anything political happened that so many people showed up," he said in reference to Simcox.

The underlying theme remains that civil debates are hard to come by on campus and that some opportunities were taken full advantage of.

"YCT welcomes debate and discussion at all our events," Morales said. "However, students who resort to violence and riots like those last semester need a few lessons in civility. Healthy competition is a great part of healthy political discussion at UTSA."