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Conservative Elon student aspires to lead
Local resident in U.S. spotlight
AP Photo
Amanda Prevette (center) takes part in a rally at the Supreme Court in Washington, in this June 26 photo.
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Published: August 18, 2008
A Kernersville native who hopes to become a force in conservative politics was among the pro-gun-rights activists demonstrating in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26 in advance of its historic ruling that struck down the District of Columbia handgun ban.
Amanda Prevette, 21, a rising senior at Elon University, said she went with co-workers to support Americans' constitutional right to bear arms.
"I plan on getting a gun as soon as I can," she said. "I think everyone should be able to protect themselves."
Prevette interned in Arlington, Va., this summer with the Leadership Institute, a group dedicated to training conservative politicians and journalists.
The institute assists 212 conservative student-run publications across the nation. Prevette worked with 40 of those publications this summer. In the fall, she plans to start her own publication at Elon.
"I think our school needs a strong conservative voice," she said.
Prevette founded Elon's Conservatives in spring 2007. The group now has about 20 members, but it has not been recognized as an official student organization on campus.
Prevette expects to have a staff of five to seven to work on the new publication, and her former co-workers at the Leadership Institute have promised to help get it off the ground.
"They will go out of their way to get you anything you need," Prevette said.
Prevette's publication could face some online competition.
Daniel Shutt, the president of the College Democrats at Elon, said he's trying to bring together students from such organizations as the Sierra Club and the Gay-Lesbian Alliance to begin a blog that would provide running commentary on campus events.
The most successful student-run publications focus on campus issues, rather than rehashing national debates, Prevette said.
Elon needs to hear a dissenting voice on such issues as diversity and sustainability, she said. The school has a campus plan to "go green," and Prevette said that some of the efforts, such as paying $10 more a box for recycled paper, are ridiculous.
According to Shutt, those views are not necessarily in the minority at Elon.
"You could characterize the student body as being fairly conservative," he said, explaining that most Elon students come from families with a high socioeconomic status, leading to economic conservatism on campus.
However, he said that most Elon students are middle-of-the-road when it comes to social issues.
Shutt said that students from both sides of the political spectrum face obstacles in trying to get their classmates involved in activism.
"With a lot of college campuses, there's sort of a baseline of apathy," he said. "So you have to cut through that."
Prevette said she liked the attention she got for espousing her conservative opinion at the Supreme Court.
"I got a rush from it," she said. "I definitely like being out there."
In fact, Prevette said, she enjoyed Washington so much that she didn't want to come home.
She wants to work for the Leadership Institute after graduation, continuing her work in helping students around the country organize their own conservative groups and to start right-leaning publications.
She said she draws inspiration from such conservative writers as Pat Buchanan.
Growing up in a Republican family gave Prevette conservative roots but going away for her internship has helped strengthen her political convictions. "It just kind of solidified the fact that they're my own," she said.
When she takes a break from politics, Prevette can be found in the kitchen. She said she loves to bake, treating her roommates this summer at least once a week. "I had them pretty spoiled," she said.
■ Elizabeth DeOrnellas can be reached at 727-7279 or at edeornellas@wsjournal.com.
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