This story is part of Fox News Digital’s investigative series Campus Radicals. Get the full series here.

The Louisiana GOP is offering help to the students at Loyola University New Orleans who founded a Turning Point USA chapter on campus, only to have the student government bar the chapter from becoming an official organization.

“For the students, certainly, we encourage them to go through the process the way that it’s written out,” Louisiana GOP Chairman Derek Babcock told Fox News Digital. “I think that’s the right way to initially do this … and we’ll support them in every way we can through that process.”

On Oct. 15, the campus Student Government Association (SGA) denied the group the ability to charter — become an official campus organization — during a student senate meeting. The denial means that the organization will not receive funds from the university and will not be able to reserve campus space for any activities.

Babcock said the group is preparing to appeal the decision through the proper SGA channel.

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“If they’re denied again, I believe that is an injustice that needs to be rectified, and we’re going to be there to help them in any and every way necessary to right the injustice,” he said.

The SGA reportedly denied the charter after students raised concerns that Turning Point does not share the same values as the Jesuit Catholic school.

“Loyola University New Orleans, and our whole Jesuit Community, have prided themselves on the core values of Saint Ignatius, and the Society of Jesus at large. As it stands, Turning Point USA, its leaders, and many of the individuals whom they support are in direct opposition of these values,” one student reportedly said.

A statue of Jesus in front of Loyola University in New Orleans. (Gregory Kurpiel/Getty Images)

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The student attributed quotes to Turning Point’s founder, Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on Sept. 10, about “queer people are trying to corrupt your children” and “transgenderism and gender fluidity are lies that hurt people and abuse kids,” as evidence for that claim. However, official Catholic Church doctrine does not support gay marriage or transgenderism.

Another student, who identified herself as Hispanic, claimed Kirk held bigoted views towards Hispanics.

“You know, as far as the student government, I certainly would encourage them to take a better look at this and think twice about the initial decision they made,” Babcock said, noting that other right-leaning groups like the Federalist Society exist on campus along with other faith-based organizations.

People raise placards reading “This is our Turning Point” during a memorial service for slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium, in Glendale, Arizona, U.S., September 21, 2025.  (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

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“There is no justifiable reason for denying Turning Point to have a chapter at that university,” he said. “That’s an argument we’ll make in every arena that it needs to be made. And if that’s what has to happen, we’ll be there with those students to help support them through that process.”

Babcock also called for the school to look into the matter, and possibly override the SGA’s decision, though he said he respects the school’s commitment to allowing students to govern themselves.

“Well, I think that they need to be paying attention to this, and they need to take it seriously, because if they don’t have a mechanism in place today… they need to get one quickly, because it may become necessary,” he said.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry records a social media video outside the White House, March 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)

Babcock pointed to the support for Turning Point USA from Gov. Jeff Landry, who on Monday night spoke at a Turning Point event at Louisiana State University and called for the school to erect a statue of Kirk.

“I know they’re a private university, but they’re in the state of Louisiana, and here’s our Louisiana governor, not just supporting but actually speaking at and advocating for Turning Point events and memorials,” he said. “So, you know, that university administration needs to think very carefully about what’s happening here.”

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When asked about the appeals process, Loyola spokesperson, Aariel Charbonnet, pointed Fox News Digital to a document containing the SGA bylaws, which says, “The Court of Review shall handle all appeals rendered to it by the constituents of Loyola University of New Orleans Student Government association.”

The document explains that every Justice on the Court of Review has a vote on all the matters before the court. 

The court can invite people to speak before it, but it is unclear whether Turning Point members will have that opportunity during the appeals process. 

“The court can have ‘guest speakers’ that they can invite to the meeting and ask questions,” Charbonnet said. “But it is not required. In other words, they can attend If they are invited by the court as a special guest.”

Charbonnet said there is no process by which the university administration could override an SGA decision, except under certain conditions involving legality or conflicts with rules and regulations of the school. 

“Any part of this Constitution or any resolution passed under its authorization that is in conflict with the laws of the United States of America, the State of Louisiana, or with any rules or regulations of Loyola University New Orleans, shall be null and void from the time of its enactment,” the school’s constitution says. 

“The Student Government Association will support through its actions and programs the goals, purposes, and values of Loyola University New Orleans … and will abide by all university policies and procedures.”

Vice President JD Vance told a Turning Point USA audience Wednesday that Republicans shouldn’t fear using federal power, arguing the left has already weaponized it in the past.

Vance was responding to a question from an audience member at the University of Mississippi, also known as “Ole Miss,” who asked whether Republicans risk “abusing that power” if they use the federal government aggressively when governing.

“We cannot be afraid to do something because the left might do it in the future,” Vance said. “The left is already going to do it, regardless of whether we do it. That is the takeaway of the last 40 years.”

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Vance sarcastically prefaced his answer by saying, “What if Joe Biden sent the Federal Bureau of Investigation to start arresting his political opponents,” a dig at the criminal cases brought against former President Donald Trump over the last few years.

The Trump administration has deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Memphis, Tenn., with plans to send troops to as many as 19 states to support immigration enforcement and fight crime.

At the University of Mississippi, Vice President JD Vance was asked whether Republicans risk “abusing that power” if they use the federal government aggressively when governing. (Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)

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“If Joe Biden wanted to deploy the National Guard to a red state in a place where the murder rate was twice what it is in third-world countries to actually go after murderers, that would be a great use of the National Guard,” Vance continued.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think Joe Biden would use it like that,” the vice president added. “What I’m worried about, frankly, is what the far left already did with American law enforcement — and that is the thing we have to prevent against.”

District of Columbia National Guard members patrol outside Union Station, Sept. 1, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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He said that preventing future misuse of federal power requires holding those responsible to account.

“And the answer to that question is, you make sure the people who did it face penalties for using the federal power against American citizens,” he said. “And by the way, that’s exactly what we’re trying to do.”

A Florida man is reportedly recovering from being bitten by a shark while snorkeling with friends last weekend.

The incident occurred off Boca Chita Key in the Florida Keys’ Biscayne Bay in the late morning hours of Saturday, Oct. 25, the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue confirmed to Fox News Digital. 

Emergency personnel responded to a medical call regarding an animal bite at around 11:30 a.m., authorities said. Officials airlifted the man to a local hospital.

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The victim has been identified as Yosvany Echevarria, 46, according to CBS News Miami. He told the outlet he moved to the United States from Cuba three years ago, and was snorkeling with friends in the water when the shark bit him more than a half-dozen times.

“He could have ripped my arm off,” Echevarria told the outlet in Spanish. “I was scared. I was in a lot of pain. We were swimming there by the beach. I was diving in the water and snorkeling, and a shark lunged at me, at my hands.”

Echevarria added that he had received 27 stitches as a result of the attack, and suffered severe injuries to his arm, CBS News Miami reported.

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Yosvany Echevarria told CBS News Miami he received 27 stitches after the shark attack at Biscayne Bay in the Florida Keys, while also suffering severe injuries to his arm. (iStock)

“We got out because we were close to the shore, and we called someone to pick us up,” Echevarria said.

As of this week, there have been 51 reported shark attacks throughout the country this year, according to trackingsharks.com. Of those incidents, 10 reported attacks have occurred in the Sunshine State – with some taking place in Hollywood Beach, located just 20 miles from Miami, and southwest Florida’s Boca Grande.

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Last year, there were 71 reported bites — including 47 unprovoked attacks — worldwide, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File. Data indicates that 28 of the unprovoked attacks occurred in the United States, with Florida accounting for the country’s most unprovoked bites after 14 people reported incidents last year.

There have been 51 reported shark attacks throughout the United States in 2025, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File. (iStock)

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“My advice to people is if they are going to get in the water, they need to be careful. It could have been much worse,” Echevarria reportedly said. “I was lucky it was just bites. He could have ripped my arm off.”