Students at Lincoln-Way West High School in New Lenox submitted an application last week to form a Club America, the high school affiliate of Turning Point USA, the conservative college organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk.

The next step is for the application to go to the Student Council for approval, which will happen after Thanksgiving, according to Jen Vujosevik, director of community relations for Lincoln-Way High School District 210.

Any interested student can get involved in the Student Council. They will review the application packet and then vote whether to approve it, Vujosevik said.

Christina Clausen, chair of the Will County Republican Party, worked to find interested students and collect them to the club.

In order to form a club, students need to have a staff sponsor, a constitution and 25 signatures from other students. Clausen said after she learned there was an active Gay/Straight Alliance club that only had six members, she became concerned the Club America students were being treated unfairly in relation to other student organizations.

“I have friends that, their kids go there, I have relatives that go there, and I reached out to all of these kids, and I said, ‘you know, would you sign this petition, help these kids out?’” Clausen said. “And they were like, no way. And I was like, why? And they said, because it could affect our college.”

Vujosevik said the application process for Club America had been the same as for every other student organization.

“The current procedure for club formation is to obtain a staff sponsor and gather at least 25 student signatures to ensure there is interest from the students,” Vujosevik said in an email. “The delay in their approval was simply based on the students not turning in the required form and signatures until earlier this week.”

Clausen filed Freedom of Information Act requests for school documents relating to the establishment of the Gay/Straight Alliance, as well as other clubs that had been established more recently.

“If it was the other way around, and there was Gay/Straight Alliance club that was being put through the wringer, was told no, and they wanted help and they asked me for help, I would 100% be doing the same thing,” Clausen said. “Because I think it’s important for these kids to have clubs.”

Although the club’s application has now been filed successfully, Clausen said she intends on continuing to investigate whether the club was subject to unfair scrutiny, and said she has had interest from attorneys in the situation.

elewis@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/26/lincoln-way-west-turning-point-usa/