On Nov. 8, members of Turning Point USA at Loyola University Maryland successfully replaced the American flag on the Evergreen campus’ main quad. Previously, multiple members of the club had noticed that the flag was torn and weathered for several weeks.

“You could tell that the flag wasn’t being maintained or cared for,” said Aaron Rubalsky ’24, the club’s vice president. “The flag was completely tattered.” 

About a month ago, the replacement effort started when the club board members reached out to various departments on campus that they believed would act quickly on the matter. However, that was not the case. 

“The flag symbolizes freedom and justice for all and should be well maintained out of respect– especially since it is a relatively simple thing to do,” said Lexi Vincento ‘23, the club’s president. 

After a few frustrating weeks of waiting to hear back from someone, they decided to take action themselves. The officers of Turning Point set up a fundraiser on their social media account, explaining their goal to replace the flag. A few days later, they raised the needed dollar amount in order to purchase the new flag through generous donations from followers. 

“I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of Loyola students who were eager to donate. We fulfilled the goal and ordered the flag two days after we posted about it,” said Vincento. “We are very grateful for everyone who helped out.”

When the new flag was delivered to campus, the club officers contacted members of the Greyhound ROTC Battalion who then coordinated a time to perform a flag ceremony. Earlier this week, a flag detail team properly retired the old flag and put up the new one. 

“It was a great ceremony, and we are thankful to the members of ROTC who helped make this happen,” Rubalsky said. “It’s a great lesson for all students that small actions make a difference, and that taking pride in your country isn’t a bad thing.” 

Featured Image courtesy of Aaron Burden via Unsplash