With the end of the 2025-26 academic year approaching, Loyola’s clubs are hosting some of their final meetings. A club to keep a close eye on next semester is the Loyola Youth Democratic Socialists of America (LYDSA). This club was founded by Jesser Pilato ‘26, LYDSA chairman, in response to what LYDSA perceives as a lack of political engagement between peers on campus. LYDSA aims to be a space where anyone can come in and have a civil chat about what should be done about the current state of America.
Pilato explained about the idea behind LYDSA’s creation.
“I knew that a bunch of people were politically engaged, particularly on the left wing, that had really strong opinions on political matters. We’re willing to express those opinions on these political matters in classroom settings, and we clearly want a space to discuss those with other people on campus, and that space didn’t exist,” Pilato said.
He then added that the reason for the lack of political spaces is due to a lack of prominence from other clubs with similar missions. Pilato refers to a club named Turning Point that has had issues that have limited their involvement on campus. This was an opportune moment for Pilato and his team.
Pilato commented on how LYDSA has benefited from this desire for spaces to have these conversations.
“And now, as we just had, we’re having like 30 people, completely voluntary, not for any sort of class, having academic political discussions regarding the future of left-wing politics in America. I think we’ve been really successful at that before, and I think that we will continue to be successful at that as we go forward,” Pilato said.
Another factor of this club’s success has been the inviting nature. LYDSA member and future Co-Chair Ella Dice ‘27 explained the level of knowledge one would need to be in this club.
“It’s generally for an audience that wants to become more educated about politics. As long as you come to the club with an open mind, we are willing to hear everybody’s perspectives and questions that you may have,” Dice said.
LYDSA Secretary Eamonn O’Shea ‘26 explains what a typical meeting looks like for the club. O’Shea explained that they start with a lecture from either a member of LYDSA or a professor. These lectures take about 15-30 minutes. After the initial lecture, the floor is open for discussion.
“A lot of times we will ask the person who’s speaking to ‘tee off’ with a starter question, and then we will have a round robin style of discussion, about halfway through a second question, often naturally appearing that makes space for a gear change,” O’Shea said.
Ultimately, the goal expressed by all of these club members has been to create a space where people are able to learn about politics, without a grade being attached to the back end of the experience. There’s no homework, no due date, just open and honest political discussion.
To learn more about LYDSA, visit their Instagram page to keep an eye on meeting times or any events that they may have in the future.
