Do college students ever get credit for promoting Republican or Libertarian values?

Derek Draplin of the College Fix has an interesting story here.

Colleges Give Students Academic Credit for Pushing Socialist Causes on Campus

College students can earn academic credit for promoting socialist causes on their campuses through a program run by the Young Democratic Socialists, a situation that has prompted concern among conservative and libertarian college students who do not receive credit for similar measures.

The Young Democratic Socialists work with administrators to help their campus student leaders secure academic credit, but declined to The College Fix to say which campuses have made such arrangements through the program.

“We do not have a standing list of schools which provide credit, rather, if a student expresses interest, we work with them to find out if their school would do so,” DSA National Director Maria Svart told The College Fix in an email.

“As you may be aware,” she added, “many schools have programs where a student finds an internship with a non-profit, for-profit, or advocacy organization and is supervised by an academic adviser. Our internship program helps develop a student’s leadership skills, such as critical thinking, writing, public speaking and project management.”

But this arrangement prompted controversy recently at the University of Southern California, where an undergraduate adviser sent students word of the opportunity via the official political science department listserv.

“Sick of politics as usual? Questioning capitalism? You are not alone! … We are currently looking for young, motivated democratic socialists to organize and lead active Young Democratic Socialists chapters at their colleges and universities,” the email stated.

The position was not described in the announcement as an internship, yet academic credit for the role was offered “for eligible students.”

“Anyone else appalled that you can get USC-approved credit for an internship with the ‘Young Democratic Socialists?’” posted Alex Kludjian, a board member of USC College Republicans, on Facebook. In an email to The College Fix, he added it’s biased and absurd.