An independent voice with a caring heart

Junior Political Science and Studio Art Major Bess Folsom is best known at Gustavus for her strong political beliefs.

“What Bess might be known for on campus is that she is politically conservative.  I don’t know how unique that really is on this campus, but I do know that many conservative students choose to take a lower profile with their beliefs,” Pittman Area Coordinator and Assistant to the President for Special Projects Barb Larson Taylor said.

However, the second-year Collegiate Fellow doesn’t want her political opinions to keep people on campus from getting to know her.

“I’m generally known as ‘my CF’ or  ‘crazy republican chick.’ Get to know me, there’s more to me than being a CF or the President of the College Republicans,” Bess said.

Indeed, there is a lot more to Bess. “There isn’t really a right way to describe Bess.  She’s very versatile.  She can go from place to place. She never just blends in, though. Her personality is very motherly and caring.  She can also be very random,” Junior Sociology and Anthropology Major Cassie Kendall said, a friend of Bess.

Outside of class Bess works as a nanny of four kids of Gustie alumni, gives tours as a Gustie Guide and participates in one-time volunteering activities. Bess is originally from Lincoln, Neb. and found Gustavus while visiting family in the Twin Cities. Her main medium for her studio arts major is paint. After college, Bess is planning on getting a Master’s degree and teaching certificate to teach high school social studies.

Bess’s main involvement on campus, however, is her work as president of the College Republicans. She became involved in the group on campus the second semester of her first year in search of people who shared her political beliefs and wanting to learn more about political issues.

Bess said that she struggled at first to find similar political views on campus.

“The generalization that Gustavus is super liberal is false. Active democratic views flow into every aspect of what we do here. We have a very active liberal student body. Republicans feel judged for speaking up. I’ve been judged for what I believe. The difference is I let it roll off my back and others can’t,” she said.

Bess hopes that this year, as College Republicans President, she can present a different view of what it means to be a Republican at Gustavus.

“We would like people to take a second look at us and see that we are an extremely diverse group. We are not cookie cutter people. There are very few things we all agree on: gay rights, abortions, Christianity. Ask us questions and we may surprise you,” Bess said.

The “non-cookie cutter” views are represented not just in the College Republicans as a whole group, but personally in Bess’s beliefs.

“I think people would be surprised to find out that the President of the College Republicans would also be one of the most accepting allies [to the LGBTQ community] I’ve met at Gustavus,” Senior Classics and Political Science Major Nick Prince said.

Bess’s favorite moments being a part of the College Republicans are those of controversy. “Anytime someone says or writes something about me it means I’m doing something right,” she said.

Although she grew up in a Christian conservative household, Bess says that she was more moderate in her younger years.

“Growing up more moderate I would disagree with my parents. We’d argue about what Beck and O’Reilly said.”

Bess’s ability to stand up for what she believes in is inherent, but she also respects others’ opinions.

“One strong trait is that Bess is comfortable expressing her beliefs without the need to attack another.  Although she is passionate, she actively tries to defuse drama in her life and the life of others,” Larson Taylor said.

“On this campus, Bess stands out.  She is a devoted conservative.  She speaks her mind, but never walks on top of others in the midst of the heat.  She has been put through the ringer on the campus and still smiles at everyone on the way to class.  Now, that’s special,” Kendall said.

The mixture of strong independent views and empathy for others comes from a philosophy Bess sticks to: “Having strong beliefs doesn’t mean that you don’t understand other’s perspective, it just means that you’re comfortable and confident in what you believe while still having respect for what others believe,” she said.

Bess’s ability to foster relationships has made her an ideal returning Collegiate Fellow to first year students.

“She works hard to make a difference in her community and for her that [happens] through forming relationships.  She is a strong CF because she is most interested in helping first year students succeed in their own way at Gustavus,” Larson Taylor said.

As a Collegiate Fellow, Bess would like to give one piece of advice to all first years.

“Don’t be afraid of redefining yourself. Everyone sees the transition from high school to college to reinvent themselves. Once you’re here, you think you have to stay the way you are, but you don’t. We grow so much in college and it’s scary, wonderful and exciting.”