Each Sunday, the members of the United Left Alliance meet at a corner table of Revolution Cafe and Bar in Downtown Bryan to have a drink, socialize, and discuss far-left ideologies.
Far-left ideologies, as described by ULA co-founder and class of 2009 A&M graduate Brent Green, are essentially “anti-state and anti-capitalist,”    though ULA is made up of members ranging in beliefs from communism, libertarianism, and everything in between.
“The far left understands that you can’t have actual change and equality in the current system, [which is] capitalist and has a government system that’s based on hierarchy and coercion,” Green said.
The co-founders started ULA about a year ago after discovering that there wasn’t another leftist organization in B/CS.
“When we started it, we didn’t know who would be there, join, or what would happen, but we wanted it to be more of a networking opportunity, so if nothing else, it could be a place for like-minded [people] to come together and discuss and learn, because living in this town, you are very alienated if you don’t conform to the conservative right-wing and their way,” Green said.
Green admits that their location in B/CS can contribute to certain challenges.
“I knew there was an undercurrent of subversion in this town, it’s just really hard to find,” Green said. “But it also does surprise me that more people aren’t a part of things like this, because everyone is so fed up this election year, and everyone is unhappy but no one is really doing anything.”
Despite living in a generally conservative town, members agree that the students of A&M have proven to be open-minded.
“We focus a lot of our advertising on campus,” Green said. “We’re a part of the generation that’s the most well-educated, but the least compensated for our work and education, so a lot of people our age are disillusioned with the current system. I think that’s something that draws a lot of students to our organization.”
Computer engineering senior Paul Dutton agrees that college students are more likely to get involved with a group like ULA.
“College is a time when people want to explore different things; it’s the first time [students] have access to a lot of these groups,” Dutton said.
Group members admit that being part of such a leftist organization can come with stigmas.
“You get used to people laughing at you,” Dutton said. “But coming here and seeing what a nice group of people it was, and seeing how much they genuinely care about equality, peace, prosperity, and helping out the people in our community, you definitely realize that these are people who really care about what’s going on and want to make a positive impact.”
ULA offers opportunities for community activism and campus involvement, but for many members, the benefit comes from networking and getting to know people with similar opinions.
“For me, a lot of political activism is just finding people that I can have honest conversations with,” Dutton said. “That’s always been a really cool thing, because that can be hard to find – people who are interested and want to learn.”