About Us:
The Philadelphia Forum for Freedom was founded in 2008 by liberty-minded student organizations from Drexel University, Temple University, and the University of Pennsylvania. The organization is headquartered, just as the name implies, in the city of Philadelphia and seeks to build a voluntary community of student groups so that they may provide a stronger, more unified front for individual liberty.
Mission Statement:
The mission of the Philadelphia Forum for Freedom is to bring together liberty-minded student organizations in the city of Philadelphia, to help facilitate communication and organization between said groups, and to further the cause of individual liberty. We hope that by providing a forum for discussion, organization, and cooperation, we can spread the ideals of freedom and better our respective groups in the process.
History:
In February of 2008, the first annual Students for Liberty conference was held at Columbia University in New York City. In attendance were students from the Philadelphia schools of Drexel, Temple, and Penn, and after a short discussion, they decided to experiment with the idea of working together within the city of Philadelphia to host larger, more diverse events. Eventually, the founding students decided to create a coalition out of these discussions titled the "Philadelphia Forum for Freedom." Soon after this decision, the organization was formalized with a constitution and now hosts events, helps keep the member organizations updated on any pertinent news, and provides a venue for political discussion and discourse. While these groups still (and always will) remain self-governed, independent, and unique, they nominate a yearly executive council to the PFF that decides the coalition's goals for the coming year. Past events include debate watch-parties with the Cato Institute's David Boaz, book forums with authors such as Gene Healy, hosting John "'the Stache" Stossel, and of course, social activities that allow the groups to relax and enjoy themselves.
Current Membership
Drexel Student Liberty Front
Representative: Aaron Moyer (President)
The mission of the Drexel Student Liberty Front is to educate the community on the importance of Individual Liberty and to participate in activities that defend and/or further the cause of Freedom.
Penn Libertarian Association
Representative: Michelle Potter (Vice President of Logistics)
The purpose of the organization and its activities are to promote an understanding of and support for libertarian principles within the student body of the University of Pennsylvania, engage in debate and dialogue about libertarianism’s meaning, political efficacy and social desirability, engage in political activism that upholds libertarian principles both on campus and in the surrounding political community and to serve as a liaison between the administration and faculty and the members of Pennsylvania Libertarian Association.
Temple Libertarians
Representative: Francis Boyle (Vice President of Outreach)
The mission of the Temple Libertarians is to educate the campus on Libertarian philosophy, refute common misconceptions about the Libertarian philosophy, promote the values of individual liberty, personal responsibility, small government, and voluntary cooperation, and to show the campus that politics can be fun and engaging.