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Jared Smith, president of the College Republicans, talks about listening to each other. JEAN COWDEN MOORE/THE STAR

Jared Smith, who is president of the College Republicans at CLU, asks a couple of students some questions about prominent Republican women during an International Women's Day celebration. He admits being a Republican on a college campus isn't always easy, but said diplomacy and collaboration help everyone.(Photo: JUAN CARLO/THE STAR)Buy Photo

It's not always easy being a Republican on a college campus these days, but Jared Smith understands what it takes diplomacy and collaboration, precisely the skills he used to be named an outstanding delegate at a recent Model United Nations summit on terrorism.

Smith, 21, a senior at California Lutheran University, has been president of the College Republicans for almost three years. He's alsotreasurer of the recently formed CLU Political Union, which organizes forums where peopleacross the political spectrum can debate issues in an open but civil environment.

So Smith understands how far listening and considering others' views can take you, both on campus and on the national stage.

"We all want the same thing," Smith said. "We all want a better America. We just tend to disagree on how to do it and what the better America is."

As a young Republican, Smith sees a country increasingly divided, where people areless willing to listen to others' viewpoints than perhaps they were in the past. Instead,we tend to read or listen to news that supports our existing political views, further entrenching ourselves on one side or the other, he said.

"If we're going to be able to compromise and work together as individuals, we have to find common ground. And to find common ground, we need to understand what the other side thinks. We have to challenge our views constantly."

Smith believes we'd be better off if westarted learning more about others' views. That's what he does, checking the Huffington Post and going to MSNBC, as well as reading the Wall Street Journal and the Economist.

"If we're going to be able to compromise and work together as individuals, we have to find common ground," he said. "And to find common ground, we need to understand what the other side thinks. We have to challenge our views constantly."

That attitude exemplifies an approach everyone, young or old, coulduse in today's political climate, said Jose Marichal, a political science professor and Smith's academic adviser.

"He's a model, whether you're a Democrat or Republican, for how we're supposed to engage in dialogue with our fellow citizens," Marichal said. "He's willing to hear the other side and is open to the possibility that his mind can be changed, that none of us own a monopoly on the truth."

Jared Smith, who is president of the College Republicans at CLU, yells out to some students to come to his booth to enter a raffle. He was among the students celebrating International Women's Day. At his table, he was asking questions about prominent Republican women and contributions the Republican Party has made toward women's rights. He believes it's necessary to talk and try to understand people who think differently than you do.(Photo: JUAN CARLO/THE STAR)

Indeed, Smith's own political views have evolved over the years.

He embraces what he sees as traditional Republican values: fiscal and personal responsibility, as well as individual liberty.

But he considers himselfcentral on social issues. He's become more liberal on LGBTQ issues, for example, and he believes it's our country's responsibility to accept more refugees. On the other hand, he's shifted more conservative financially.

How does he feel about President Donald Trump?

Well, he didn't vote for Trump. Smithworried about how the global community would perceive the American government under a Trump presidency. He also couldn't back what Trumpsaid about immigrants and Mexico.

Jared Smith, who is president of the College Republicans at CLU, folds the banner after celebrating International Women's Day.(Photo: JUAN CARLO/THE STAR)

"I couldn't bring myself to support someone who called our neighbors rapists," he said. "A lot of people come here because they were in a rough spot and saw this as the land of opportunity. It's important that America is that place to come to for the broken, the tired."

Nor could he endorse how Trump talked about women.

"I couldn't bring myself to support someone who could potentially see my mother that way, my sister that way," he said.

Smith ended up voting for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate he campaigned for.

But now that Trump is our president, Smithbelieves the country needs to support him.

"It's in our best interest if Donald Trump succeeds," he said. "We may be doubtful; we may be skeptical of his qualifications and his ability to lead on the world stage. But for every person saying Donald Trump should fail and ultimately be impeached, it's important to realize that would come at a great expense to the America, and that's not something that we want."

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Republican on campus? Try diplomacy, student says - Ventura County Star