Two students are launching a new facet of the campus political scene with the creation of Wesleyan Democratic Socialists (WesDS). The group will hold their first meeting on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 4:30 p.m. in Usdan 110.

While their fliers invite students to “Help Build a Stronger Progressive Movement in the United States,” founders Michael Migiel-Schwartz ’14 and Natalia Manetti-Lax ’14 ultimately hope to do much more than that.

“Democratic socialism is a struggle against all forms of oppression,” Migiel-Schwartz said.

Migiel-Schwartz and Manetti-Lax  said they believe the definition of the term “socialist” has been muddled by its misapplication in the popular media and a general lack of education concerning modern socialist views.

“We want to do a combination of activism and theory,” Migiel-Schwartz said. “It is important to not be afraid of the word ‘socialist.’”

Their first order of business is to get more University gear manufactured by the brand Alta Gracia, a clothing company which pays the workers in its Dominican Republic-based factory a living wage and actively works to protect the human rights of its employees.

WesDS hopes to enter the activism scene on campus by supporting other groups with whom they agree.

“In no way are we in competition with WesDems or Democracy Matters,” Migiel-Schwartz said. “If they do something we support, we will support it. One of the key things about Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is that they are not a party—they believe in supporting progressive Democratic candidates.”

Derek Fossi ’15 said he supports the group’s goal to educate students, even though it is not in line with his own political philosophy.

“I can’t say that I would agree with socialism personally, but education about socialism is a good thing,” Fossi said.

As their ad poster, with the headline “Could YOU be a SOCIALIST?” implies, Migiel-Schwartz and Manetti-Lax are not expecting all who attend the first meeting to be card-carrying members of the DSA.

“You don’t have to define yourself as a socialist to show up” Migiel-Schwartz said. “We aren’t going to tell you what to think.”

The founders of the group say they are looking for students who value human rights above all else, and who want to learn more about the often misunderstood world of socialism. They say that their motivation in this endeavor boils down to one principle.

“People [shouldn’t] suffer for no reason,” Migiel-Schwartz said.