Hillsdale College Holds 2025 Robert H. and Susan M. Rewoldt Essay Contest in Politics
Students wrote essays dealing with the topic ‘Consent in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century American Politics.’
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College held its 2025 Robert H. and Susan M. Rewoldt Essay Contest in Politics this spring. This year’s topic was “Consent in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century American Politics.” Emma Verrigni, Patrick McDonald, and Vivian Turnbull took first, second, and third place, respectively.
“The quality of our students’ writing is outstanding,” said Provost Christopher VanOrman. “Each of the participants offered a thoughtful argument and a unique approach to the topic. We were very pleased with their essays.”
“Each of the participants offered a thoughtful argument and a unique approach to the topic.”
Verrigni’s essay, “Too Late to Assimilate: How Mass Immigration Undermines Self-Government” won first prize. Verrigni argued that immigration undermines the shared values that underpin consent and dilutes the voting power of citizens.
“Modern immigration breaks the social compact by admitting new members without the consent of current citizens, and those new members do not have the cultural values that the founding fathers thought self-government required,” Verrigni said.
McDonald won second place for his essay “The Ineluctable Unelected: How the Administrative State Eroded Popular Consent.” McDonald argued that the delegation of authority to unelected and increasingly powerful administrative agencies has undermined the consent of the governed.
Turnbull won third place for her essay “From Consent of the Governed to Consent of the Government: The Erosion of Political and Sexual Consent in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century America.” Turnbull argued that when consent is unmoored from natural law, the state ultimately consents to give rights rather than people consenting to limited government to protect their rights.
First place received $5,000, second $3,000, and third $1,000. The contest, which is organized through the Politics Department and the Office of the Provost, is open to all Hillsdale College undergraduate students. This year there were 10 submissions, and Mike Driscoll, visiting assistant professor in politics, served as the faculty judge.
In 2019, Mrs. Susan M. Rewoldt established an endowment to fund an annual essay contest on political topics, made possible through a generous bequest to Hillsdale College from her late husband, Robert H. Rewoldt. Mr. Rewoldt’s bequest has also funded the Robert H. and Susan M. Rewoldt Scholarship for the George Washington Fellowship Program and the Robert H. and Susan M. Rewoldt Endowed Merit Scholarship in Politics for students with a major in politics.
For headshots of the winners, click here. For photos of Hillsdale College, click here. For a high-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo, click here.