WASHINGTON -- They're passionate about politics, committed to campus activism and dedicated to the ideals of smaller government, less taxes and more individual freedom.

They're today's college conservatives -- people like 20-year-old Oliver Wolf of Shadyside, who traces his first political interest back to when, at 11, he was inspired by the 1994 campaign of Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa.

Today, Wolf is a sophomore at Bates College in Maine, a place he says has a distinct liberal bias. As vice chairman of the Bates College Republicans, he is working hard to change that by bringing in speakers like conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza and organizing events that "present a diversity of opinions."

"I believe in the free expression of ideas," said Wolf, an earnest, articulate young man. "I feel that conservatism can be well-respected if it is presented in a strong but civil way."

Wolf was one of 187 young men and women who spent most of this week in Washington at the National Conservative Student Conference. Sponsored by the Young America's Foundation, the conference -- now in its 25th year -- is designed to give participants the chance to meet other young conservatives as they listen to and question some of the top conservatives in American politics today.

At this year's conference, on the campus of George Washington University, the group heard from acerbic author Ann Coulter, wrestling star Warrior and G. Gordon Liddy, the former Watergate conspirator-turned-radio talk show host, who urged it to "take the initiative and take the fight to the other side."

The students also attended a White House briefing, spent time on Capitol Hill and attended late-night "bull sessions" with key conservatives. In addition, students were offered optional training seminars on topics such as "effective fundraising" and "publicity techniques."

The six-day conference, underwritten by donors, was a bargain: Students paid only $375 for meals, dormitory accommodations and supplies. Some of the students, already known for their campus activism, were invited to participate; others applied for the program.

"We try to introduce them to a broad-based set of conservative ideas," said Ron Robinson, president of the Young America's Foundation. "It's also a chance to be around like-minded students that they can draw strength from."

In fact, one of the main reasons for the conference is to help young conservatives counter the liberalism that, Robinson contended, pervades too many of their college campuses today. "It's sort of sad that they have to come to this conference to get to hear these conservative ideas."

Those who attended the conference were mostly college students, with a sprinkling of activist high schoolers. The group was nearly split between men and women, reflecting the growing numbers of female conservatives. But there was little racial diversity; the vast majority of attendees was white.

While many at the conference fit the clean-cut, well-dressed conservative stereotype, others were dressed more casually, in the mold of the new "Hipublican" touted in a recent New York Times magazine piece. President Bush was popular with many of the attendees, although some voiced strong opinions that he has not been conservative enough.

Those attending are part of a new wave of campus conservatism. Over the past three years, the Campus Leadership Program, part of the conservative Leadership Institute, has set up 256 conservative groups on college campuses in 42 states.

The College Republican National Committee in recent years has seen its membership increase and boasts 1,148 chapters nationwide.

And Bryan Auchterlonie, executive director of the Collegiate Network -- a group that helps subsidize conservative campus newspapers -- said his organization now has 80 member newspapers, up from 70 two years ago. "We work out of student demand, and we are seeing major growth in student demand" for conservative campus newspapers, Auchterlonie said.

Various studies confirm the trend. A study released in May by the Harvard University Institute of Politics found that 61 percent of students believe Bush is doing a good job, and 66 percent support the Iraq war.

Another study, the annual college freshman survey done by the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute, found an increased conservatism among students on specific issues. Support for legalized abortion dropped to 54 percent in 2002, down from 66 percent in 1989, and a record high number of students -- 45 percent -- agreed that federal spending for the military should be increased.

But there also was record high support for gay rights, with more than 59 percent of freshman agreeing that same-sex couples should have the right to legal marital status, UCLA officials said.

At this week's conference, students were encouraged to discuss these and other issues with the speakers. It was an exhilarating process for many, who say there is little support for their views back on their campuses.

Toby Eberhart chairs the group called Young Americans for Freedom at Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pa. He attended the conference this week as part of his summer internship with the Young America's Foundation.

"The left is vocal at Penn State, and I felt that there needed to be some voice of conservativism," said Eberhart, 21, of Cresson, Pa. "Our group is much smaller than the college Democrats, but at least we are making our voices known."

Eberhart grew up in a family of conservative Democrats and says his group is non-partisan, with a number of conservative Democrats and independents as members. "Political party affiliation makes no difference," he said. "It's the ideas that matter, the ideas that are near and dear to us -- like limited federal government, individual freedom and personal responsibility."

Other students echoed Eberhart's remarks, saying they were drawn to conservatism because it best reflected their core values.

Elana Bertram, 21, a senior at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, deplores the "femi-nazism" on her campus, saying it goes against her strong belief that "feminism is wrong, that it doesn't have women's best interests in mind." Conservatives understand, Bertram said, that "trying to make [women and men] the same is not the same as making us equal."

Charles Mitchell, 21, a junior at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, understands Bertram's frustration with the prevailing political philosophy on her campus. In the past two years, Mitchell, president of the Bucknell University Conservative Club, has helped create a conservative counter-force there. Mitchell and fellow conservatives have been so successful at shaking things up through organized events, speakers and a new campus newspaper that they were a main focus of the Times' "Hipublican" article.

Asked what motivates his conservative activism, Mitchell said: "I feel funny saying it, but I'm a conservative principally because I'm interested in Ronald Reagan."

Mitchell isn't alone. Reagan is a hero to many young conservatives who attended the conference, who feel that his two terms as president embodied the essence of their philosophy: lowering taxes and attempting to cut government.

For some young conservatives, the conference week in Washington served as a way to arm themselves for battle when they head back to campus in the fall.

Linda Chau, 18, of San Diego, is one of those. She deliberately chose to go to the University of California at Berkeley, a bastion of liberalism, because she's interested in promoting the conservative cause there.

"It will either make me a stronger conservative, or it will make me weaker," Chau said. "But I'm willing to test myself."