ATLANTA, Georgia -- A Georgia State University freshman from Birmingham created an informal White Student Union at the school, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The White Student Union already has about a half dozen members, founder Patrick Sharp told the Journal-Constitution, but it's also stirred up plenty of controversy before the school year even begins.

Sharp said the goal of the group is for students of European descent to get together and discuss culture and issues that affect the group.

"All we want to do is celebrate white identity," he told the Journal-Constitution. "This is about being in touch with who you are as a white person and being proud of that."

Sharp declined an interview with AL.com/The Birmingham News Wednesday.

In a pair of opinion columns published last week in Georgia State's student newspaper, The Signal, two students expressed opposite views of the new organization. Both writers focused heavily on the racial tension surrounding the killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida and the recent acquittal of George Zimmerman in the case.

"With the induction of a White Student Union, I think it will not only be a very interesting social experiment, but it will bring to the surface a multitude of uncomfortable racial arguments that we as students will have to address," student Mitchell Oliver wrote in support of the group.

"Do white students need a unified voice? Are there needs that are not being met?" wrote Terry Harlin, who opposed the group. "Why not a European cultural club, if the emphasis is indeed on heritage?"

The White Student Union is not an official group, Doug Covey, the university's vice president for student affairs, told the Journal-Constitution. In order to become an official group, it would need a faculty or staff adviser, and Sharp said he doubted the group could find one. As an informal group, the union can meet in common areas on campus but cannot reserve meeting space or receive funding from student fees.

According to Creative Loafing Atlanta, the idea came from a similar student group formed at Towson University that was the subject of a short Vice documentary.