The Yale political scene—left, right, and center

From the Yale Political Union to the Student Labor Action Coalition, partisan politics have a place at Yale.

LIZ OLINER/YH SLAC painted their faces white to protest the backlash against affirmative action at an April rally in Beinecke Plaza.

If you have been starved for an arena in which to vent your political ideology, you may soon be satiated for life. Yale students have what seem to be endless opportunities to listen to political speakers, debate and discuss politics, protest, help run campaigns, and even run for office.

Most students' initial exposure to Yale politics is through the Yale Political Union (YPU). The largest undergraduate organization at Yale, a former cabinet secretary called it "the most prominent campus group for campus politics in America." While that may have once been true, the YPU is known more today as the group that brought actor James Earl Jones and attorney Robert Shapiro to Yale than as a political forum.

Professor (and later University Pre-sident) A. Whitney Griswold founded the YPU in 1934. According to YPU folklore, Griswold noticed an "insular and apathetic Yale political culture" in the 1930s and wanted to combat it.

Speakers from all facets of political life have graced the YPU meetings in recent years, including presidential candidates Ross Perot and Steve Forbes, as well as former California governor Jerry Brown, Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), MC '64, LAW '67, Christian Coalition Director Ralph Reed, former Speaker of the House Thomas Foley, and Rev. Al Sharpton.

Despite these heralded speakers, the YPU has perhaps unwittingly developed a penchant for wackiness. When Communist Party National Secretary Joelle Fishman visited Yale to speak at the YPU, her speech was delayed by 45 minutes as members of the Party of the Right (POR) continued to interrupt the proceeding with points of order concerning the Pledge of Allegiance. YPU Speaker Andrew Diamond, CC '99, finally declared the points of order dilatory. This seemed to put an end to the fiasco until Liberal Party member Rob Stilling, MC '99, held a match to the American flag and asked POR members, "Does this make you nervous?" An un-amused POR member approached the stage and swatted the match from Stilling's hand.

The Progressive Party, one of the six parties in the YPU, requires Internet surfers trying to enter their home page to first declare whether they prefer "runner's high or meaningless sex." The Independent Party recently debated another topic titled, "Resolved: Ebonics be dope."

Such antics may have compromised the YPU's credibility as a place for serious discussion. But topics such as "America needs more Christian values" and "Capitalism is inherently flawed" are still discussed seriously at YPU meetings.

Although it describes itself as "an apolitical organization," the Yale College Student Union (YCSU) emerged on the political scene in January. Dissatisfied with the speakers that the YPU has brought to campus in recent years, YCSU founders Marc Lindemann, SY '98, and Matthew Rothman, BR '00, have made it their goal to bring widely recognized and respected speakers to Yale. Speakers will begin arriving in the fall, and meetings will be free and open to all students.

The Yale College Democrats (YCD) and Yale College Republicans (YCR) both throw their members into the real world political fray right away.

YCD, the lar-ger of the two groups, describes itself as "an undergraduate organization that works with the College Democrats of America (an affiliate of the Democratic National Commitee) and the Connecticut Democratic Party to promote the ideals and the candidates of the Democratic Party in local, state, and national politics." This year, YCD helped to re-elect New Haven mayor John DeStefano, Jr., and run the campaign of newly-elected Ward One Alder Julio Gonzalez, CC '99. For the past few terms, the position has been held by a Yale student. YCD also hosts and annual New England conference for College Democrats.

YCR, though smaller than YCD, also has a presence on campus. The group met with presidential candidate Bob Dole during his campaign and journeyed to Hartford to watch him debate. YCR also volunteers for Habitat for Humanity.

In addition to the aforementioned organizations, Yale is home to the Conservative Forum, the Yale Black Political Forum, the Women's Center, and other politically-oriented student groups. Each has its own agenda and brings its own speakers. Yale also has a strong activist community, with groups like the Student Labor Action Coalition (SLAC), which supported Yale workers' unions in the contract negotiations of 1996, and Students for Corporate Responsibity (SCR), which criticizes the University's investment practices.

Whether you want to register voters in senior citizens' homes, rally for corporate responsibility, or just join a frenzied YPU audience listening to James Earl Jones bellow, "I find your lack of faith disturbing," Yale can satisfy your political fix.

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