Declining YPU struggles with elections, speakers

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH CNN political analyst Kellyanne Fitzpatrick, who spoke on Tues., Dec. 1, was a welcome addition to the YPU's sagging speaker series.

The website of the Yale Political Union boasts, "Senators, governors, judges and journalists, activists and academics alike come to the Union every year to debate." As of late, however, YPU's prominence has diminished, most notably in its low election interest and the cancellation of speakers that were supposed to come.

While the Union has hosted some speakers this semester and has held some well-attended debates, it has been fraught with problems. Interest in leadership positions is weak and prominent speakers such as San Francisco mayor Willie Brown and Christopher Buckley, JE '75, have canceled speaking engagements. These problems have been occurring while membership and activity in the YPU's constituent parties have been increasing. "While parties themselves are quite strong and increasing their membership, the Union as an umbrella organization is really not functioning that well and people seem to be losing interest," Tatiana Diykova, BK '01, the tribune of the Conservative party, said.

While many involved students offer political apathy among students as an explanation for the waning status of the YPU, the growth of the individual parties indicates that this is not the case. Many involved students feel that the infrastructure of the YPU and the ways in which it goes about conducting its business have been the primary causes for the decline of the Union.

This semester, only a small number of candidates have declared their intention to run for Union offices and no candidates are running for the position of secretary. "Because the union is stagnant right now and because it would take a lot of work and creativity to get us out of the red, no one wants to shoulder the burden and rightly so," Progressive party member Stephen Fishbach, BK '00, said.

YPU leaders, however, assert the quality, not the quantity, of candidates, counts. "I am confident that a strong group of leaders will be elected and that's what's important," YPU Speaker and Progressive Party member David Buchwald, TD '00, said. "This past semester we had to fill one of our elected positions by appointment because of a resignation. That officer served with the highest dedication and performed his job tremendously. That's what's important, not the number of candidates for each position."

As far as the recent cancellations by guest speakers go, members point both to bad luck and bad planning. According to Buchwald, Brown missed his flight and Buckley's trip to the Far East lasted longer than he had planned. Conservative Party Chairman Sarah Anne Maserati, BK '01, pointed to bad planning as the cause of poor speaker turnout. "I see some flaws in the way that the schedule of guests is set," she said. "The guests acquiesce to a week or a month, but do not specify the exact date or topic until a few days before. When the schedule is this up in the air, it is no surprise that they cancel."

According to Maserati, political ambition and infighting have hurt the YPU. She maintains that interest has declined, in part, because of "the repulsive political infighting which, unfortunately, has come to define the culture of the YPU and the general hackish character of Yale students, who care more about their resumés and careers than about the pursuit of truth." One junior commented, "It's a waste of time and space. Everyone in the PU takes themselves so damn seriously. No one laughs at anything and there are all these inflated speeches during debates."

Because of the minimal success of the YPU this semester, new members are losing interest and are devoting their time and energy to other activities. "[This semester, the YPU] failed to coalesce as an organization with any real meaning or organized activity," a freshman in the Liberal party said. "Meetings haven't been happening, and while individual parties are still having debates, we're not. I'm really disenchanted with the organization. It's just a remnant of what it once was."

There are some members of the Union, however, who are optimistic about the future of the organization and say that the difficulties the Union is experiencng now are part of the natural cycle of any organization. "The Union goes through periods of growth and periods of decline," Buchwald said. "We've existed since 1934 and any organization that's lasted that long is bound to have some difficulties. Still, I have the utmost belief that the Union will rise strong in the years to come."

Students not involved with the Union, but active in campus politics, are concerned about the Union's current state. Hopefully next semester's leadership will be able to confirm and eventually bring some political guests to campus," Yale College Student Union founder and chairman Matthew Rothman, BR '00, stated. "But as of right now, it seems like there is a dearth of interested people wanting to revive a once well-regarded organization."

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