Alumni
Our alumni are one of our most valuable resources. They include politicians, scholars, scientists and more. The Yale Political Union is a forum not only for debate between students but also with some of tommorrow's leaders. As we look towards our 75th annieeting. Over a marathon lunch at Mory's we elected officers, approveversary of debating, we encourage you to enter the debate.
If you are in the Connecticut area, you are welcome to join us at a weekly meeting.
If you cannot come to campus you can still weigh in on the issues from the comfort of your computer with the Yale Political Union online forum. The forum can be read by clicking here. To become a forum member contact Marie Diamond.
We are updating our alumni lists so we can contact you about upcoming events. Please send your current contact information to Marie Diamond.
Alumni News
Dear Alumni of the Political Union,
In the fall of 2009, the Yale Political Union will celebrate its 75th anniversary.
It has been nearly three-quarters of a century since, in December of 1934, the Union first convened to celebrate its foundation and take a vote of confidence in its founding officers. To celebrate this landmark, we are inviting all alumni back to campus for a gala reunion weekend. You'll be hearing from us with further details soon, but, for now, mark your calendars for October 23-25, 2009!
In anticipation of this, we've begun to reconnect with our vast alumni network. You may know that the student position of Director of Development was created three years ago as a liaison between current and former members. But we are happy to announce that the day before the Harvard-Yale Game this past fall, the Yale Political Union Alumni Board convened its inaugural md our bylaws, and began planning for the Anniversary. Since then, we've been working closely with the AYA and our student officers to ensure that Yale's most preeminent undergraduate organization will also have its most vibrant alumni organization! You'll soon hear from a member of the Alumni Board about the 75th anniversary and other activities, such as regional mini-reunions. Events are already being planned in New York and Washington D.C., with more to follow.
Now that we've gotten off the ground, we plan to expand the Board to more effectively reach out to our thousands of alumni. We're looking for recent and not-so-recent alumni from all the Union's parties who have fond memories of their time in the YPU and are interested in helping us build strong ties between current and former members alike. Please contact Dave Truncellito at truncell@aya.yale.edu or 571-331-5784 if you're interested in joining the Board, know someone who you think would make a good member, or have any questions.
Yours faithfully,
The Alumni Board
David Truncellito (Lib '92), President
Holland Sullivan (Tory '01), Vice President
Cerin Lindgrensavage (Prog/PoL '06), Secretary
Jen Rost, (IP '06), Treasurer
Victor Ashe (PoR '67)
Brian Carney (PoR '97)
Boris Feldman (IP '77)
Ned Flynn (CP '67)
David Greenberg (Lib '90)
Bill Leake (PoR '88)
Jared Lobdell (PoR '61)
Adam Rosen (Lib '01)
Rob Teitelman (Lib '81)
Alumni Stories
One of my fondest memories of my time at Yale is the sense of privilege I felt at becoming the first Speaker of the YPU. There had previously been an office of Vice-President, which commanded about the same level of esteem James Vance Garner expressed for the Vice-Presidency of the United States (not worth a bucket of warm spit). One of my predecessors as Chairman of the Party of the Right once remarked on accepting nomination as Vice-President under a Liberal Party President: "The principal responsibility of the Vice-President is to wait around for the President to die that duty I will cheerfully perform." The Speaker, on the other hand, occupied a much more interesting position (while still standing first in the line of succession to dead presidents).
The creation of the office of Speaker came followed shortly after the Union's move away from the Library conference room (a very cramped debating chamber) to much grander accommodation in a former fraternity house. The greatest moment of my time came when Barry Goldwater agreed to address the Union; it was soon apparent that an even larger venue would be needed. So, in another first for the YPU, we booked and filled Woolsey Hall. When I look back at my time as Chairman of the Party of the Right, what most amazes me is the almost total accomplishment of our political agenda, from the defeat of communism to the privatisation of nationalised industries. The second most surprising thing is the way the social composition of left and right has changed. In the early sixties, the left had to put up with a fringe membership of Bible-belt fundamentalists, white supremacists and Zionist intellectuals. We on the right suffered organic food nuts, opponents of fluoridated water and high Anglican ritualists. Now the fringes have shifted their addresses.
Norman Etherington MC '63
Professor of History
University of Western Australia
Perth, Australia
If you have a story to submit about the Political Union, please contact Marie Diamond.