COMMENTARY: Same YAF, Different Day

YAF Chair Kyle Bristow has officially resigned his post after a year and a half. He will leave a legacy of making YAF the first university recognized and supported hate group, shrinking it's numbers to a small group of followers, giving voice to racists, anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers, as well as openly working with skinheads to bring speakers to campus.

However, Bristow's departure does not mean a radical change is coming. One need only look at Jason Van Dyke, YAF's gun-toting Confederate attorney. Despite his departure from MSU for gun charges, he has been active in YAF. Bristow may still haunt MSU for years to come.

Even if Bristow were to leave, YAF is set up in a way that discourages changes to its orthodox message of hate. To understand how YAF philosophy on how to select their new leaders, you only need to look at this post by Kyle Bristow on Facebook.



YAF's constitution explains who the officers are and how they are chosen.

ARTICLE 3: Officers

Section 1:Appointments shall take place in March of the proceeding school year. They will assume their office on that day. Appointed officers shall include the Chair, Communications Director, Treasurer, Director of Logistical Affairs, and Lobbyist. Appointed Officers must convene prior to every general meeting unless decided otherwise by 2/3 of the elected officers.

Section 2: Any active member may be appointed to an officer position. The Current YAF executive board will decide who the Chair for the following year will be by a vote of the majority. After the Chair has been selected the future Chair will choose his/her executive board members for the following year. [emphasis my own]

As you can see, YAF is run as an oligarchy, not a democracy. This is consistent with Bristow's views, as seen above.

There is a section about how an officer can be impeached.

Section 4: Any officer may be impeached through 5 stages.
1.) Any active member may make a request for impeachment in written form to the executive board explaining the purpose of the request.
2.) The member(s) requesting the impeachment will then present it verbally to all members.
3.) All dues paying members will vote.
4.)The results will be examined by the board and made public to the members.

Reading the first four stages might encourage some to rush down to the next YAF meeting. However, there is a fifth stage of impeachment.

5.)The Board will then vote and majority will rule based solely on the vote of the board.

YAF's belief in recalls and impeachment doesn't apply to themselves. Only the Executive Board can remove a member of the Executive Board.


In short, the Executive Board of YAF selects the next years Chair. The Chair selects the next years Executive Board. Member may request an impeachment of the Executive Board or Chair, but the final decision rest upon the Executive Board and Chair.