U of M Department Chair Says We Should ‘Hate Republicans’: Statement from YAF at U of M

ANN ARBOR, MI - On Monday, University Communications Department Chair and Professor Susan J. Douglas said “I hate Republicans” in an article titled “It’s Okay To Hate Republicans” (click here to read piece). Today, Grant Strobl, Chairman of the University of Michigan chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, is issuing a statement regarding the professor’s article. Grant also sits on the National Board of Governors of Young Americans for Freedom.

"This is blatant intolerance, and the University should take action on the behalf of intellectual diversity and all of the students who are intimidated into silence," Strobl said. "In the position of an instructor, she can intimidate and inhibit the student's freedom of expression. I believe there is a difference between displaying your own beliefs as a instructor and making statements that are hateful and may intimidate students into a certain ideology."

Young Americans for Freedom is a student group at the University of Michigan that advocates for the conservative ideas of free enterprise, limited government and a strong national defense. 
 

On Monday, November 10, the Young Americans for Freedom Chapter at the University of Michigan celebrated the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by erecting their own Berlin Wall in the university’s Diag. The wall served as a commemoration of the wrongs performed by communism, and America’s victory over that evil. 

Although this victory serves as a world historical milestone for people of all ideologies, the administrations and faculty of universities often fail to provide adequate memorials for the event, leaving students to take their own initiative to do so. At the University of Michigan, students could have attended lectures commemorating the anniversary, but the university YAF chapter hesitated to leave this responsibility solely to the faculty, since the many self-proclaimed communist, Marxist, and socialist professors who teach at the university tend to interpret the fall of the Berlin Wall in a somewhat skewed manner. Therefore, the YAF chapter decided that the campus needed a visible, tangible, and interactive symbol of the horrific oppression that East Berliners endured for years in the German Democratic Republic.

The presence of the mock-Berlin Wall on the Diag was undoubtedly a conversation-starter among students, prompting discussions about freedom and liberty between YAF representatives and numerous members of the student body – discussions that students may not have had the opportunity to have in classrooms. It allowed the student body to reflect upon the many rights and privileges that Americans enjoy, that were so callously revoked from East Berliners under the guise of ‘equality’. Many students were unaware that although the Berlin Wall officially existed to shelter East Berlin from the influence of Western culture, it practically served to ensure that desperate East Berlin refugees were unable to escape to freedom in West Berlin. 

Although members of a communist group on campus made a brief appearance, YAF representatives were thrilled that as a new student organization on campus, their ideas and message are already having a huge impact on the university environment. The University of Michigan Young Americans for Freedom Chairman Grant Strobl remarked, “I’m happy that our mission of perpetuating the blessings of freedom and prosperity in America are making a difference and creating dialogue on campus so early on in the game.”

In the latter part of the day, before representatives removed their display, members of YAF symbolically destroyed the mock-Berlin wall by kicking and hammering holes into the structure. Several students walking through the Diag saw the display and asked to take part in the finale, a moment that YAF representatives describe as the most meaningful part of the day. University of Michigan YAF is humbled to have engaged numerous students, across a diverse ethnic, academic, and political spectrum, in decrying the inhumanity suffered by many in East Berlin, and celebrating the 25th anniversary of triumph over oppression. 

Current members of the group hope that they have begun a tradition that will remind future students of the freedoms and liberties that they are blessed to possess in America. As Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” In an era when universities tend to indoctrinate rather than teach, the Young Americans for Freedom at the University of Michigan will continue to stand for liberty in truth, and work to establish a foundation among Michigan college students that will secure freedom for generations to come. 

Samantha Audia is the Vice-Chair of Young Americans for Freedom at the University of Michigan

Young Americans for Freedom Activism Chair Brad Fingeroot says, "Twenty-five years ago freedom triumphed over the despotic hand of communism, as the fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the Cold War. Today, we celebrate the end of mainstream communism and remember the bravery of those who risked their lives in the name of freedom and democracy across the globe."

National Young Americans for Freedom Board Member and U of M chapter Chairman Grant Strobl says, “Many forget that the wide-spread oppression of left wing, socialist ideologies in Eastern Europe ended only twenty-five years ago. This commemoration of the fall of the Berlin wall serves as a reminder that we should not take freedom for granted and that we must continually work to preserve it."

 The Young Americans for Freedom sponsor this commemoration in the belief that celebrating this historical moment is vital, regardless of political ideology, and that the commemoration of millions of people freed from oppression serves as a reminder that Americans are blessed to live in a society where liberty and freedom are core tenets of our foundation, and that we have a responsibility to protect these rights that are all too often taken for granted.

What:    Commemoration of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

When:   November 10, 2014

Where:  University of Michigan Diag, Ann Arbor

Time:     Setup: 8:00 AM, wall will be torn down at 4:00PM

From the Young America's Foundation New Guard Blog

Starting this school year, Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) will be recognizing high school and college chapters for exceptional work on their campuses. Beginning with September, and each month going forward, a chapter will be recognized for what will be known as the YAF Chapter of the Month. Kicking it off for the month of September, the first YAF Chapter of the Month winner is the Young Americans for Freedom chapter at the University of Michigan. 
Coming off their first month on the University of Michigan campus, this YAF chapter is being recognized for their strong start as a brand new group, and their tremendous media relations during the 9/11: Never Forget Project. 

Led by chairman Grant Strobl, they had over 100 students sign up and they ran out of Ronald Reagan posters within the first hour of recruitment at the school's recruitment fair. 

To follow up on their success recruiting new members, the chapter’s first meeting of the year welcomed over twenty new members into a packed board room which offered Grant an opportunity to layout his activism plans for the upcoming semester.

These new members are also getting involved right away. One Michigan YAFer attended the Great Beginnings Seminar this last weekend at Ronald Regan’s Ranch in Santa Barbara, and three more are attending the Young Americans for Freedom activism training this weekend at the Young America’s Foundation headquarters in Virginia. 

Most notably from YAF at the University of Michigan’s first month on campus was the attention they drew from local media outlets when they took part in the 9/11:Never Forget Project. 

Two TV stations, the local FOX affiliate and the local NBC affiliate, covered the event. Both of which highlighted YAF at the University of Michigan’s role in remembering those who died on 9/11 thirteen years ago. Four radio stations also provided air-time for the project, along with four newspapers and online news sites who ran stories covering YAF’s efforts at the University of Michigan. 

Click here to watch the 9/11 Never Forget Project Coverage Courtesy of NBC affiliate WDIV Channel 4.

Building on their strong start, YAF at the University of Michigan is looking forward to taking part in Young America’s Foundation’s No More Che Day on October 9th, where they will be educating their peers about the infamous murderer, Che Guevara. Grant also expressed plans to bring a speaker to campus this semester.

“Even on a liberal campus, people are not well versed in public policy, and this is where a group like YAF can have a strong impact,” Grant said. 

Grant, who was also the founder and chairman at the Grosse Point YAF chapter, has a tremendous team at Michigan that includes former YAF intern and 2nd year Law student Rachel Jankowski as an advisor to the group, junior Samantha Audia as vice-chairwoman, junior Bradley Fingeroot as Activism Chair, and 2nd year Graduate school student Aditya Sathi as Student Government liaison. The chapter will also be holding elections next week to fill the secretary and treasurer positions. 

Congratulations, Young Americans for Freedom at the University of Michigan for a terrific start to the 2014-2015 school year! 

Nathan Brand is a member of the Young Americans for Freedom Board of Governors and Chairman Emeritus of Hillsdale YAF

September 8, 2014 - Ann Arbor, MI – The recently founded Young Americans for Freedom chapter at the University of Michigan is proud to announce that they are sponsoring the 9/11: Never Forget Project in Ann Arbor this September 11, 2014 on the University of Michigan Diag. Consisting of 2,977 American flags (each flag representing a life lost on 9/11), the 9/11: Never Forget Project seeks to engage the campus community in uniting to commemorate the occurrences of 9/11, and to honor the memories of those lost in the tragedy 13 years ago.

Young Americans for Freedom Advisor Rachel Jankowski says, "The 9/11: Never Forget Project is an annual chance for the University of Michigan community to come together and reflect on the attacks that happened 13 years ago. The students at this University were young children when the attacks occurred, but the effects have lingered for the majority of their lives. This memorial gives us perspective and serves as a remembrance for the 2,977 people killed that fateful day to ensure their memory lives on.” 

Grant Strobl, board member on Young Americans for Freedom board of governors and chairman of the University of Michigan chapter, says “Many freshman were only four years old when the 9/11 attacks happened. This event serves not only as a memorial of the innocent lives lost, but it is also a reminder of the threat to freedom that still exists to this day.”

 The Young Americans for Freedom sponsor the project in the belief that the events of 9/11 transcend political ideology and give cause for all members of the university, students and faculty alike, to unite and ensure that those whose lives were taken from us 13 years ago were not taken in vain, but serve as a lasting reminder of the importance of protecting our freedom.

What:    2,977 American Flag Memorial to commemorate each victim of 9/11

When:   September 11, 2014

Where:  University of Michigan Diag, Ann Arbor

Time:     Setup: 7:00 AM, flags will be displayed from 8am-8pm

For more information please contact:

Samantha Audia, Media Outreach

(734) 787-1916

[email protected]

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