Young Americans for Liberty MSU advocates for political involvement

The MSU chapter of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) is a politically active club on campus, devoted to encouraging student engagement with politics.

“People will say that they don’t care about politics and it’s fine to not enjoy politics. But you should at least be aware because, at some point or another, it’s going to come knocking at your door,” said State Chair and MSU student Nicholas Ellerton.

According to its profile on GuideStar — an informational service which reports on U.S. nonprofit organizations — YAL is a national libertarian youth organization based in Austin, Texas aimed at “advancing liberty on campus and in American electoral politics.” YAL publicly defines its idea of libertyas a set of principles: “don’t hurt people, don’t take their things and don’t lock them in a cage for disagreeing with you.”

Ellerton described how YAL was originally founded in 2008 as “Students for Ron Paul, in the aftermath of the Ron Paul election, before soon becoming students for [YAL].” He said that a chapter was formed on the MSU campus in 2008 but eventually fizzled out. It was then rebooted in 2021.

On campus, YAL can often be seen tabling on Centennial Mall. According to Vice President of YAL MSU Dashiell Johnson, the goal of tabling for YAL is to discuss ideas and initiatives with students. “It can be very fun to recruit new members and just get the word out about who we are, and what we’re trying to do,” Johnson said.

President of MSU YAL Dylan Stokes added; “We are trying to get people involved in learning more about current events too,” going on to explain how, according to him, they try to present information that isn’t highly politicized about world events in hopes of better informing students.

Right now, they are working on removing MSU’s mandatory meal plans for students living on campus, according to Ellerton. YAL argues that while the University claims to provide healthy options, they have not lived up to this promise and therefore students should not be mandated to participate in meal plans. ”Nobody should be compelled to pay for a lack of choice in the food they consume,” Ellerton said. He stated that last year YAL MSU collected over 800 petition signatures and will continue the movement this semester.

“We are going to refresh the conversation, tell them exactly what we want and inquire about some of the possible implications regarding the contract between the school and the food providers,” Ellerton said.

YAL’s national website outlines how the organization relies heavily on grassroots activism. This is the principle of involving individuals in activities such as petitions, campaigning, door-knocking and phone banking.

Through getting students involved in campus, state and national discussions, YAL has grown to be the largest political organization on campus, according to Ellerton. “[YAL can be] a gateway to potentially getting a career in politics, or maybe you just want to show up and hang out with like-minded people,” YAL MSU Secretary Ethan Russell said.

According to the YAL website, with a yearly $10 contribution, members are also granted access to many nationwide opportunities such as chances to network across the U.S. For example, Johnson was able to attend an event in Florida where he met like-minded students from across the country and connected with politicians that he has kept in touch with since.

Ellerton said that all students are welcome at their weekly meetings, which are held every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Norm Asbjornson Hall 321.