Author Archives: Brendan Gants

On Nov. 7, America — college students especially — voted for change. Throughout the country, young voters shifted decisively to the Democrats, playing a major role in the electoral realignment that wrested Congress from Republican hands. Here at Yale, students were particularly active. A coalition of groups led by the Yale College Democrats and Students »

As Nov. 7 looms, students looking for a way to get involved on campus should aim for an incredibly important goal: electing a Democratic Congress. This year, with Connecticut a major battleground, students have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to influence national politics in a big way. This Republican Congress has been one of the worst in »

At first glance, it seems easy to call Connecticut a safely “blue” state. Connecticut has not voted for a Republican president since 1988 or a Republican senator since 1982, and there is largely a consensus around such divisive issues as abortion rights and gun control. But in reality, the Republican Party finds strong support in »

The Yale College Democrats welcome and encourage bipartisan statesmanship. Yet there is a difference between a politician who sticks by his principles even in the face of opposition from his party and a politician who jeopardizes the future of his party’s very principles, all the while claiming to believe in them. Unfortunately, Senator Joe Lieberman’s »

These days, bipartisanship can seem a difficult goal. Americans are increasingly divided, and the media is increasingly quick to fit issues into typical left-vs.-right, Democrat-vs.-Republican molds. But sometimes we come across such a common-sense solution to the problems of the day that the ideological gap can be bridged and both parties can enthusiastically get behind »

I am a Democrat, and proud of it. So I was disappointed to see Roger Low’s column criticizing the Democratic Party and expressing cynicism about its future (“Dems doomed without solid reform plan,” 1/12). What the Democrats need these days is more involvement from idealistic young progressives, not less. The values that made the Democratic »

Former Yale School of Drama Dean Robert Brustein said Thursday that he believes the theater industry must continue to develop fresh talent because society will only keep coming back to the theater so long as it offers a unique experience and a relevant message. Brustein, who founded the Yale Repertory Theatre and the American Repertory »

The selection of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the 265th pope Tuesday provoked a range of reactions on Yale’s campus, with some expressing strong opinions about the cardinal’s conservative background and others taking a wait-and-see approach. Ratzinger, a 78-year-old conservative German cardinal who had been Pope John Paul II’s closest adviser on doctrinal matters, was chosen »

Today, several dozen Yale students are taking Hartford by storm. Members of Students for Clean Elections, the Yale College Democrats and reform-minded Yalies of all persuasions are going to the Capitol to bring the issue of clean elections directly to legislators. “Get on the Bus for Reform” is all about students taking ownership of issues »

HARTFORD — Last year, the Yale women’s squash team wrested the Howe Cup from two-time defending champion Trinity in a hard-fought match. On Wednesday, the Bulldogs served notice that the Bantams will have a hard time trying to take it back later this year. The top-ranked Bulldogs (7-0, 3-0 Ivy) scored a decisive 7-2 victory »

Four Yalies held court in Ottawa this week to participate in a 24-hour international debate tournament that raised at least $10,000 for post-tsunami relief efforts in Southeast Asia. The “24 Hour Debate Challenge” ran from Monday to Tuesday, featuring students from nine Canadian colleges and four members of the Yale Debate Association: Adam Chilton ’07, »

For upperclassmen majoring in political science, shopping period is a different experience this semester thanks to a new preregistration program for seminars. Over 200 junior and senior majors participated in the program, which the department is offering on an experimental basis. The new system, similar to preregistration programs in several other popular majors, is designed »