On a list of hate groups across the country, MSU's chapter of Young Americans for Freedom was singled out as the first university-affiliated hate group.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, a hate group watchdog organization, listed Young Americans for Freedom, or YAF, as a "hate group" on its annual list.
Twenty-five of the more than 800 organizations listed also hail from Michigan.
MSU's chapter of YAF was labeled a hate group because it had spoken against immigrants and homosexuals.
Its use of slur words and support for white supremacy caused the Southern Poverty Law Center to investigate the student group.
Chairman Kyle Bristow is the public voice for MSU's branch. The self-proclaimed "Freedom-Fighter" is a former ASMSU representative for the James Madison College. ASMSU is MSU's undergraduate student government.
Bristow's platform was stated on ASMSU's Web site, where he voiced his desire to disband minority groups and Women's Council. He stated his hope to replace the groups with a men's council and a straight alliance.
Bristow was removed after James Madison College students petitioned for his dismissal.
Conservative students and groups do have a place at MSU. They represent the opinions of a large portion of the public and have a right to debate issues directly affecting the nation.
However, MSU's YAF goes above and beyond the ideologies of conservatives by showing hatred toward immigrants and homosexuals.
Amid all of the drama surrounding YAF, the only member who ever speaks for the chapter is Bristow. In his reaction to the Southern Poverty Law Center's selection, Bristow sent a "media strategy" to group members in which he silenced members from speaking to any sort of media outlet.
This technique is hypocritical of the search for "freedom" Bristow supposedly champions. It also raises questions of dissent within the organization.
While grouped on the same hate list, this conservative wing of YAF is not on the same violent scale as the Ku Klux Klan and the National Socialist Movement. But it does exhibit hatred toward certain groups, therefore, making it a legitimate hate group.
The attention MSU's chapter of YAF has garnered isn't dignified. Hateful events, such as "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day," and bad press, including a recent condemnation in The New York Times, taint the conservative image.
MSU's division of YAF has been tarnished. Not only is its reputation sullied, but in association, so is the national branch.
Our university also is in the national spotlight for the actions of MSU's YAF.
MSU students and conservatives who do not agree with the tactics of MSU's branch must speak up before they're placed on the same pedestal.
