[3][4][5] This Union can be of undoubted value to nation and to the University, provided it maintains independence and voices the true thoughts of those participating...honest debates will help in the search for truthful answers.

[4] The YPU regained strength throughout the 1970s, during which period the Liberal Party was by far the largest, but then suffered a severe blow shortly after A. Bartlett Giamatti became the Yale President.

Then, the one-vote failure of an attempt to acquire the financially significantly stronger Yale International Relations (Model UN) program at Yale in spring 1987 (which would have made for a political powerhouse on campus), and the earlier 1980s loss of the YPU's dedicated facilities slowed momentum, and membership declined after a poor recruit in the fall of 1988.

[citation needed] One of the few enduring YPU spinoff publications, Rumpus magazine, was founded by members of the Progressive and Tory Parties in 1992.

It managed to retain its small office on Crown Street, although the union has recently begun a capital campaign to raise funds for a new building.

[14] During its various moves, irreplaceable historical archives were lost, although the YPU's collection of paraphernalia signed by noteworthy public figures is sizable.

[15] Concerns have been raised about the union's relevance and effectiveness, pointing to declining guest quality and diminishing student engagement.

However, defenders argue that the union's core mission of fostering open political dialogue remains vital in an ever-evolving campus landscape.