The introduction comes after Yale College Council advocacy for expanded options in dining halls to address the nutritional needs of students with dietary restrictions. The “avocado pulp” will be available in Berkeley, Davenport, Grace Hopper, Jonathan Edwards, Pierson, Timothy Dwight, Trumbull Breakfast Express dining halls.

“I’ve had it literally every day. I really wanted the avocado spread back,” said Amy Choi ’27, “I remember when they said they were doing Breakfast Express, I was like, “Oh, that means the avocado spread is coming back.”

Choi noted that the dining halls served avocado during her first year at Yale. 

She emphasized that the taste seemed similar to what she remembered, although she added that she has begun adding bagel seasoning for additional flavor.

Abigail Jolteus ’25 said that she was “thrilled” about the addition. She explained that though she usually puts the spread on a bagel, she also regularly adds toppings and seasonings.

“Honestly, I love it. I love avocado in general and I feel like you can’t really go wrong with it,” Jolteus said. 

Nina Bodow ’28 noted that she had seen the new offering advertised on screens in Berkeley’s dining hall and decided to try the new offering. According to Bodow, the dining hall appeared to be out of toast that morning, so she reached for a bagel to complete her meal. 

She said that the flavor did not taste artificial or “pre-smashed.” Bodow observed that although she had been concerned about the temperature — whether it would be too cold — the avocado was at room temperature “in a good way.” 

“I don’t normally have time to eat breakfast. But I can see myself reaching for [the avocado],” Bodow told the News. “In [Breakfast Express], I would still prefer yogurt or oatmeal, but it’s definitely a good save for your breakfast.” 

Ninety percent of avocados in the United States are sourced from Mexico.   

The post Avocados smash their way into dining halls this semester appeared first on Yale Daily News.

This year, Yale College will reduce the financial support for summer storage from 75 percent, with a cap at $340 per student, to 50 percent, with a cap at $225. In the summer of 2023, Yale College offered full storage reimbursement, giving low-income students a flat $400 for their storage needs. Until summer 2023, Yale allowed all students to store their things in residential college basements free of charge. 

But this year, low-income students will have to pay more out of pocket. 

“Summer storage –  it is a necessity,” said Melangelo Pride ’26, who is a first-generation, low-income, or FGLI, student. “We have to have our stuff with us and we have to be able to store it over summer. It’s a big worry for people who can’t afford it.” 

Pride added that she’s trying to introduce policies to include summer storage in financial aid packages and external scholarships. The main problem, she says, is that summer storage “is just not seen as a necessity.” 

Kennedy Smith ’26, who is also an FGLI student, emphasized that finding a way to pay for storage “out of pocket” is a stress-inducing burden for low-income students and their families. 

“The cost of even a storage unit out of pocket is something that I don’t think I could prepare myself for … If your family is unable to support you with those costs, then you’re left alone with this big expense right at the end of the year that you don’t know how to account for,” Smith said.

When asked whether Yale’s summer storage support for low income students could ever go back to full reimbursement, Burgwell Howard, associate dean of Yale College, wrote that he “do[es] not anticipate that the university’s level of support will increase” since they have been in a “phased mode” the last three years. 

Smith speculated that the amount of support from the University would keep decreasing until the University stopped providing support. 

He said that Dean of Student Life Melanie Boyd sent an email to students in March 2023 which “made clear” that the financial assistance the University would provide low income students after there was no longer a residential college basement summer storage option would be “temporary” and would “reduce it by a certain amount each year until they no longer provided support.”

Smith is also the founder of SummerStore, a Yale-only moving and storage service that is a “vetted partner” of the university and eligible for the student discount. He said SummerStore will continue its commitment towards affordability by offering new tiered pricing options —10, 20, and 30-item plans — rather than last year’s flat $250 dollars. 

He also noted that SummerStore is competing in the Startup Yale competition to secure funding to expand access to more students.

Yale has 14 residential colleges.

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The MENA Cultural Suite at Yale and its affiliated student groups kicked off MENA Heritage Month celebrations with music and poetry performances as well as remarks by visiting alumni and students on Thursday. This year’s theme, The Mosaic of MENA: Celebrating The Region’s Diversity, “embarks on a journey to rediscover the traditions and stories that have shaped the diverse identities” of the MENA region, per the center’s Instagram post.

“I think Middle Easterners, especially right now, are highly erased, surveilled and stereotyped, and having a month where we can actively prove that wrong is super important. On top of that, the Middle Eastern region, to a lot of people, unfortunately, has become a desensitized tragedy. MENA Heritage Month does recognize the tragedy that we endure, but at the same time allows for celebration,” Fagr Aboudaka ’27 said.

The evening began with remarks by MENACC Assistant Director Lena Ginawi, who thanked the undergraduate student coordinators and other involved students for their hard work in organizing this month’s programming.

Ginawi told the News that when students take a part in organizing such events for the center, she hopes they will take into account how they are “setting a precedent for the future and making history” through their collaboration. 

In her remarks, she also expressed that MENA Heritage Month is more than just a celebration of heritage, but is also an effort to make MENA students visible on campus.

The night featured singing performances from Taban Malihi ’28, a piece played by Mustafa Zewar ’25 on the Oud, a traditional Middle Eastern instrument, spoken word by Aboudaka, and speeches highlighting the importance of the heritage month by Joe Abou-Khalil ’27 and Nour Darragi ’27. 

Aboudaka spoke about the process of choosing the two poems she performed, “Holy Tears” and “Balady [My Land],” as a reflection of the mindset she wanted to celebrate this month with.

“It took me so long to decide between the two, because one of them is truly about the oppression and the injustice that we face in this country and abroad, and that’s so important to talk about and to recognize. But at the same time, I didn’t want to take away from the fact that we’re here to be in a joyful community together. I ultimately decided to perform both, because they always exist together,” Aboudaka said.

Before transitioning into an evening of food and socializing, Yasmeen Abed ’23, the keynote speaker of the night, spoke about the advocacy efforts that helped create the MENACC and how she tried to present a stage for their concerns to the administration through her previous role as a Woodbridge Fellow at the Secretary’s Office. She explained that this month is a “testament to the power of community coming together with a shared vision.”

Liz Kairima ’27 said that although she isn’t part of the MENA community, she came to support Darragi and learn about North African and Middle Eastern culture. She wanted to better understand the distinction between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa and appreciated seeing people like Darragi work to make the MENA community more visible on campus.

Deewa Rahim ’27 said she’s excited to see the Yale community expand what has traditionally been National Arab American Heritage Month to include the broader MENA region. She explained that MENA students are often overlooked, and widening the focus is an important step toward greater inclusion and representation on campus.

“From the student perspective, I think it’s great to see the institution taking a step in supporting and offering support to MENA identifying students by establishing a space like the MENACC. I think having a dedicated person and an inaugural staff team to take the lead into bringing this to fruition is great because now we have the resources to do so,” Ginawi said. 

Students can request to receive more information through the MENACC mailing list here.

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The new flavor replaces the “pomegranate raspberry” sorbet that first appeared in the Branford dining hall alongside a “chocolate fudge” flavor around early February. The shift to sorbet followed supply chain issues with the Chocolate and Vanilla Oatly Ice Cream — an oat milk-based soft-serve option — previously offered in Branford and Saybrook dining halls.

“It’s delectable. It’s fun and it’s fresh and it’s the first taste of spring. It’s been so gray out, and this feels like personified sunshine,” said Sasha Fedderly ’27. “It’s 1,000 percent changed my mood. I’m a brighter, happier person because of this sorbet.”

The News independently verified the brand of the sorbet as Dannon’s Dairy Free YoCream “Mango Sunrise” sorbet upon inspection during a machine refill. The company is based in Portland, Oregon.

Dannon’s website describes their selection of sorbet flavors such as Green Apple, Key Lime, Kiwi Strawberry, Passion Orange Guava, Watermelon and Strawberry Lemonade. Dannon shares that their sorbet is vegan, Kosher certified, free of artificial colors and flavors, dairy, cholesterol and gluten. One serving of the sorbet includes fewer than 100 calories.

Fedderly plans to eat at Branford dining hall more frequently following the sorbet flavor’s addition. Nneka Moweta ’27 echoed these remarks. She told the News that she had already indulged in two servings of the sorbet.

Students are able to enjoy the two flavors individually, or as a combined “swirl.” Joseph Kayne ’27 noted that he preferred the sorbet to the Oatly soft-serve. He emphasized that although the chocolate fudge did not “work” as a sorbet flavor, the mango sorbet did.

“This is it. They found the sweet spot. It’s delicious,” said Kayne. “Branford was already the best dining hall, but now they added this. It’s even better.”

Camille Chiu ’26 described similar feelings regarding the mango and chocolate fudge flavors. 

“I like it. It’s very creamy and sweet. I feel like sometimes ice cream flavors can be very superficial, like the strawberry one, but the mango is good,” said Chiu. “Chocolate is chocolate, but mango is kind of special.”

India is the world’s largest producer of mangoes.

The post Branford dining hall tangoes with new mango sorbet appeared first on Yale Daily News.

On Friday evening, rumors circulated among Yalies that ICE agents in civilian clothes had been spotted near campus, according to multiple students who spoke to the News on the condition of anonymity. A Yale administrator said that rumors suspecting ICE agents were near campus on Friday night are “false.”

A University spokesperson did not confirm nor deny whether Yale Public Safety’s swipe access policy update is related to the University’s recent communications and guidelines about potential ICE encounters on campus.

Instead, the University spokesperson wrote, “We are heading into a busy time at the end of the semester and prioritize the safety of our community members.”

Yale Public Safety’s announcement does not mention outside law enforcement and instead references University President Maurie McInnis’s upcoming inauguration and the University commencement in May as reasons for the policy update and reminder.

Yale, local police say no ICE presence reported

On Friday evening, some residential college leadership called international students living off campus to offer them the option of staying on campus overnight, according to two students who received these calls. Other students with an empty bed in their suites were asked over email late Friday night by at least one Head of College to “make sure that this bed is clear” and “note that a student may be placed in that bed at any time,” according to communications obtained by the News.

On Saturday, one international student who spoke under the condition of anonymity told the News that some of their friends in the international community began panicking after hearing the rumors of an ICE sighting, and that most believed them to be true. The News could not independently verify the source of the rumor or when it began.

“I was not too worried but it felt like something that was hanging over us since January was now here,” the student said, referring to the Jan. 20 inauguration of President Donald Trump, who promised stricter immigration policies throughout his campaign. 

While Ozan Say, the director of the Office of International Students and Scholars, declined to comment on the communications with off-campus international students, he clarified that “ICE presence near campus yesterday is a false rumor” in an email to the News on Saturday morning.

A University spokesperson reaffirmed on Saturday evening that the University had not received any notice of immigration agents on campus.

New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson told the News on Saturday morning that he was “not aware of any incidents” of ICE activity or presence from Friday night. Though New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker has told the News that ICE has historically notified the NHPD when it intends to operate within the city, an NHPD spokesperson clarified that the federal agency does not always do so. 

Public Safety, international students office post guidelines for ICE encounters 

A list of frequently asked questions about immigration on the Office of International Students and Scholars website, posted on Friday, states that Yale will “not allow” ICE agents to enter “non-public” areas on campus without a subpoena or judicial warrant. 

The OISS webpage clarifies that such “non-public” areas include “all classrooms, research and teaching labs, offices, dormitories or housing.” The page does not provide more details on how University officials might prevent or restrict law enforcement agents from accessing such spaces.

The webpage instructs students who witness or encounter an ICE representative “while on campus” to immediately call the YPD’s non-emergency number. 

New guidance on the Yale Public Safety website homepage instructs Yale community members who encounter “any non-YPD personnel on campus, including those from immigration enforcement” to ask for the agent’s credentials and request that they wait in a public area for the YPD to arrive. The guidance also notes that “YPD does not enforce U.S. immigration law.”

A one-page document with more detailed guidance published on the Public Safety website also instructs community members to contact Yale’s Office of General Counsel if they are approached by law enforcement.

The OISS webpage affirms that Yale will not voluntarily allow federal immigration enforcement agencies to obtain or review student and employee records, personal information or non-public research without a subpoena or judicial warrant. If a warrant is procured, the University will notify the student or employee in question, unless prohibited from doing so.

The University has stated that it can connect students with short-term legal representation and that it will help international students denied reentry into the U.S. “by advising on resources for immigration assistance and academic options.”

Yale’s new guidance on encountering federal law enforcement follows the federal government’s detainment of multiple international students and scholars, including individuals who publicly expressed pro-Palestinian views during the past year’s nationwide protests relating to the war in Gaza. ICE detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University alum and green card holder, on March 9 and Rumeysa Ozturk, a graduate student at Tufts University on a student visa, on March 25.

Public Safety updates campus building access policies

In an email to the Yale community on Saturday night, Duane Lovello, head of Public Safety, announced new policies on restricted access to University buildings. 

Starting at noon on Monday, “access to academic buildings and classrooms will require an active university ID,” the email reads.According to the email, buildings open to the public, such as libraries and museums, will remain “greenlit.”

The message also reiterated safety reminders for the Yale community, which included reporting suspicious activity to the Yale Police Department, locking doors and windows and downloading the Livesafe app. 

This is a developing story.

Yurii Stasiuk contributed reporting.

The post Yale refutes ICE presence rumors but releases law enforcement guide, restricts building access appeared first on Yale Daily News.

In February, Yale Hospitality announced that select dining halls — Pierson, Davenport, Trumbull, Jonathan Edwards and Timothy Dwight — would adopt new lunch and breakfast menus. 

Hot sandwiches, fries, falafel wraps and an expanded salad bar are now the set menu in these residential colleges rather than the rotating hot lunch menu. For breakfast, these dining halls, along with Berkeley, now offer pastries, cereal and hard-boiled eggs, but have removed oatmeal, yogurt and cut fruit. New specialty coffee machines, which offer lattes, cappuccinos, espresso and hot chocolate, were also added.

The News asked 30 students about their reactions to these changes: 11 expressed positive feelings, 12 neutral and seven negative. But with the new menus only in place for a few days, several students speculated that the dining halls have not yet experienced the full effects of the changes.

“I think that [the new lunch concept] offers a consistent lunch alternative, but it doesn’t address dining hall crowding and staff being overworked,” said Vy Nguyen ’27, a student in Pierson College, one of the colleges to implement the menu change. “Students will still want to head to more ‘popular’ halls, like Silliman, once the novelty of the new concept wears out.”

Lizzie Seward ’27, a student in Davenport College, said that she actually “prefers sandwiches to a lot of the regular lunch options.” 

Anika Shethia ’27 said that as a lifelong vegetarian, she is “pretty happy” about the additions to the salad bar. 

“I’ve been vegetarian my whole life, so I end up having a lot of salads! I am pretty happy about the new additions to the salad bar, new dressings and all,” Shethia said. “Of course, the coffee machines are great too.”

Ting Key ’27 told the News that he values breakfast as the most important meal of his day and a quiet, productive start. While he was concerned by the removal of oatmeal and yogurt, he spoke positively about the new coffee machines and expanded lunch options. He explained that he could still “walk 400 feet” to a dining hall with different options, but appreciated the convenience of dining in his own residential college during busy mornings.

Kyan Ramsay ’27, who is part of the Yale College Council Dining Team, told the News that he felt the reductions in dining options were hard to accept, given the rising cost of the food plans. 

“Every student should be able to enjoy a full and nutritious breakfast, lunch, and dinner in their own college – that’s what Yale sold us as an essential part of our college experience,” Ramsay wrote.

According to Yale’s website about tuition breakdown, food costs for the 2025-26 school year increased by $500, from $8,600 to $9,100. This comes as total cost rose to $90,550, 3.9 percent higher than the current term bill. 

When the policy change first became public, it was unpopular with many students. 

After the YCC found out about the upcoming changes, Dining Policy Director Anna Krans ’27 authored an open letter calling for a boycott of hosting prefrosh for Bulldog Days, Yale’s admitted student visiting days, until the University agreed to reinstate the previous lunch policies in all residential dining halls. 

The letter argued that removing standard lunch from the five select dining halls “imposes a hierarchy upon the residential college system” and “is the latest in a series of cost-cutting changes” made by Hospitality amid increasing meal plan costs. Over 200 students, including several YCC senators, undersigned Krans’ arguments. 

Krans did not immediately respond to comment on whether the Bulldog Days boycott would go ahead.

YCC President Mimi Papathanasopolous ’26 and Vice President Esha Garg ’26 asserted that the YCC has found that students are upset with the express breakfast model. Per Garg, an ongoing YCC survey revealed that many students find the new express breakfast model, which forgoes fruit and oatmeal for pastries, “not nutritious or healthy.”

“Personally, as a student in Grace Hopper, the Breakfast Express is disappointing; it has led me to skip breakfast altogether,” Garg wrote. “I believe that if Yale Hospitality is going to increase the price of its meal plans every year but also charge the same price for a meal plan for all students (regardless of residential college), a nutritious breakfast must be available in each college.”

Controversy over menu changes is a long-standing Yale tradition. In 1953, a group of disgruntled Yale students complained to the student association about the change from apricot juice to lemonade in a vending machine.

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The DOE’s Office for Civil Rights launched investigations into universities over potential violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in federally funded programs. Universities that fail to protect Jewish students on campus could face “potential enforcement actions,” according to the DOE.

“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon wrote in a press release.

According to the press release, the universities are now being investigated or monitored for discrimination against Jewish students.

When reached by the News for comment, the University spokesperson wrote, “Yale has long been committed to combating antisemitism and strives to ensure that its Jewish community, along with all communities at Yale, are treated with dignity, respect, and compassion. Antisemitism is inconsistent with Yale’s values and principles and has no place in our community.”

The DOE’s recent warning to Yale is not the first time the University faced allegations related to antisemitism. In October, a report released by the House Education Committee alleged that Yale failed to discipline antisemitic incidents connected to campus protests.

The report alleged that University administrators neglected to take disciplinary action against students accused of antisemitic harassment, raising concerns about Yale’s enforcement of its discrimination policies. It listed six instances in which it alleges that Yale “failed to enforce their rules and hold students accountable for antisemitic conduct violations.” 

The DOE’s investigation is the latest in a series of recent actions by the Trump administration targeting universities over allegations of antisemitism linked to campus protests last spring.

Last week, the DOE, alongside the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. General Services Administration, announced the cancellation of $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University, citing the school’s failure to protect Jewish students from discrimination.

On Feb. 3, The Department of Education also launched direct investigations into five universities — though not including Yale — citing President Trump’s Executive Order “Additional Measures to Combat Antisemitism.” 

The Department of Education was founded on Oct. 17, 1979.

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On Feb. 14, the Department of Education issued a “Dear Colleague” Letter, which stated that federal law prohibits the use of race in decisions surrounding admissions, hiring, promotions, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies and other parts of student, academic or campus life. Universities that do not scrap race-conscious programs by Feb. 28 may lose federal funding, the letter threatened.

“I’m very comfortable that the cultural centers are legal. They’ve always been open to everybody,” Lewis told the News. “At the same time, we’re looking at the legal language to understand any ramifications. I can’t predict exactly what the outcome of that would be, but I think we’re in a pretty good place from the point of view of being able to defend our existing programs.”

According to Lewis, noncompliance with the letter would threaten Yale’s Pell Grant funding, which provides financial aid for undergraduate students. 

However, he explained that for students who receive full financial aid, around 90 percent of it is institutional aid and 10 percent of it is Pell Grant-based aid. Though it would have a “deep impact” on the University’s ability to provide financial aid, “it would not affect current students directly in the same way,” Lewis said.

Lewis also assured that cultural graduation “celebrations” and pre-orientation programs such as Orientation for International Students and Cultural Connections would remain. 

Yale also offers grants and fellowships aimed at encouraging minority students toward certain career and summer opportunities, such as the Mellon Mays Fellowship, the Woodbridge Fellowship and the Edward A. Bouchet Undergraduate Fellows Program. Lewis said that these programs have been re-evaluated since the past Trump administration raised concerns about them.

“Underneath it all, our core mission is to welcome members of our community and give them a feeling of belonging,” Lewis said. “No matter what you think of the letter and no matter partisan politics and so on, that part of our mission is going to remain the same forever, I hope.”

Yale has 82 clubs listed under the “Diversity and Representation” category on the YaleConnect club register. While Lewis explained that Trump’s policies are unlikely to cause significant changes to these clubs, several student leaders said anti-diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, sentiment still causes harm.

Messages about striking down DEI say that communities of color do not deserve their own space, said Oyshi Monawarah ’28, a co-moderator of the Asian American Student Alliance, or AASA.

Alejandro Rojas ’26, president of the Black Men’s Union, told the News how the messaging of Trump’s orders will impact students of color, even if the policy doesn’t successfully eliminate the groups. 

“Students at this school internalize stereotypes from this national movement to eliminate DEI,” he said. “That’s scary because it makes the environment, academically and socially, a lot harder for kids who might already be struggling to integrate into spaces here.”

Rojas emphasized how integral the Black Men’s Union has been to his experience at Yale, helping him to “form relationships and be successful” and “just get through the day.” 

Amber Nobriga ’27, the president of the Indigenous Peoples of Oceania, or IPO, cultural group, wrote that she feels “threatened” by Trump’s letter. She is particularly concerned by the perception of affinity groups as “exclusionary space.” As leader of IPO, Nobriga works to make the club a “place of safety for Pasifika students.” 

“However, it’s important to recognize that our communities have and will always be resilient,” she wrote. “I anticipate in the event of the executive order being weaponized against IPO and Indigenous spaces, there will be creative solutions to meet and resist it.”

Dorothy Ha ’28, the secretary of Yale’s Queer Student Alliance, or QSA, also said that she finds Trump’s anti-DEI measures “deeply concerning.”

She added, though, that she knows Yale is committed to “preserving freedom of expression” and that it will “stand firm” in protecting identity-based spaces, such as QSA.

Jairus Rhoades ’26, a leader of Yale’s American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Yale’s chapter of the national society “advancing Indigenous people in STEM studies and careers,” explained that while he “trusts” in Yale’s administration to defend the existence of affinity groups, he worries for friends at other schools where the administration may be more amiable to Trump’s policies.

Rhoades concluded that even without funding, his community would find a way to come together and support each other.

“You can strip away the funding. You strip away the grants associated with the organization,” he said. “But the biggest thing is that we have this community here. As concerned as I am about the future, as long as we have the basic ability to come together as a group, we’ll figure it out.”

In 1989, John Bathke ’93 (Diné) founded the Association of Native Americans at Yale, the first official group dedicated to Native students.

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Although there were originally only three days of Black History Month dinners in 2024, a scheduling conflict at Timothy Dwight created a fourth day of dinners. This year, Yale is returning to three days of dinners. 

Yale Hospitality wrote to the News that they started offering such commemorative dinners in 2022 where Black staff members integrated their personal recipes into dining hall menus. In 2023, they began offering nine standardized nights of dinners across all the colleges.

Since then, Yale Hospitality has “revised the schedule to avoid long lines and running out of food before everyone is served.” They also confirmed that aside from last year’s scheduling mishap, the number of dinners this year is the same as last year.

During February, the “busiest month for themed dinners,” Yale Hospitality also serves dinners for Superbowl Sunday and Valentine’s Day.

However, students have still felt the reduced offerings.

“It’s more than just a meal. It’s more than just food. It represents how the university regards its minority students,” said Madlynn Huff ’27. “It shows a value for a culture that was not historically represented on this campus.”

Huff told the News that despite the intended schedule, she did not believe reducing the number of dinners was the correct course of action. She emphasized the importance of the University recognizing Black History Month.

Huff said she appreciated the events hosted by the African American Cultural Center throughout the month and hopes that the University should not only continue to encourage and aid in the House’s efforts, but to support them to a larger degree.

“I’ve always really enjoyed the Black History Month dinners, as they’re such a meaningful way to celebrate and foster community,” said Elijah St Martin ’27. “It’s a bit disheartening to see the number of dinners decrease, as they provide a space for connection, reflection, and honoring Black culture.”

Shela Mensah ’27 echoed these remarks. Mensah, who currently works in the Morse and Stiles dining halls, noted that the “Breaking Bread” MLK dinner hosted on Monday, Jan. 20 included a TV screen explaining the significance of the menu options.

She emphasized that the meal was a way to introduce students to Black culture. Mensah added that she hoped that the number of meals would be increased, although she acknowledged the logistical difficulties of organizing the events.

“But where there’s a will, there’s a way,” said Mensah, adding, “I think they can find a middle ground, maybe not taking all the way back to like nine meals, but five or six.”

Yale Hospitality wrote that it “looks forward to serving memorable meals to commemorate Black History Month and the many other special occasions throughout the year.”

The Afro-American Cultural Center was founded in 1969 and was Yale’s first cultural center.

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To pursue its strategic plan and provide a Yale education to more people, Yale College will increase its class size to 1,650 while investing in faculty and student resources to support the growth. According to Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis, the University spent a couple of years planning the expansion, recognizing that it can accommodate more students with some adjustments. 

“We figured that being able to admit an additional 100 students a year over time means 10,000 more students in the next century,” Lewis told the News. “I’d like the idea of 10,000 more people graduating from Yale in the next century.”

The proposed total college size of 6,600 students is lower than the current size of the Yale student body at around 6,700 due to COVID-19 deferrals of enrollment. 

In a University-wide announcement, University Provost Scott Strobel and Lewis wrote that with the increased student body size, the University will increase the target size for faculty by five positions, four in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and one in the School of Engineering & Applied Science.

Additionally, the University has promised to commit additional resources to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to offset the costs of graduate student support, such as teaching fellow positions and undergraduate research supervision.

Lewis told the News that the University will also increase per capita resources for undergraduate students, such as the number of first-year counselors until there are equal ratios in each residential college. He added that Yale will continue to meet 100 percent of financial need and “financial aid will also grow” to support the increasing number of students.

Two faculty-led committees evaluated the University’s needs and made recommendations regarding how Yale might support a larger class size. 

The decision also received input from the Yale College Admissions and Financial Aid Policy Committee, FAS-SEAS Senate, residential college heads and deans, department chairs, directors of undergraduate studies and Yale College staff. It was also approved by Yale’s trustees.

The class of 2028 had a 3.7 percent acceptance rate, the lowest in Yale’s history. 

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