In the first round, Boanoh received 1,047 votes, 44.4 percent of the total votes submitted for president. Meanwhile, competitor Brian Moore ’26 received 1,038 votes — or 44.1 percent of the vote — and Diego Paz ’27 received 271 votes.

As no candidate received a majority of the votes, the results were decided through a ranked-choice voting system. Boanoh won the second round with 1,182 votes, just eight votes above Moore’s 1,174.

Boanoh said the win was an “honor.”

“My mom and dad were beyond words when I told them about the results,” Boanoh wrote. “And the honor is even greater given that I get to share it with my good friend Jalen. We’re taking this weekend to celebrate, but then it’s all systems go on working for the student body.”

In total, 2,356 Yale students voted for the office of president, 346 more than last year.

Boanoh wrote that the most pressing topic on his mind at the moment is addressing international students and their presence on campus.

“With four students having their visas revoked in the past week, I want to do everything in my power to make sure students are connected with the resources they need to protect themselves legally and have the peace of mind to make it through the rest of this semester,” Boanoh wrote.

Bradley mirrored Boanoh’s sentiments, saying he looks forward to “rolling up his sleeves to help make Yale even better.” He thanked his campaign team and his fellow candidates for sharing their visions for the betterment of the student body.

This election would also mark the best performance by a solo ticket in recent Yale history, with Moore receiving an unprecedented number of votes.

On Saturday, Moore took to Instagram to offer an unscripted message of concession and encouragement to his supporters.

“I am utterly exhausted, and at the end of the day, I lost fair and square. I fully accept my defeat,” Moore said in the video. “Even though we came up eight votes short, I still believe I made a lasting impression, hopefully, on the discourse and dialogue around these central issues in the community.”

Bradley won his race for Council Vice President with 1,380 votes, 58.6 percent of all votes for vice president. However, Emily Nguyen ’27, his opponent, received 974 votes — 41.4 percent of the vote. In total, 2,354 students voted for the office of the vice president.

The election also confirmed wins for Kingson Wills ’26 as the YCC’s events director; Julien Amsellem ’27, who ran uncontested, for Junior Class Council president; and Micah Draper ’28 for Sophomore Class Council president.

Esha Garg ’26, YCC vice president and election commission chair, said that this year marked a relatively unprecedented amount of student engagement.

“Mimi and I have been deeply impressed by every single candidate and their vision for Yale,” Garg wrote to the News.

Following the transition period, the new YCC administration will take office at 12 p.m. on Saturday, May 3.

The post Andrew Boanoh ’27 and Jalen Bradley ’27 win YCC presidency, vice presidency appeared first on Yale Daily News.

In an Instagram post, organizers cited the rapper’s “health complications” as the reason for the cancelled performance and said that they are searching for a new headliner. 

“We know that this is disappointing news for many, and we share in that disappointment,” the committee shared on Instagram. “That said, our team is already hard at work securing a new headliner for Spring Fling 2025.”

NLE Choppa’s cancellation follows a string of dropped performances in recent days, including at Vanderbilt University, where the school’s Programming Board told attendees on April 2 that Choppa would not perform due to “extreme dehydration and exhaustion.”

Yale’s Spring Fling committee did not immediately respond to request for comment. However, in an Instagram post, the committee encouraged Yale students to be on the lookout for further updates and announcements in the coming days. 

Students the News spoke to expressed disappointment at the cancellation and hope that the Spring Fling committee will be able to find an exciting replacement. 

Fidah Kabwita ’26 said that it was “shocking” given the event’s close date. She also shared her optimism that the committee will be able to find an equally popular talent on such short notice.

“I hope Spring Fling can come through,” Kabwita said. “It’s in two weeks and it’s giving very 11:59 due date, but I trust that the committee can pull something together.”

Favour Akingbemi ’26 invited her friends from home to come to the event, and said that she was dismayed at the news. She also expressed hope that the Spring Fling committee will be able to “find someone who is at the same level or maybe better,” even if she is unsure how possible it is.  

In a joint statement to the News, members of the Yale student Band “Clementine,” which performed at Spring Fling’s Battle of the Bands in 2024 and their Tiny Desk series, wrote that NLE Choppa cancelling was “honestly a tragedy.”

Soleil Piverger ’27 said that while she was upset that NLE Choppa would no longer perform at Yale, she was glad the artist was thinking about his health. 

“We were thrilled to have him, but we will be even more thrilled to know he’s in good health,” Piverger said. 

Meka Rucker ’28 said she’s “sad to hear” that NLE Choppa is not feeling well, but noted that he was never one of her favorite artists. A last-minute replacement could be “even more hype,” she added. 

Spring Fling’s most recent cancellation occurred in 2019 when the committee announced three days before the concert that Playboi Carti would replace Lil Uzi Vert as the headlining act.

Last-minute cancellations aren’t uncommon, with Chance the Rapper canceling his 2014 Spring Fling performance just four days before the show.

Last year, Swae Lee headlined Yale Spring Fling.

The post NLE Choppa no longer performing at Spring Fling appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Their shared platform has three prongs: inclusivity, amplify and accountability. They hope to address them using their experience in campus politics and affinity organizations.

Paz’s resume is lengthy. Last year, he served as the Vice President of the First Year College Council and currently serves as a senator for Pauli Murray College. Outside of the YCC, he is a campus tour guide, a college aide and a peer liaison at the LGBTQ Center. This summer, he will be the co-head counselor of the Cultural Connections first-year orientation program.

He said that the decision to run for president felt like a next step, or progression toward promoting community on campus.

“I’ve had so many different avenues of witnessing all of the different parts that go into what the YCC is, but also the larger mission of what it means to serve in student government,” Paz said. “And throughout this year, especially with a lot of the changes that have been happening, it became very clear to me that I wanted to be able to be an advocate for all of the different opinions, thoughts, and ideologies on campus.”

Nguyen is no different, balancing three demanding roles within the Council as Academic Policy Deputy Director, a senator for Berkeley College and a Sophomore Class Council Representative.

She cited specific changes such as the closing of Schwarzman Commons on Fridays and the removal of “crucial” stipend programs such as the summer storage reimbursement for low-income students. She hopes to mitigate further rollout of programs mirroring these using their platform “Better Yale.”

Together, they hope to pioneer strategies of action against administration and garner expansive understandings of the various corners of campus life.

“We didn’t really know much about each other before,” Paz said. “We had worked together in the first-year college council and in the Senate. When it came to the process of deciding who I was going to run with, though, it became very clear to me that Emily’s work effort and ability to advocate for what students demand really attracted me to her as my vice presidential ticket.”

Paz said that while he and Nguyen inhabit different spaces on campus, they have been able to come together over a common goal of creating a YCC for all. And their wide range of experiences with policy issues in YCC makes them “well equipped to have institutional knowledge,” Nguyen believes.

The two other prongs, amplify and accountability, go hand in hand with one another, according to Paz and Nguyen. Together, they hope to uplift student voices and compel administrators to listen. Paz praised the efforts of student protestors, in particular those near Beinecke Plaza on the day of McInnis’ inauguration.

When asked what course of action the candidates would take if offered a simple administrative ‘No,’ Paz and Nguyen reinforced that they firmly believe in the efforts of renegotiation and circumnavigation.

“Negotiation, compromise and bargaining are all facets of what make the Yale College Council so powerful,” Paz said. “Better Yale is really a campaign that is focused on ensuring that we are not stopping at ‘No’ and that we’re continuing to see what other avenues there are in order to make student voices heard.”

Paz also iterated the importance of “realistic goals,” or goals grounded in institutional knowledge and an understanding of what tends to get passed in the YCC and later adopted on a campus-wide scale.

To them, both first-generation, low-income students, a realistic goal that their opponents’ campaigns neglect to touch on is the importance of financial policy.

“We want to ensure that students, especially low-income students and even middle-class students who do not get significant financial aid packages, feel like they can really engage and succeed,” Nguyen said. “We propose ideas like free printing, free lodging, stipends for course material reimbursement, and stipends for air travel. That’s what sets us apart.”

Their campaign team is majority composed of students not involved with the YCC and offer “outsider perspectives.” If elected, they also propose to make the seemingly “distant” student government become accessible through semiweekly tabling on Cross Campus and one-on-one conversations.

Voting begins on April 10 at 9 a.m. on YaleConnect and closes on April 11 at 9 p.m.

The post YCC CANDIDATE PROFILE: Diego Paz ’27 and Emily Nguyen ’27 appeared first on Yale Daily News.

“I think that a lot of YCC proposals go past the administration,” Boanoh said. “What we are good at is finding loopholes within these ‘No’s’ and coming up with new ideas that circumvent that and find solutions to problems.”

“Ask my mom; I’m a stubborn man, and my thinking is, I don’t think when the administration says ‘No’ they really mean ‘No’,” he added.

Boanoh has a long history with the YCC. He has served as a First-Year Class Council president and is currently the cultural and religious policy director.

He has a “deep love” for Yale’s campus and believes that the sole way to express it is to take on the role of president of the Council.

He also believes there is a disconnect between the hours he and many other student representatives put in and what students know about what occurs behind closed doors. He hopes to be in the position to not only focus on accountability within the administration but also within the YCC itself.

“I want you to know how hard we’re fighting for you,” Boanoh said. “[YCC President] Mimi puts 25 hours a week into this, and a lot of that goes unseen. We’re going to make sure that’s something that’s seen.”

Bradley also got his introduction to student government through the First-Year Class Council as a representative for Timothy Dwight College. It was also there where he first met Boanoh.

Boanoh, a philosophy major, said he tends to think theoretically and in “broad strokes.” When looking for a running mate, he quickly thought of Bradley, a tactical thinker and policy forward, a perfect partner. They believe that their close friendship sets them apart from other tickets, and they attribute their difference in background to their conjoined chemistry.

“I think I’m most effective in bridging those communicative gaps, whereas Jalen is really focused on fixing the little things that affect people’s lives in big ways,” Boanoh said. “And I think our combination works very well. It helps that we’re also good friends. Like, this is my boy.”

Outside of the YCC, Bradley is the publicist for the Black Men’s Union and a Communication and Consent Educator.

He hopes to assume the position of vice president with a mindset of optimism.

“I have grown to not really want to keep talking about ‘Oh, all these things suck or they need to be changed,’” Bradley said. “I want to be in the room where I can have an effect, and the student body is so creative that even if the administration isn’t on our side on certain issues, there are loopholes to get stuff done.”

If the administration is unwilling to reintroduce to-go cups, for example, the YCC could continue an effort Bradley made this year to give away reusable stainless steel cups for free on Cross Campus. Familiar with past sustainability efforts, Bradley also hopes to bring water filling stations to most colleges and minimize food waste in dining halls.

Their platform, wide-reaching, hopes to promote a collective voice. One way they plan to do so is through their promotional website, “The Cloud,” where students can offer input and receive answers to pertinent questions.

“The YCC isn’t our organization, our being me and Jalen,” Boanoh said. “It’s an organization for everyone. While we have our vision, our platform is a living, breathing document. We want everyone to contribute to it, and we’re here to take those ideas, put in the work to make them reality, and then put them on the front desk of the president in ways that haven’t been.”

They proposed the introduction of new laundry machines; know-your-rights clinics and consultations with immigration lawyers for impacted students; increased Muslim prayer spaces; expansion of mental health resources; and conducting semesterly town halls with University President Maurie McInnis.

Familiar with the fact that many of these aspirations are unprecedented, they don’t believe that demanding administrative attention to the things that affect students’ daily lives is a big ask.

They believe that it isn’t fair, the administration’s abrupt rollouts of new dining, health and student life policies.

“We’re never going to promise that we’re going to get you lunch back in Davenport,” Boanoh said. “But what we are looking to promise is that that announcement isn’t going to hit you on a random Tuesday afternoon when you’re not expecting it.”

Voting begins on April 10 at 9 a.m. on YaleConnect and closes on April 11 at 9 p.m.

The post YCC CANDIDATE PROFILE: Andrew Boanoh ’27 and Jalen Bradley ’27 appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Micah Draper ’28, the current First-Year Class Council president, and Eugene Covington ’28, a former YCC events coordinator, are the two candidates vying for the sophomore presidency. Draper is running on a platform rooted in student engagement and building on his experience and track record, while Covington emphasizes inclusivity, transparency and reimagining events as a tool for advocacy.

Covington campaigns to redefine events as a platform for advocacy and inclusion

A former events coordinator for the Yale College Council and Berkeley Representative for the First-Year Class Council, Eugene Covington’s ’28 campaigns for Sophomore Class Council President on three platform ideas: transparency, advocacy and equitability.

Covington believes that upholding these three lofty terms and instilling unity among the class of 2028 comes down to the events students engage with and what the events say about the interests of the class. It was this vision that inspired him to run for class president.

“I don’t discredit the previous administration,” Covington said. “But I think that there is value in looking at ways and avenues to find that intersection within events and policy to actually help the student body and help advocate for the people. Otherwise, there is no value in the event in the first place.”

This year, he organized a cystic fibrosis fundraiser in collaboration with the a cappella group Whim ’n Rhythm, managed the Harvard-Yale Tailgate, arranged the FCC Formal in Schwarzman Commons and facilitated connections for the Night at the Museum and Scavenger Hunt at the Yale Peabody Museum.

Covington said his campaign slogan puts him “out there.” “Don’t Be Mean, Vote Eugene” is typed on his campaign flyer alongside motifs and stylistic notes reminiscent of the movie “Mean Girls.”

He said the goal of both the flyer and his daily interactions is to make sure everyone knows his name and what he stands for.

“As SoCo president, I’d make sure that not only I, but my E-Board members, in fact, know who we are, what we stand for, and our initiatives for the entire campus culture at Yale and the events that we pursue,” he said.

Aside from his work with the YCC, Covington has other political experience under his belt. He is an energy and committee chair for Yale Model Congress and a Senior Legislative Fellow for Yale College Democrats.

To promote inclusion, he hopes to partner with local minority-owned businesses and restaurants to throw events that foster culture and connection. He also wants to encourage incoming freshmen to get involved with the Council early on in their Yale experience.

This time next year, Covington hopes that he does a good enough job as SoCo President that students are approaching him and inquiring about his future campaigns.

“Success would look like students coming up to me and saying, ‘Are you running again?’ I think that if you have students actively saying this, there is an itch for you to be in a position of trust and advocacy,” he believes.

From small-town roots to campus leader, Draper banks on experience and familiarity

The thesis of Micah Draper’s ’28 “Why Yale” essay and his campaign for Sophomore Class Council President have one thing in common: an emphasis on community.

Draper’s interest in fostering community was cultivated by his rural North Carolinian upbringing.

“I didn’t realize until I came to Yale how community-oriented my town was,” Draper said. “There’s one stoplight in my town, and you get to know people quickly. It’s literally half the size of Yale’s undergrad population, and you create these relationships very fast, and since the beginning of my first year, I’ve strived to create a similar community here.”

He said that student input is critical in actualizing this goal. For example, this year, Draper sent out a mass survey to select the theme for the first-year formal. The same was done for the movie choice for First-Year Movie Night. 

“And at the end of the day, if my classmates and peers know how much input matters to me and, for a lack of a better word, vibe with who I am as a person and what I want to bring to the table, then I know they’ll elect me,” Draper said.

In his freshman year of high school, Draper ran for class president and ultimately won. He later ran again during his sophomore, junior and senior years — winning each time. 

Draper is the president of the First-Year Class Council for the class of 2028. His inspiration to run this year was in part to continue his streak.

Draper believes that in traditional American politics, the incumbent tends to garner an excessive amount of attention. However, with his candidacy, he believes that being the incumbent gives him an edge, an experience that makes him the “better” candidate.

“I’ve met so many members of my class that I probably would have never met otherwise through study breaks at Bass Cafe, the first-year snowball fight, and our upcoming first-ever class movie on Old Campus,” Draper said. “I love it so much, and I’ve met some of my best friends through it, and I know that I can do it well.”

In the FCC, he created the first-ever New Haven Connections Branch, where a cohort of representatives volunteer to research local New Haven volunteer programs that students in the class can become involved with.

Draper wants members of his class to know that he spends seven to ten hours a week researching, planning events and hosting discussions with administrators. He also takes 95 percent of the credit for the FCC’s unprecedented efforts, such as introducing hot chocolate and candy canes to the annual first-year snowball fight and bringing marquee letters and an ice sculpture to the first-year formal.

“There’s so much behind-the-scenes work that students don’t see and that students shouldn’t see because they didn’t run to be president,” Draper. “I took that on, and I’m happy to do it, but it is a little disheartening to hear that people weren’t aware of that. I’m glad that students don’t see it because it means that everything is running smoothly.”

Voting begins on April 10 at 9 a.m. on YaleConnect and closes on April 11 at 9 p.m.

The post YCC CANDIDATE PROFILE: Micah Draper ’28 and Eugene Covington ’28 compete for Sophomore Class President appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The debate, moderated by YCC Vice President Esha Garg ’26 and the News’ Editor in Chief and President Tristan Hernandez ’26, was held ahead of the YCC election. Three presidential, two vice presidential and two event director candidates shared their experiences, visions for Yale and policy platforms. 

Garg and YCC President Mimi Papathanasopoulos ’26 issued a joint statement following the debate, saying it was “especially exciting.” Their favorite moments were the plethora of student questions and engagement during the event.

“All of the candidates did an incredible job, and we are so proud of them,” Papathanasopoulos and Garg wrote to the News. “This was a really full circle moment — from being an audience member to speaking on stage to moderating the debate, it’s so exciting to see and experience the progression of YCC administrations. We hope students continue to connect with the candidates because they are the future leaders of YCC.”

Students will be able to cast their votes via Yale Connect from Thursday, April 10, at 9 a.m. to Friday, April 11, at 9 p.m.

Presidential candidates lay out visions

In their opening statements, presidential candidates set the tone for their debate.

Andrew Boanoh ’27, who is running on a ticket with vice presidential candidate Jalen Bradley ’27, focused on the future and shared his vision for a Yale where students feel understood and heard. 

Diego Paz ’27, running with Berkeley Senator Emily Nguyen ’27, discussed the present, a campus divided by politics and a yearning for administrative transparency. 

Brian Moore ’26, a YCC outsider running on a solo ticket without vice presidential endorsement, admitted to being “scared shitless,” having little experience with student government but a sincere involvement with the New Haven community and extracurricular groups. 

As the current YCC director for cultural and religious policy, Boanoh addressed a “dissonance” in the way that students perceive the YCC.

“The student body sees the YCC as an entity that is cold and somewhat distant,” Boanoh said. “But I want you to think about the YCC as a powerful partner, not necessarily a governing body. I want you to think about the YCC not as a cold stranger, but a really well-connected and well-funded friend.”

Much of Boanoh’s discussion centered around the importance of diversity and student engagement. He hopes to increase transparency and accessibility to information about University administration through the points in his “Yale4You” vision — “a campus where students not only can express themselves,” but also “feel empowered to do so, knowing that their voices are being heard.”

Paz talked about his work as YCC senator for Pauli Murray College this year, including passing policies to increase the value of meal vouchers during recesses, streamline the housing process and offer more religious accommodations.

At the debate, he proposed renegotiating the laundry system contract to secure free laundry, reform dining hall hours and adjust Flex point inflation.

“The future of the YCC depends on how much students feel connected to them,” Paz said. “I know that we have lacked in our ability to reach the large reaches of all of the student body and I’m committed to ensuring better. Yale does not end with change, but it starts with ensuring that all students feel represented in our work.”

Moore spoke on the inner workings of Dwight Hall and New Haven’s nonprofit opportunities, which he has been involved with during his time at Yale. 

After acknowledging that becoming president would introduce a “pretty big learning curve” — as he has never been a part of the YCC — Moore hopes to “stir the pot,” demand administrative transparency and beg the question he believes many students on campus are wondering, “Maurie, what the hell?”

“I don’t have much experience, but what you can trust me on is that I don’t take ‘No’ for an answer,” Moore said. 

“What we need is a fresh perspective, and I believe that I’m the kind of person who does everything,” Moore added, referencing his engagement with the New Haven community. “I appreciate the diverse perspectives of Yale, and I sense the suffering of residents outside of Phelps Gates, and I want to advocate for both of those voices.”

Vice presidential candidates debate equity, transparency

In her opening statement, Nguyen, current academic policy deputy director for the Yale College Council and Berkeley College Senator, touched on her first-generation, low-income background and emphasized the importance of administrative transparency. For the rest of the debate, she focused on creating the “Better Yale,” a slogan for her and Paz’s ticket.

“A Better Yale is a Yale that provides resources for students in all regards,” Nguyen said. “This includes free printing, free laundry, and stipends for traveling to make life at Yale more accessible.”

Bradley, current Timothy Dwight Senator, discussed the importance of what he called “the little things” that offer feasibility and day-to-day support. 

Bradley hopes to increase transparency about conversations and collaboration with administration, especially on contentious policy proposals such as the divestment referendum, as well as promote sustainability through installing water filling stations in residential colleges and menstrual products in cultural centers.

“I think as vice president, it would be my responsibility to include diverse voices in every single conversation, no matter how long that conversation is going to take,” Bradley said.

Nguyen spent much of her rebuttal querying Bradley on his intentions and stances. She questioned the possible overreach he might exercise as a male advocate for menstrual equity and his abstention during a vote for a proposal that would promote inclusivity in the selection of policy chairs.

Bradley responded by offering that he intends to surround himself with a team of individuals familiar with key issues and that his abstinence was a result of a lack of understanding. He also proposed that students visit “The Cloud,” a website he and his running mate Boanoh created to respond to various student inputs.

Event director candidates share their programming proposals 

Maggie Chen ’27 and Kingson Wills ’26, candidates for the event director’s office, offered their visions for student programming.

Chen, the current deputy student body events director, discussed the importance of curating well-organized events that bring lasting memories to the student body. She detailed her experience assisting in the planning of the Night at the Museum event at the Peabody Museum of Natural History, the Halloween trail rides and various pre-professional conferences.

“What makes Yale feel like home is the students that make up the vibrant Yale community,” Chen said. “Beyond academics, we all need moments to connect, whether it’s celebrating traditions, discussing new experiences or just having fun with each other.”

She also detailed her plans to integrate voices from cultural centers and different classes into campus event planning.

Wills’ platform is largely a continuation of the work he currently does as Junior Class Council president. Opting to stand in his opening statement, despite moderator Garg audibly requesting he sit, Wills emphasized the importance of “bureaucracy, bureaucracy, bureaucracy.”

He went on to say that he believes the events director has more power than the president, managing a large budget of $65,000. Wills hopes to put this budget towards events such as local restaurant crawls, field trips into New Haven and an annual installation of this year’s intercultural food market.

When moderators asked him why he was interested in the position, granted he is a rising senior, Wills chalked it up to the importance of community.

“What motivates me to continue this again is the community and that belief that people can come together,” Wills said. “Our main purpose in this is to help students connect more, and through this, I’m going to get to help engage with the various people we have here, and I wanted to build on my experience as a student class president to do that.”

Polls for the Spring 2025 Yale College Council election will open on Thursday, April 10, at 9 a.m. on Yale Connect.

The post “Maurie, what the hell?”: YCC candidates debate admin transparency, diversity and student engagement appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Voter turnout for each office and past candidates varies across colleges, positions and tickets. The News looked at trends and patterns in turnout in the last three YCC elections.

Some colleges have historically had a greater propensity to vote, and others have been less civically engaged in campus politics.

Each year, every college has the opportunity to vote for two senators to represent them in the Yale College Council.

Over the last two years, Timothy Dwight, Pierson and Silliman have consistently seen high voter turnout. Last year, Davenport College took first place in the number of votes cast by students from a single college in their senate races.

Turnout among all colleges in 2022 was distinctly lower than in later years, likely due to the social and campaigning limitations produced by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as uncontested races. The lowest turnout over the last three years was at Berkeley College in 2022, with a mere 26 votes cast to decide its senators. 

However, each college varies in population size, with Pierson having the largest population, around 500 students, and Trumbull having the smallest, around 400.

In the last two elections, roughly a third of all undergraduates voted in the YCC Presidential election, compared to just 9.5 percent of the student body in 2022. 

According to current YCC Vice President Esha Garg ’26, the low turnout in 2022 was likely because the winner, Leleda Beraki ’24, ran for president uncontested. Iris Li ’24, candidate for the YCC vice president, also ran uncontested that year.

Roughly the same number of students voted in the YCC vice presidential race as for a president across all three years. 

Beraki ran uncontested and secured all 615 votes for the presidency. The following year, Julian Suh-Toma ’25 received 812 votes, accounting for 37.5 percent of the total. In 2024, current Council president Mimi Papathanasopoulos ’26 garnered 712 votes, making up 35.2 percent of all casted ballots.

In the last three years, not a single candidate who ran on a solo ticket has won the offices of the president and vice president. Last year, Yale’s campus saw its most successful solo ticket candidate, with candidate Brian Zhang ’25, who was also arts editor for the News, garnering 664 votes, or 33 percent, just behind Papathanasopoulos’s 708 votes.

Elsa Holahan ’27 said she will be voting in this year’s election because she “believes in democracy.”

Selena Williams ’28, on the other hand, said she will not.

“I’m not really aware of who’s running,” Williams said. “Also, in my opinion, I try to give them grace, but the YCC doesn’t have the best rep in terms of listening to students and advocating for what they want.”

Polls for the Spring 2025 Yale College Council Election will open on Thursday, April 10, at 9 a.m. on Yale Connect.

The post DATA: Yale College Council elections, by the numbers appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The initiative was spearheaded by the Council dining team and team heads Sahra Wahedi ’27 and Anna Krans ’27. The collaboration was born from monthly conversations between the Council and Yale Hospitality Assistant Vice President Jodi Westwater and a survey the Council sent out to the student body last semester regarding clementines’ absence. 

“Students responded with disappointment, primarily because clementines provided a nutritional source of Vitamin C in their diets,” Wahedi said.

On March 5, the team hosted an event to bolster student enthusiasm for the citrus fruit’s return, where students emailed Yale Hospitality to advocate for this initiative.

Wahedi and Krans set up a table in the rotunda of Schwarzman near Commons, and over 40 students stopped by to support the push for clementines. In return, students who engaged received complimentary capybara plushes and clementine paintings.

Wahedi said that the reintroduction of clementines is a testament to the power of student advocacy when administration fails to address their concerns.

“It gives us hope that administrators are open to hearing student concerns and that our voices can have a tangible impact,” Wahedi said. “However, there is still more work to be done. The YCC must continue to foster dialogue between students and administration, ensuring ongoing advocacy to create meaningful change.”

Favour Akingbemi ’26 says that although she is not a frequent patron of Commons, the reintroduction of clementines gives her more incentive to go there.

Irene Nam ’28 says that she is “overjoyed” at the reintroduction.

“I am so happy. I love them so much, and I’m a first-year, so I never got to experience having them last semester,” Nam said. “I plan on eating one every single day.”

There are approximately 36.1 milligrams of Vitamin C in a single clementine.

The post YCC brings clementines back to Commons appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Last Monday, the YCC announced that each residential college’s two Senate seats are open for election. These representatives work to push policies pertaining to topics such as academics, accessibility, financial aid and sustainability. Each officer position is also up for grabs, including the offices of the council president, vice president, events director, sophomore class council president and junior class council president.

With the planning period underway, candidates are currently assembling campaign teams and refining their platforms, as many students on campus begin to contemplate who their votes will go to.

The News spoke with 12 students about what initiatives they want prioritized in the upcoming school year and what values their ideal campus leaders would embody.

Advocating for policy changes

Yurim Jin ’28 highlighted the need for greater student input in dining hall policies. Undra Pillows ’28 echoed this, emphasizing the importance of student advocacy in decision-making processes.

Housing concerns remain a recurring issue as well. Paige Adekplor ’25, who will be voting in her fourth YCC election cycle, believes the Council has focused too much on superficial campus enhancements rather than substantive issues. Having seen new students take on roles of leadership, she believes that regardless of what new faces are introduced to the Council, little on campus will change.

“I feel like the YCC focuses on a lot of superficial things that, of course, make the college experience better aesthetically, but not better for the functionality of the students,” Adekplor said. “Rather than having study breaks with Insomnia Cookies or having little pop-ups or dance after dance, formal after formal, I’m hoping that, in the future, for your sake, that they actually take a step back and focus on the root issues of this University within their scope.”

Issues she hopes to see addressed next year, after she graduates, are ensuring dining hall accessibility, adequate responses to mental health crises and consistent checking of campus water filtration systems.

Other students have also called for improved transparency in areas such as student health services. Jack Ludwick ’28 pointed to difficulties in accessing Yale Health, stating that students often seek external medical care due to bureaucratic hurdles.

Sabrina Guo ’27 also stressed the need for greater collaboration between YCC, Student Accessibility Services and student-led health and disability rights organizations.

“I’d love to see YCC prioritize accessibility across campus,” Guo said. “Yale is a vibrant, diverse community, but there’s always more we can do to ensure every student feels welcomed and at home.”

The need for effective and transparent leadership

Guo also emphasized the importance of fostering spaces for open, respectful dialogue across political divides.

“It is important that our representatives are able to speak for the larger student body they serve through their time and experiences at Yale,” Ludwick said. “An ideal YCC candidate should be present within and across the Yale community… someone who is able to devote time to an array of different activities, causes and engagements to help truly bring the Yale community together.”

Bryant Pranbookpluk ’28 echoed the sentiment, expressing hope that YCC senators represent “different perspectives within a class.” 

Students also emphasized the need for YCC officials to clearly communicate their powers and limitations. Miles Kirkpatrick ’27 believes that the YCC presidency and vice presidency are “full-time jobs” that demand full commitment.

Echoing Kirkpatrick’s sentiment, Alexander Diricio ’28 said his involvement in the election may be limited to the lack of knowledge and personal engagement council officials and senators have with their constituents.

“I have no idea what the YCC senator or president does,” Diricio said. “I know the YCC sends emails every week informing us of different things going on around campus and things to sign up for, but I’m not really aware of anything. I can’t lie, I don’t know what they’re able to do or how much power they have.”

Similarly, Zach Pan ’27 stressed the need for a YCC leader who is both “passionate and pragmatic.”

“I think people are tired of business as usual, but we also need an effective YCC,” Pan said.

Broader institutional concerns

For some students, YCC’s role extends beyond campus affairs. William Trinh ’28 wants the Council to take a stronger stance against external pressures that threaten academic freedom at Yale.

“I would like to see candidates take steps that fortify our campus from federal interference, whether it be more steps to limit non-Yale law enforcement from being on campus, a forceful pushback to actions taken by the current administration, a recommitment to protecting faculty from undue interference [or] a condemnation of institutional neutrality,” Trinh said.

Zachary Clifton ’28 shared a similar perspective, arguing that YCC leaders must consider their roles beyond day-to-day campus management — not merely as representatives of students, but as “participants in the larger life of the university, co-responsible for the preservation and renewal of its meaning.”

The Yale College Council was founded in 1972.

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