Glossing Over History
During my Freshman fall, my schedule was different from normal due to the Jewish holidays. As the final days of Sukkot waned, I returned to my normal schedule, as advertised by Yale: office hours, extra-curriculars, intramural sports. However, I began to notice that my friends had schedules that were also different from normal — but for a much different reason. They were working to pay the student income contribution. As I look ahead to my summer opportunities, free from the constraints of a summer contribution, I see my friends struggling to work campus jobs, take out loans, and turn down unpaid internships. Yale has enough money for massive expansion and new projects—why don’t they have enough money to take that constraint off students on financial aid? It sends a clear message that Yale is not prioritizing students of color and low-income students. Historically, Yale was not a place for Jews and I can feel reverberations of that exclusion, mostly during ceremonies like Freshman convocation or Parents Weekend tea with the Master, when I see that Yale cares more about including us into its shiny brand image than confronting its history. Yale — I’m not proud to be included in your fancy ceremonies as long as you ignore the poverty in New Haven’s communities of color and profit off the free labor of your low-income students. Take a stand and eliminate the student income contribution.
