To the Editor:

I appreciate the Yale Daily News’ efforts to provide some context for Maya Lin ’81 ARC ’86 regarding her nomination for a Corporation seat (“Reserved Lin thrust into political role,” 4/2/02). It must be a difficult task for a reporter, since Lin is refusing to comment to the press. More concerning, however, is that she also refuses to make herself accessible to students and alumni.

The Alumni for a Better Yale, a young organization with a few hundred members, wrote to Lin to ask her position on issues of importance to us: town-gown relations, employee relations, and accountability of Corporation members to students and alumni. We received no response to our letter.

I later called Lin’s office and spoke with Sarah, an assistant of hers. Sarah told me that not only was Lin not available, but that she would not be available. Sarah said that Lin would not be answering any of our questions, and that she would not be making herself available to any questions from students or alumni, at any point.

For too long, members of the Yale Corporation have been resistant to student demands and student input. Apparently, Lin represents no departure from this practice, merely a continuation of the status quo. This is unfortunate, since student input could add to any conversation.

For students and alumni concerned about the accountability of their representatives, Lin, despite her many accomplishments, is not the correct choice.

Jon Zerolnick ’96

April 2, 2002