A response to yesterday’s letter on YCC endorsements

To the Editor:

I believe David Chernicoff, the author of a letter that appeared in the paper yesterday, is confused about many key points. Let me briefly try to clarify some of them.

First, financial aid reform is hardly Steven Syverud’s only achievement on the YCC — he probably has a longer and more robust record than any representative on the YCC, as the Yale Daily News endorsement from Monday pointed out at length.

But second, even were financial aid reform the only issue Steven had ever touched, it would be ample reason to elect him. Chernicoff insinuates that the YCC resolution on the subject, which Steven authored, was an unimportant afterthought. In fact, according to the very article Chernicoff cites, Steven’s resolution “laid out a template for establishing a network of support for low-income students, specifically asking for the reinstatement of a financial aid panel during freshman orientation, the establishment of special training for freshman counselors on financial aid issue,” and several other changes. Almost every recommendation he made is now Yale policy.

Stephen Kappa ’07

April 13, 2005