Dorothy Ha, Contributing Photographer

On Wednesday, polls opened for the delegate position to the Yale Alumni Association and will close to voting on Friday, Sept. 13. 

Class delegates are Yalies who are chosen to represent a regional Yale club, Yale College class, a recognized shared interest group or graduate and professional school alumni association constituency to the YAA Assembly. The Yale Alumni Association holds elections for students to become class delegates.

“So often, a day [at Yale] telescopes into an entirely different 24 hours, only because you ran into someone on Cross Campus,” Jack Dozier ’27, a current class delegate candidate, wrote to the News. “What has brought me most joy is building connections and collaborating while drawing on the resources that are available to us at Yale, and I hope to be that connection builder between the YAA and the Class of 2027.”

The Assembly includes at-large delegates who represent alumni beyond designated constituencies. The number of delegates per constituency varies according to the YAA Constitution, and delegates generally hold their position for three years, starting July 1 and concluding June 30. For sophomores and juniors currently enrolled at Yale College, the term is limited to one year. 

The election results will be announced via email on Friday, Sept. 20.  

Landon Bishop ’27 — who is a staff reporter for the News — is interested in the position due to his experience working as the engagement co-coordinator for the Dwight Hall Executive Committee. After traveling this past semester to Philadelphia to inform Yale alumni of Dwight Hall’s current public service initiatives, he hopes to be an active contributor to bridging student-alumni relationships. 

“I’ve also been able to sit and offer my voice in meetings with different service organizations throughout New Haven and internationally, many of which have leaders who are Yale alumni or are connected in some way to the university,” Bishop wrote.

Tyler Schroder ’25 served as a class delegate this past year and is currently running for a senior executive position. In a statement to the News, Schroder wrote that he joined Students and Alumni of Yale, or STAY, in his first year and had the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of Yale alumni. 

Schroder said that STAY gave him the platform to support and participate in programs with the YAA Board of Governors, the Yale Alumni Association and the Careers, Life and Yale committee. 

“Running for delegate felt like a natural extension of my work at STAY and the greater YAA, and a great way to keep my class connected to the greater YAA Universe,” Schroder said. 

The chief role of a class delegate is to participate in the Annual YAA Assembly & Yale Alumni Fund Convocation, a two-day event beginning on a Thursday. This year, the convocation will take place from Nov. 14-15. 

The YAA Assembly is a leadership information and development program for alumni leaders affiliated with the alumni association. The assembly is also the body of alumni association delegates who serve as representatives of the alumni community. Traditionally, the YAA Assembly is held on campus before the weekend of the final home football game in the fall.

Jeannie Daniel, an associate director of recent graduate engagement, shared that after the YAA Assembly, delegates are encouraged to do a write-up of what they learned and how their classmates might be able to use the information they gathered.

The first day of the Yale Alumni Fund Convocation focuses on reconnecting alumni leaders with the university through campus tours, faculty discussions and volunteer training sessions. Friday features plenary sessions featuring Yale leadership, volunteer-led discussions and networking opportunities with other alumni leaders. 

Delegates also have the unique opportunity to attend the Yale Medal ceremony, the highest honor awarded by the Alumni Association for exceptional service to the University.

Additionally, Daniel mentioned that sometimes delegates may be asked to sit on a YAA committee to bring in a student voice and perspective.

Daniel told the News that the Yale Alumni Association offers virtual sessions for delegates throughout the year, and they “generally try to keep them in touch with other leaders who may be able to help navigate their student experiences.”

To run for sophomore and junior class delegate, a candidate must attend an information session at the Rose Alumni House, submit a declaration of candidacy certificate and submit a statement of interest that is used on the voting form. 

The respective sophomore and junior classes vote for their delegate via an online election. This year, nine candidates from the class of 2027 and two candidates from the class of 2026 are running for the position of delegate to the Yale Alumni Association. 

The senior class does not have a class delegate election; rather, they elect their class secretary and treasurer to delegate to a three-year team following their graduation. 

Candidates interviewed by the News cited the information session as helpful in understanding student involvement in the Yale Alumni Association. 

Schroder thought that the information session was helpful to guide students who are not exactly sure how they want to get involved. 

“There are multiple avenues for leadership at Yale, and students can find it confusing to find which roles are best for them,” Schroder wrote.

The Yale Alumni Association is located at 232 York St.