Baala Shakya, Contributing Photographer
The Yale College Council 2024-25 Fall Survey, which collects data about the student body to guide YCC advocacy work, will close this Saturday.
The annual survey, which includes questions about student concerns and preferences, is the primary way that the YCC gets student input and data. The results fuel YCC policy directions and often support the YCC’s advocacy with the administration.
“This data is crucial for getting a clear, evidence-based understanding of students’ needs and experiences. Every response will be read, will inform our policy proposals, and be shared with administrators,” said YCC President Mimi Papathanasopoulos ’26. “Student engagement is central to our mission as an advocacy group, and collecting student input ensures that students’ voices are not only heard but actively shape positive change.”
The survey covers a broad range of topics, including academics, religious life, dining, accessibility and sustainability.
YCC Vice President Esha Garg ’26 wrote to the News that “every single question” on the Fall Survey addresses a policy area where the YCC plans to work for change. Questions about academics will help the YCC work on a policy that makes Credit/D/F classes count for distributional credits, Garg said as an example.
“Student participation strengthens our ability to push for meaningful improvements,” Ben Crnovrsanin ’25, YCC chief of staff, wrote to the News.
Administrators have used the data collected in the Fall Survey in the past. Survey results go into YCC policy initiatives which the administration reads.
Additionally, certain questions in the survey were specifically referenced by various administrative offices to guide their student policy. The housing questions on the Fall Survey will go directly to Yale’s administrators who are involved with the housing process, Garg said. The data collected will help them understand student sentiment around the housing process to identify potential improvements.
“We even have questions from President McInnis, which will help inform the President of the visions that Yale students have for campus inclusivity as well as for Yale’s future,” Garg wrote.
Papathanasopoulos and Garg wrote that they are especially interested in responses related to the Yale Corporation as the pair are actively talking with the Board of Trustees about ways the board can incorporate student input.
Students who fill it out will be entered to win the AirPods Max or a $30 gift card to a New Haven restaurant.