Surbhi Bharadwaj

Last week, Yale Hospitality announced a flurry of dining changes. After spring break, five dining halls will no longer offer “hot lunches,” replacing them with a “Power Lunch,” consisting of sandwiches, vegan burgers, greens and grain bowls.

Some YCC senators have decided to protest these changes by not housing high school students for Bulldog Days, an annual event that brings admitted students to Yale’s campus for three days of programming.

“Boycotting hosting students for BDD is something students may choose to do in order to express their frustrations with Yale hospitality’s year-long cuts, most recently of standard lunch and continental breakfast service in select residential colleges,” Anna Krans ’27, YCC dining director, wrote to the News.

Krans has also proposed that the YCC send a letter to University President Maurie McInnis, Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis and Yale Hospitality protesting the dining changes.

The open letter reads that “if Yale Hospitality and the administration choose to cut standard lunch service from these five dining halls post-Spring Break, we, the students, may choose not to host prospective first-years in all of our residential colleges for Bulldog Days.”

​​As of Feb. 24, the letter has been signed by 21 YCC senators and over 70 other students.

Bulldog Days relies on the Yale student body to host prospective students. Prospective first years live for three days with students on campus as they get a sample of what life at Yale is like. 

This year, Yale College also announced that it will increase the size of the class of 2029 by 100 students, meaning a higher demand for student hosts.

However, some students feel ambivalent about the boycott.

Ella Brenes ’27 expressed that she was unsure of whether she would host an admitted student Bulldog Days and needed to coordinate with the rest of her suite before deciding. She wrote to the News about the positive impact her Bulldog Days host had on her.

Brenes wrote that she did not anticipate that the boycott would affect her decision to host, as she “truly” does not feel like dining hall changes are “a huge deal.”

“The admissions office deeply appreciates the hundreds of Yale students who host prefrosh in suites and create special student group events during Bulldog Days,” Jeremiah Quinlan, dean of undergraduate admissions and financial aid, wrote to the News. “I’m confident that Yale College students will continue to showcase Yale’s most valuable resource during Bulldog Days: its vibrant and diverse student body.”

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is located at 38 Hillhouse Ave.