Yale is a vibrant place, but for many students, daily life still feels unnecessarily challenging. It is inarguable that many students feel disconnected from the YCC, and have found discontent with both recent changes in university life, as well as issues that have been repeatedly addressed — whether related to laundry costs and machine conditions, dining hours and restrictions, or other. As candidates for President and Vice President of the Yale College Council, we’ve built our campaign on a vision shaped by our conversations with students — and grounded in the present day. As you cast your vote, we invite you to join the initiative for a YCC rooted in genuine student voice and real impact.

Dining hall hours don’t always reflect students’ schedules, laundry costs add up and students are concerned with federal changes that impact a vulnerable population on our campus. With achievable and thorough policy goals, we are committed to an action-based push for a better daily life for all students at Yale. We’re pushing to reevaluate the most recent dining changes, provide free laundry for all students and build a student government that recognizes student voices and appropriately channels these concerns to the administration. As fixes that students have called for, these changes would make daily life less stressful and more supportive.

Jointly, we have served in every branch of YCC — from events to policy, including class councils, Senate, the Executive Board and Spring Fling — and we are ready to lead the YCC in supporting every corner of this campus, from student organizations to cultural centers, to the everyday student who doesn’t engage heavily with student government. Through better outreach, we will collaborate with various organizations on campus to ensure there are plenty of avenues for students to engage with the YCC. 

As Pauli Murray Senator, I — Diego — passed and implemented an Uber voucher raise from $30 to $40, allocating over $30,000 to high-need students at Yale. This bill was co-sponsored by 22 other students, with leaders from Rural Students at Yale, Yale First Gen Advocacy Movement, QuestBridge Scholars at Yale and the Office of International Students and Scholars. In addition, I built on previous proposals to have dining halls open for breakfast during Thanksgiving Break, alleviating another financial hurdle for students remaining on campus during academic recess. Just recently, I co-sponsored a bill allocating remaining YCC funds to purchase hundreds of MTA tickets and Uber vouchers for students to get from campus to airports for the summer. 

As Deputy Director of Academic Policy, I — Emily — spearheaded the Public Policy Certificate proposal, which received interest from over 1,000 students. Simultaneously, I served as a member of the University Committee on Majors where I worked with administrators and faculty to push the Public Policy and Entrepreneurship certificates. I also advised on the requirements of majors such as Global Affairs, resulting in a reduced number of requirements and a more accessible major. I also successfully passed a proposal advocating for more flexible deadlines around Election Days, to further voter engagement at Yale. In my other YCC capacities, I hosted multiple Berkeley Senator Outreach events to gather input from students. I also supported the 2024 Wellness Week during finals season to enhance student wellbeing.

Free laundry has been a point of contention for several years; many past administrations have promised free laundry and were unsuccessful. What makes this time different? The CSC contract, the service provider for laundry machines at Yale, will expire in August of 2026. In coming the months the University will meet with prospective providers. We will push for them to build programs to provide free laundry as a part of the contracting process. In addition to free laundry, we will expand routine checks of laundry machines in the residential colleges to ensure that machines are not out of service for more than a week and do not damage your clothing.

In addition to laundry, we recognize that recent dining changes have left students confused. Closing Commons on Fridays, taking away hot breakfast and lunch from many dining halls, and implementing restrictions for certain dining halls to non-college residents for the first hour have left students feeling like changes are made without their opinions taken into account. Some colleges have extended their dining hours, which has been a welcome improvement. However, we need to actively gather student input after these changes to understand what the community wants and make decisions that reflect those needs.

We pledge to utilize the power and authority of the YCC to push the administration to support policy changes that promise a better everyday life for all of its students. We understand that every year at Yale is a special one, so let’s make it the best it can be — let’s make it better.

DIEGO PAZ is a sophomore in Pauli Murray College running for YCC President. He can be reached at diego.paz@yale.edu.

EMILY NGUYEN is a sophomore in Berkeley College running for YCC Vice President. She can be reached at e.nguyen@yale.edu.