Student governments secure role in trustee discussions through new initiative
The Yale College Council’s proposal — co-authored with graduate student leaders — to add non-voting student voices to trustee deliberations was officially adopted, marking a new era of student inclusion and transparency in university governance.
Tim Tai
On April 17, the Yale College Council announced via Instagram that their open letter to increase student engagement with the Yale Corporation was officially adopted.
This announcement comes following an open letter the YCC wrote to the Corporation in collaboration with the Graduate Student Assembly — GSA — and the Graduate and Professional Student Senate — GPSS — requesting the inclusion of one non-voting undergraduate and one non-voting graduate voice in the committee’s decision-making.
It was authored by Council President Mimi Papathanasopoulos ’26, Council Vice President Esha Garg ’26, GSA Chair Katie Chang GRD ’27, GSA Vice Chair Jamil Rahman GRD ’27, GPSS President Alex Rich GRD ’27 and GPSS Vice President Saman Haddad LAW ’26.
“Trustees often draw on their own time at Yale and other life experiences, but today’s students bring a vital, real-time perspective,” Haddad said. “We also hope this initiative demystifies the corporation for the student body, making Yale’s governance more transparent and accessible to those it most directly affects.”
The student government committees came together, hoping that in doing this, the Corporation can address the importance of expression, representation and administrative accountability.
Rich said that the letter communicated a simple request, demanding students have a seat at the table where decisions are made to shape their lives.
The YCC, GSA and GPSS announced a series of activities they plan to roll out in accordance with the update, such as university tees, trustee lunches, small group meetings and small group outings to athletic events or performances to allow trustees to connect with students and student government leaders.
“We had a seat at the table before through annual meetings, so this expands communication beyond that baseline,” Rich said.
The letter also cited similar programs at peer institutions, such as Harvard, Stanford, Princeton and the University of California, which govern while including student input and voice.
“We are not requesting full voting rights, as this is not advisable given the origin and nature of the Yale Corporation’s charter,” the authors wrote. “We only hope that student representatives will listen to board members’ deliberations and provide their perspective when appropriate and helpful.”
The University spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the initiative.
Haddad added that he hopes the impact of the programming allows the board to see firsthand the value of student insight.
Students interested in participating in the events will be selected by the Yale Corporation.