A representative body...

BY TYSON BELANGER

For 275 years, Yale students prospered without an undergraduate student government advocating their interests. In this light, it is easy to see the Yale College Council as a recent and unnecessary phenomena. Why should Yale's student government advocate reforms? The question is not one of necessity; it is one of aspiration. Yale may be great, but it can be better.

While the wisdom and leadership of Yale's administrators ensures a clear and secure direction for Yale, there is still a place for student input.

Administrators think of the University on a macro-scale, and can frequently miss important micro-scale factors. Students act as watchdogs, raising immediate concerns to complement the Administration's goals.

Administrators often are limited by their traditional roles within the Yale bureaucracy. They may agree with student concerns but not have the time to lobby for and enact important changes. In this situation, the flexible schedules and boldness of students can help pull reforms together.

Yale students have a vested interest in improving their campus, as shown by the number of ideas generated and published each year. Some of these ideas have great potential and may be implemented if they receive attention from the Administration. Through groups like the YCC, student ideas can receive this necessary attention.

The YCC is a valuable resource as an advocate for reform. A strong student government lends weight to any ideas for changing the face of the Yale campus. Even if the YCC doesn't offer its explicit support, it can introduce students to an administrator who may take up their cause.

As an advocacy group, the YCC has a history of hesitant experimentation. But it has come a long way in the last five years and all signs indicate a productive future. It now meets twice as often, researches issues thoroughly before considering action, uses its e-bulletin to communicate, builds coalitions with other student groups, and meets regularly with top administrators included senior members of the Yale Corporation. It is wrong to judge the YCC by what it was a half-decade ago, and it is naïve to ignore what the YCC is today.

The YCC realizes its limitations. Before taking action, the YCC evaluates an issue's relevance to student life, its moral implications, the amount of student support it has, and how much information is available to support the YCC's desired position.

It has been said, "The United States has to move very fast to even stand still." The same can be said of Yale University. If Yale wishes to move ahead, administrators must listen to the students, and the YCC should continue to help students be heard.

Back to Opinion...