Alumni explore merits of more globalized Yale

"We are already a world university by virtue of an outstanding reputation. But to what extent will Yale itself become international?" William Stork, SM '62, president of the Yale Club of Hong Kong, asked in regard to this year's Association of Yale Alumni (AYA) Assembly. Yale alums responded to Stork's question with a mixture of enthusiasm and anxiety.

The 53rd semi-annual AYA Assembly, which was held from Thurs., Oct. 22 to Sat., Oct. 24, featured panel discussions and lectures about international students at Yale. The delegates were members of different Yale alumni groups and current undergraduates, including international students and students who have studied abroad

Erika Greenfest, PC '00, a delegate to the AYA, explained that "one goal of the conference was to decide what route to take in broadening the University: should the school be expanded, should more foreign students be admitted to each class, and should this be done by admitting fewer American students or by enlarging the overall class size?"

Some undergraduate delegates were dissatisfied with the alumni's conservative reactions. "What bothered me was the response of many of the alumni to the possibility of increasing the number of foreign students in the undergraduate population," Denmark native Harald Collet, MC '01, said. "Many seemed to feel that adding more international students would unfairly take away places from American students."

AYA Director of Education Judy Cole insists instead that alumni had a variety of opinions about the increasing recruitment of international students. "There were people who felt that Yale should become a global meritocracy, providing equal footing for all students from any part of the world," she said. "There were others who felt this was not desirable, because it would dramatically change the atmosphere of the University."

The issue of increasing financial aid for international students also provoked strong responses from delegates. "Three alumni from Yale Clubs abroad made clear the importance of financial aid to international students who may be choosing between Yale or a free or much less expensive education in their native countries," Cole said.

The alums didn't arrive at firm conclusions by the end of the weekend, but Cole believes the conference was a success. "No consensus was reached at the assembly, but this was not our goal," she said. "Rather, we sought to stimulate a number of interesting conversations and raise alumni awareness on the subject."

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